432  Oils  of  Chinese  Pharmacy.         {As'eJPH;  mT' 
South  China,  and  is  exported  thence  to  Europe  and  the  United 
States.    The  common  anise-oil  has  not  been  met  with  by  me  in  China. 
Oil  of  Apricot  Seeds. — See  Oil  of  Almonds. 
Oil  of  Beans. — This  oil  is  expressed  in  large  quantities  in  North 
China,  and  at  Newchwang,  from  the  Dolichos  Soja  bean,  by  both 
natives  and  foreigners.  The  oil  is  often  miscalled  pea-oil,  is  dark, 
not  very  palatable,  and  has  some  tendency  to  cause  sickness.  It  is 
used  in  cooking  very  largely,  and  is  very  cheap. 
Oil  of  Benzoin. — A  fragrant,  oily  preparation  is  sold  under  this 
name,  but  it  is  not  liquid  benzoin.  Dr.  Williams  says  it  comes  from 
India.  It  is  used  in  making  ointments  and  plasters.  It  is  probably 
liquid  storax,  or  the  rose-maloes  of  commerce. 
Oil  of  Cabbage. — This  oil,  a  kind  of  colza-oil,  is  expressed  from  the 
seeds  of  Brassica  Sinensis,  in  increasing  quantities,  all  through  the 
valleys  of  the  Yang-tsze  and  Han  rivers.  Very  primitive  machinery 
is  used  for  this  purpose.  The  seeds  are  crushed,  steamed,  and  put 
into  wooden  cylinders,  usually  made  by  hollowing  out  the  trunks  of 
trees.  The  oil  is  squeezed  out  of  the  mass  placed  in  coarse  bags,  by 
means  of  wedges  driven  down  by  mallets,  or  by  an  arrangement 
similar  to  that  by  means  of  which  piles  are  generally  driven  into  the 
earth  in  this  country.  In  the  last  case  water  power  is  sometimes 
employed.  The  proportional  yield  is  very  considerable.  The  oil  is 
of  a  dark  yellow  color,  thick,  and  has  a  pleasant  odor.  It  is  used  for 
lamps,  in  cooking,  and  as  a  hair-oil.  It  is  laxative,  or  even  purgative ' 
to  some  extent,  and  applied  to  swellings,  sores,  and  ulcers. 
Oil  of  Camellia. — This  oil  is  prepared  from  the  seeds  of  the  capsu- 
lar fruit  of  the  Camellia  oleifera,  or  mountain  tea-tree,  as  the  Chinese 
call  this  shrub,  which  grows  in  the  same  situation  and  soil  as  the  tea- 
shrub  proper,  known  by  the  same  generic  name,  Ch'a  or  Tsa.  This 
tea-oil,  as  it  is  miscalled  by  foreigners  in  China,  is  thinnish,  yellow, 
and  less  fragrant  than  cabbage- oil.  Large  quantities  of  this  oil  come 
from  the  hilly  districts  of  Kiang-si  and  Hunan  provinces,  where  the 
shrub  grows  in  profusion. 
Oil  of  Camphor. — Oily  or  uncrystallizable  camphor  is  obtained  in 
the  island  of  Formosa,  in  the  form  of  a  yellow,  strong-smelling  liquid, 
which  exudes  from  the  crude  native  camphor,  stored  in  tubs  or  vats, 
to  the  extent  of  some  3  or  4  per  cent.    It  is  scarcely  salable,  and  is 
