THE CHINA REVIEW.

NOTES ON CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA.BY CHARLES FORD, F.L.S.,

Director of the Botanical Gardens,

HO KAI, M.B., ADERd., &c.;

AND WILLIAM EDWARD CROW,

Government Analyst, Hongkon

(Continued from Vol. XV,, page

.P.S.,

In referring to figures or descriptive mat-ter in Chinese works, the volume (or chapter)and page will, in future, always be given,except in the case of the Pen ts'ao kang mu.There have been so many editions of thiswork, since its appearance more than 300years ago, that any reference to a particularpage would only be misleading ; we shalltherefore, when quoting from the text, sim-ply give the chapter. As the illustrationsare all grouped together, in either two orthree books, we have added in MS., as sug-gested by Hanbury, the series of num-bers which have been, and will always be,associated with his investigations; and insucceeding notes we shall continue to referto the Pen ts'ao figures in this

1. The woodcuts of the Pen ts'ao amount innumber to 1110 and illustrate the various minerals,vegetables and animals furnishing material inuse as medicines by the Chinese, Hanbury num-bered them beginning with ,^g Chin (gold), — the

first of the plates, and ending with 5ffi ^& feifei (a kind of monkey)—the last of the figures.In other words he exactly followed the order ofthe Chinese text. The vegetable section com-mences with No. 88 "" ~Kan ts'ao (liquorice)

Subjoined will he found a list of the prin-cipal works to which a reference will fre-quently he made, and which, in future, willalways have their titles abbreviated. Thesereferences will usually be given in foot-notes,but a list of authors dealing with the subjectunder notice, whose works are not speciallyalluded to, will appear at the end of each note.

Flora Cochinchinensis. Joannis de Lou-reiro, edit. C. L. Willdenow, 1793.

Catalogus medicamentorum sinensium quocPekini comparanda et determinanda cur-avit Alexander Tatarinov, Doctor Medicince,medicus Missionis Russicae Pekinensis spaticannorum 1840-1850. Petropoli, I856.

Contributions towards the Materia Medicaand Natural History of China. By Frederick

Porter Smith, M, B., Lond; Shanghai, 1871.La Matiere Medicale chez les Chinois. M.

le Docteur J, Leon Soubeiran et M. Dabryde Thiersant. Paris, 1874.

and ends with No. 829 ^ ^ hsien jen,ch'ang (a sort of bamboo). There are usuallyfour illustrations on each page, but in numberingthem the black spaces should of course be dis-regarded.

THE CHINA REVIEW.

Early European Researches into the Floraof China. By E. Bretschneider, M.D.—InJournal of the North-China Branch of theRoyal Asiatic Society, (1880), Vol. XV.,pp. 1—194.

Botanicon Sinicam. By E. Bretschneider,M.D.—In Journal of the North- China Branchof the Royal Asiatic Society, (1881), Vol.XVI., Part I., pp. 18—230.

Flora Hongkongensis. By George Ben-tham, F.R.S.; London 1861.

Supplement to the Flora Hongkongensis,

By Henry Fletcher Hance, Ph.D. &c.; Lon-don, 1872.

Pharmacopoeia of India. By Edward JohnWaring, M.D.; London, 1868.

Science Papers, Chiefly Pharmacological

and Botanical, by Daniel Hanbury, F.R.S;Edited by Joseph Ince, F.L.S. &c.; London,

1876.Pharmacographia. A History of the Prin-

cipal Drugs of Vegetable Origin met with inGreat Britain and British India. By F. A.Fluckiger, Ph.D., and Daniel Hanbury,F.R.S.; London, 1879.

Medicinal Plants. By R. Bentley, F.L.S.&c.; and Henry Trimen, M.B. &c., Vols.1—4. London, 1880.

Vegetable Materia Medica of WesternIndia. First Edition. By W, Dymock, Sur-geon Major, Bombay Army. Bombay andLondon, no date.

Reports of the Medical Officers to the Chi-nese Imperial Maritime Customs. Shanghai,No. 1, (1871) to present time.

Pharmaceutical Journal. London.Year Book of Pharmacy and Transactions

of the British Pharmaceutical Conference.

London, 1870 to present time.Canton Plants. By E. H. Parker, of Her

Majesty's Consular Service, in China Review,

Vol. XV., pp. 104—119.Szechuen Plants. By E. H. Parker, in

China Review, Vol. XI., pp. 339—342.

The Chemist and Druggist. London.

China Review. Hongkong.

Returns of Trade at the Treaty Ports of

China. Imperial Maritime Customs; Shang-hai.

Flora of British India. By Sir J. D.Hooker. London.

The Elements of Materia Medica and

Therapeutics. By Jonathan Pereira, M.D.,F.R.S.; Fourth Edition. Edited by A. S.Taylor and G. O. Rees. London, Vol. II.,Part I, 1855, and Vol. II, Part II, 1857.

Plantce Davidiance ex Sinarum Imperio.Par M. A. Franchet Premiere partie.Plantes de Mongolie, du Nord et du Centrede la Chine. Paris, 1884.

Index Florce Sinensis. An Enumerationof all the plants known from China Proper,Formosa, Hainan, Corea, the Luchu Archi-pelago, and the Island of Hongkong, to-gether with their distribution and synony-my. By Francis Blackwell Forbes, F.L.S.,and William Botting Hemsley, A.L.S.Parts I and II. London, 1886.

Chinese Commercial Guide. By S. WellsWilliams, LL.D. Hongkong, 1863.

The Journal of Botany. London.Pen ts'ao kang mu. By Li Shi chen. See

Botanicon Sinicum, p. 54.

Chih wu ming shih t'u k'ao. By Wu K'isiin. 1848. See Botanicon Sinicum, p. 72.

8.—Datura alba,1 Nees.THOrn APPLE.

N. O. Solanaceae.f C.—Man t'o lo fa.lM..~Wan t'o lo hua.

!C.—Nau yeung fa.M.—Nao yang hua.

Pen ts'ao Ch. xvii., Fig. 365; Chih wu,Pt. I., Ch. xiv., p. 89, no figure ; Hsiyuan lu, Vol. III., p, 46.

A study of this important drug affords anillustration of a fact which ought never tobe overlooked by the student of ChineseMateria Medica, viz., that in different partsof the Empire of China, the same plant hasoften several names, and that the same

1. D. fastuosa, Linn., in Sir J. D. Hooker'sFlor. Br. Ind., IV., 242 ; D. alba, Nees, and D.metel, Roxb, are regarded as mere varieties.

NOTES ON CHINESE MATERIA MED1CA.

name is sometimes awarded to dissimilarplants. In the Pen ts'ao, where this plantia both figured and described, and in theChih wu, where only a description is given,it occurs under the name Wan t'o lo fa.The name Nao yang hua is also found inboth these works, but, as a synonym of3R JfiK pfj Yang chih chu,1 a plant whichfrom the excellent figure in the latter, isunquestionably a species of Azalea orRhododendron. The observations of Tata-rinov2 prove that in the North of China aspecies of Datura is known by the firstname ;8 and the investigations of Lou-reiro,4 3. Russel Reeves, E. H. Parker5 andourselves, establish, so far as the Kwang-tung province is concerned, the identity ofthe second name with the plant undernotice.

In the Pen ts'ao, the following occur assynonyms of Wan t'o lo hua, viz., KB -finJ^ C. Fung k'e yi, M. Feng ch'ieh erhand \L\ -$jft "^P c- Shan k'e tsz, M. Shanch'ieh tzu.

HISTOry, USES &c. —The celebrated Jesuitmissionary Loureiro was the first Europeanto mention Datura as an article of ChineseMateria Medica. In his Flora Cuchin-chinensis, (p. 136)—a work defined by Dr.Bretschneider as ' a valuable monument ofconscientious labour and considerable re-search'—it is mentioned as a soporific,inebriant, and antispasmodic. The smokeof the bruised root is described as affording

1. Pen ts'ao, Ch. XVII., Fig. No. 366 ; Chihwu, Pt. 1, Ch. XIV., p. 56 and Pt. 2, Ch. XXIV.,p. 19 (figure). In the N, of China, there is stillsome confusion surrounding the flowers knownas Nao yang hua and Yang chih chu. In Ta-tarinov's catalogue the former are mentioned asderived from a species of Hyoscyamus (No. 309)and the latter are doubtfully referred to H. niger(No. 223). Porter Smith states that the ' An-dromeda, Hyoscyamus and Azalea are morecorrectly called by these names.' (Cont. toMat. Med., p. 84). Soubeiran and Dabry deThiersant state that their specimens were solelythose of an Azalea,. (Mat. Med., p. 191).

2. Cat. med. sin., Nos. 177 and 476.8. The Chih wu description of Wan t'o lo

without doubt resembles that of a Datura.4. Flor. Cochin., p. 135.5. Canton Plants, p. 107.

temporary relief in asthma, and a to-pical application of the bruised fresh leavesis said to be efficacious, in the treatment ofhaemorrhoids and offensive ulcers.1 In the

f/L "^L 38r Hsi yuan lu or Instructions toCoroners, it is referred to in the followingterms:—' When taken internally, it pro-duces insensibility, and death frequentlyresults therefrom.' In the Kwangtung pro-vince, it is used to produce stupefaction forthe purpose of theft or kidnapping, and wehave seen many such cases brought beforethe courts.

A plant called by the Chinese Nao yanghua had long been known to Police Magis-trates in Hongkong, as furnishing materialin use by robbers to drug their victims;but, although frequently brought to noticein the Law Courts, we have failed to findany reference to warrant our assuming thatprior to 1882 it had been identified by theauthorities with the well-known Daturaalba.*

It is singular that in only one of the ex-tensive series of reports of Medical Officersto the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs,do we find any reference to the use ofDatura by the Chinese. This occurs in Dr.Dudgeon's report on the health of Pekinfor the half-year ending March 31st,1875,3 where it is stated to be ' recommendedin all wind diseases (convulsions): wheneaten, unconscious laughter ia set up, andthe person acts as if intoxicated. It maybe used as an anaesthetic, and in infusion as

1. We give Loureiro's account of the uses ofDatura because of the high value of the ob-servations he makes on the medicinal virtues ofthe plants mentioned in his Flora, He remarks—* Habitat inculta per vias et hortos in Cochin-China, in China et in Africa, ubi a me saepeexaminata;' but does not say to which countrythe uses subsequently detailed are applicable.The description tallies, however, with the ac-counts of more recent investigators. (See Bret-Schneider, Ear. Eur. Res., for an opinion on thevalue of Loureiro's work in particular and thatof the Jesuits in general).

2. I remember a case prior to 1876, wherethese flowers were believed to have been usedfor drugging; but no record can be found inproof of this.—C. F.

3. Med. rep. I.M.C., IX., p. 37.

THE CHINA REVIEW.

a wash for the feet. It is also applied toulcers of the face, in convulsions of child-ren and in prolapsus ani.'

In the official medical records of Hong-kong, the first mention of Datura is madeby Mr. Hugh HcCallum, in the analyticalsection of the Colonial Surgeon's annual re-port for 1882.1 Mr. McCallum, the thenGovernment Analyst, has obligingly placedat our disposal some notes of the investiga-tions made by him which led up to the dis-covery that a Solanaeeous plant and pos-sibly Datura alba was a common stupefyingagent amongst the Chinese in Hongkong.He states, that during the years 1880-1882,cases of alleged drugging were frequentlybefore the courts, and nearly always con-nected with robbery; the victims being inmost cases returned emigrants. An im-pression seems to have pervaded the mindsof the Magistrates and the Police that thecomplainants were either drunk from alco-hol, or that the cases had simply beentrumped up by some evil-disposed personfor the sake of revenge. In June or July1882, a Chinese female child was broughtlate one evening to the Civil Hospital, bythe Police, in a narcotised condition. Thegirl had been stolen, and was found by thePolice in a junk about to leave the harbour.When roused, the child was most vicious,and the temper displayed by her pointed tomadness. The pupils of both eyes werewidely dilated. Left alone the child soonfell asleep, and next morning, beyond dis-playing great stupidity, was quite well.The pupils were still dilated.

Mr. McCallum then proceeded to examinea bundle of flowers reputed by the Chineseas a stupefying drug, an extract of whichacted as a powerful mydriatic, both whenadministered internally and when appliedlocally to the eye. Some of the extract wasgiven to a small monkey, and the effectsproduced by it were similar to those ob-served in the case of the little girl. The

1. Hongkong Govt, Gaz., Vol. XXIX., p.662.

flowers were submitted to the Director ofthe Botanic Gardens, and identilied as thoseof Datum alba.

Shortly after this, and while the Daturainvestigation was still being conducted inthe Government Laboratory, a second in-stance of mydriatic poisoning was broughtto the notice of the Civil Medical authorities.Mr. McCalluin's note of this case runs asfollows:—' A Chinese barber in good health,but old and anaemic, soon after the begin-ning of his evening meal, felt himself get-ting giddy, and shortly afterwards becameunconscious. He was found by the Policenext morning still stupid and talking a lotof nonsense. When brought to the Hospi-tal at 11 a.m., his gait was unsteady ; hetrembled and looked very foolish. The pu-pils of both eyes were widely dilated, andhe complained of a pain in his throat. Nextday he recovered ; the pupils were, however,still dilated, and he complained of feelinggiddy.' In bis official report, Mr. McCal-lum remarks that ' unfortunately it was im-possible to prove what particular plant wasused in either of these cases, but no doubtit was a Datura, and most probably the va-riety known as D. alba.'

Since 1882, there have been several casesof poisoning by Datura. We shall, however,only allude to a particular case which cameunder the notice of one of us, wherein itwas conclusively proved that the flowers ofDatura alba had been employed.

At about 5 a.m. on the 8th of May 1885,two adult females (Ch.) and an adult mule(Ch.) were brought by the Police to the CivilHospital suffering from a mydriatic poison.As the police version of the affair was soConfusing, it was decided to defer makingenquiries, until the patients had so far re-covered as to be able to remember the earlydetails of the occurrence.1 On the morningof their discharge from the Hospital, theelder of the' women stated, that about ten

1. Dr. Chevers states that persons who havebeen drugged by Dhatura ' should have morethan a week allowed them to recover their me-mory.' (Med. Jurisp. for Ind. (1870), p. 210).

NOTES ON CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA.

o'clock on the night of the 7th, she saw the

third patient put a small bundle into the

utensil which contained the evening meal.When she enquired why he did this, he re-

plied that it was good medicine. Later on,

she saw him remove the bundle, and ob-served that he threw it into a corner of the

kitchen. The woman, who gave her evidence

in a very straightforward andintelligent man-

ner, was requested to proceed at once to her

home, make a careful search for the sup-posed drug and bring it at once to the Civil

Hospital. In half an hour she returned,

bearing in her hand a bundle of flowers,

•which, although somewhat mangled, wereeasily recognized as those of Datura alba.

There is no record at the Hongkong Civil

Hospital of a single case of Datura drug-

ging terminating fatally.

The symptoms, as displayed by the Chi-nese, appear to vary but little. Soon after

the administration of the drug, the victim

suffers from dimness of sight, and staggers

as he attempts to walk: he chatters away in

an unintelligible manner, and laughinglygrasps at imaginary objects. This latter isperhaps to the ordinary observer the most

striking feature in Datura poisoning. The

patient sits up in bed and picks at the

bed clothes as though to catch some passing

object, and will amuse himself by attempt-

ing to draw out imaginary threads from theends of his fingers. If the ease is a mild

one, the patient will, if left alone, fall asleep,

and after several hours' rest be practicallywell. In severe cases the patient acts morelike a maniac. He recoils with a shriek

from anyone who comes near him, and offersthe most violent resistance to medical treat-

meat. In all cases the pupils are dilated,

and mydriasis will remain for some time af-

ter the other symptoms have subsided.1

The effects of Datura are usually produced

1. The above does not profess to be a properphysiological note. I have merely recorded whatI have often seen in the Hongkong Civil Hospi-tal—facts which could be noted by any one pos-sessed of ordinary powers of observation.—W,E, C.

in about fifteen minutes after the admini-stration of the poison, but the activity of

the herb would have to be in a liquid form

to act so rapidly as this.The reader ia referred to Dr, Norman

Chevers' Manual of Medical Jurisprudence

for details of cases of poisoning in India by

Dhatura (the Hindustani name for a speciesof Datura), and for an interesting accountof the professional road-poisoners or Dhatu-

Pharmacists ought not to experience much

difficulty in obtaining in China a good quan-

tity of this plant for medicinal uses. Even

if the supply of the wild variety fails, any

number of plants could on demand be grown

from seeds in the south of China. In the

Hongkong Botanic Gardens may be seen

some very fine specimens raised in this way.

The leaves and seeds are included in thePharmacopoeia of India (p. 175); and pre-

parations of them are in constant use for

a variety of disorders.PARTS USED AND DESCRIPTION.—The fresh

entire plant. The leaves vary considerablyin size, the largest are about 8 inches long

and 5 inches broad, very unequal at the

3. In the annual report, for 1885, of thePrincipal Civil Medical officer, Straits Settle-ments, the following occurs in the Toxicologicalsection (par. 377, p. 43):—' The symptoms inmost pointed to some variety of stramonium ordatura, administered in the form of decoctionor infusion, but the quantities sent for examina-tion have generally been too small from whichto extract any of the alkaloids.' We are ofopinion that if the enquiry is directed into theproper channel, no doubt it will he found thatDatum alba is in use for c r i m i n a l purposes inSingapore just the same as in Hongkong and theKwangtung province of China. Singapore ismore a Chinese than a Malay Colony, In Hong-kong we believe the flowers are generally em-ployed by the criminal: this will probable accountfor the fact that the majority of cases of Daturadragging are not very severe. The violent resist-ance offered by the victims to the use of the stom-ach pump and their determination in refusing allliquid emetics render it almost impossible tothoroughly empty the stomach; so that unlessthe analyst makes a direct search for atropine,there is danger of his missing the poison in thesmall quantity of material saved. If the foodhas been drugged, no difficulty should be en-countered in detecting the poison, if a fair quantityof the meal has been left.

THE CHINA REVIEW.

base, ovate acuminate and usually coarselydentate. When bruised they emit a fetidodour. The flowers are as a rule white, al-though specimens may frequently be seenof a distinct yellow colour; corolla infundi-buliform, from 3 to 5 inches long ; calyxabout 2 inches long. The sub-globose cap-sules are about 1 J inch in diameter, and reston the enlarged flat persistent base of thecalyx; they are armed with a number ofspines, and split irregularly when ripe.The seeds, which do not appear to be usedby the Chinese, are ear-shaped and of ayellowish brown colour.

The dried flowers, in bundles of varioussizes, are the only part of the plant sold bythe native druggists. The fresh herb mayfrequently be seen on the herbalist's stall.The dried flowers weigh on an average fourgrains each.

HABITAT.—This species grows in wasteplaces about villages on the island of Hong-kong, and exhibits a special liking forground in close proximity to a ruined build-ing. On Stone Cutter's Island, under thewalls of the old prison, specimens may beseen growing to a height of about 5 feet.Common also on the neighbouring mainlandand about the city of Canton (Loureiro,Reeves, Parker, &c.)

An unusually fine specimen was gatheredby one of us in Macao this year. It had acorolla 7 inches long.

In Remarks on the Botany of S. Man-churia by Dr Morrison of Her B. Majesty'sConsulate, D. alba is mentioned among otherimportant plants of the N. O. Solanacece.Writing under date June 6th, 1887, DrMorrison states, that about Newchwaug it isknown as ^.fti^E T'ien ma hua and|I {|] \1|3? La p'a hua, and that it is ap-plied in the form of an ointment to ulcersand sores. He was unable to ascertain thatit was used internally.

COMPOSITION.—The plant contains an al-kaloid possessing properties similar to atro-pine. It is usually designated daturine,"but, as the 'identity of the active principle

in both the Datura and Belladonna tribesis now completely established,'1 it would bewell if toxicologists, in their reports onanalyses in cases of Datura poisoning, wouldrefer to the basic mixture isolated from thecontents of the stomach or bladder simplyas atropine. In the absence of a part of theplant, in the material sent for analysis, thatwill enable the toxicologist to establish theorigin of the alkaloid, it is impossible tosay that it is a case of Datura poisoning.There may be collateral evidence that wouldjustify the expert in giving an opinion onthis point, but, as a chemist, he cannot gobeyond the mere statement that atropinewas detected.2 Herr Schmidt, writing on

1. Blyth, Poisons : their effects and detection(1884), p. 354.

2. As an example of the ignorance on toxi-cological matters which exists in some quarters,the following instance may be cited : — About twoyears ago I was called upon to analyze thestomach contents and urine of a European whowas supposed to have died of poison. The man(28 years of age and of a rather powerful build)had been seen to add a quantity of spirit ofwine to a colourless liquid in a tumbler, whichhe drank about 9.30 am. In a few minutes hebecame insensible, passing at once into a condi-tion of profound coma, which continued until hisdeath at 11 p.m — 13 hours after the supposedadministration of the poison. The temperatureof the body at 4 p.m. was 100°, 7.30 p.m.103.6, 9 p.m. 105° F.: the pupils were dilated.The requisition for the analysis to ascertain thecause of death contained the following pas-sage — ' from the evidence it seems doubtfulwhether the poison was Belladonna or Al-cohol.' As it is usual to find a Ioweringof temperature in cases of alcoholic poisoning,and as some of the Post Mortem appear-ances were not consistent with the idea thatdeath Was caused by these means, the ana-lysis was conducted with a view of finding amydriatic poison. An alkaloid, indistinguishablefrom atropine, was detected in considerablequantity in hoth the contents of the stomach andbladder. In my official report on this case somestress was laid on the impossibility of distin-guishing the mydriatic alkaloid s of Solanaceousplants in such cases as these ; and the opinionwas advanced that a solution of the alkaloidatropine had probably been employed. TheCoronet referred my report to a medical manwith a request that he would advise him as towhat was the cause of death in English phrase-ology, and obtained the following reply: — ' Iconsider the plain English of the analyst's re-port to be that Mr ...... died from a narcoticpoison, and there is no doubt that the poisonwas one of the preparations of Belladon-

NOTES ON CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA.

the nomenclature of the alkaloids of Atro-pa Belladonna and Datura Stramonium,states,1 ' should it be desired to differentiatebetween chemically identical atropine ac-cording to its origin, it would be simply tomake a distinction between atropine fromAtrapa, Belladonna and one from DaturaStramonium, but not between atropine anddaturine.'

The detection of the active principle ofDatura may be effected by following theprocess described under Gelsemium elegans.2The final product need not however be testedby chemical reagents,3 because there is notest sufficiently delicate to enable the opera-tor to detect the mydriatic alkaloids of theSolanaceous group, when in the minutequantity usually found in the material sentfor examination in cases of poisoning. Aneutral solution of the sulphate or hydro-chloride of the base should be prepared, anda drop or two applied to the eye. If dilata-tion of the pupil occurs, a further quantitymay be injected into a small animal, pre-ferably a monkey, and the effect noted.

Dr Sydney Ringer4 has called attentionto the fact that certain animals are almostinsusceptible to the influence of some of themydriatio alkaloids. In 1884, during thecourse of some experiments made in theGovernment Laboratory with an alkaloidal

na.' Now in this case not only was the Ana-lyst's report misinterpreted, but a statement wasmade which would not bear for one moment thelight of modern scientific enquiry. The dangerof trying to render in popular language opinions,in cases where the life of a fellow-creature maybe at stake, is a most serious one ; points in theevidence of a circumstantial character might beregarded by the jury as strictly direct evidence,and the gravest issues might result from an en-deavour to avoid technicalities in a report wheretechnical language cannot be safely dispensed with:in any case, the medical jurist who gave such anopinion as this, diametrically opposed as it is to aprinciple based on recognized matters of fact,would receive very severe handling at the handsof well-informed counsel.—W. E. C.

1. Ph. Journ., (3), XV., p. 30.2. Note 1, China Rev., XV., p. 217.3. Its alkaloidal character should of course

be confirmed if there is sufficient material at thedisposal of the,operator.

4. Therapeutics, (1880), p. 508.

extract of the flowers of Datura alba, con-siderable difficulty was experienced in kill-ing a small guinea-pig with hypodermic in-jections of the base. Herbivarous animalsare said to be but little affected by atropine,but it acts as a powerful poison on flesh-eaters.

Med. Plants, III., 192; Fl. Hongk., 245;Pharmacographia, 462 ; Mat. Med. ofW. Ind., 518 ; Science Papers, 258and 266; Ph. Journal, (3), XVI., 497and 510.

9.—Datura Stramonium, Linn.THOrN APPLE, STRAMONIUM.

N. O. Solanaceae.According to David, this species grows

around Pekin and at Yehol in Mongolia.We have not met with a specimen, but thebotanical differences between it and Datura,alba are not such as to render it at all pro-bable that the Chinese distinguish the two.

Our view, that both plants will be foundin China under the same or closely alliednames, derives support from the fact that inTatarinov's catalogue (No. 177), D. Stra-monium is given under •fife nMj Kjl Fuch'ieh erh, a name which, as pointed out byPorter Smith, may either be a mistake or apopular exchange for Jjjill 3B{j §3 Fengch'ieh erh, one of the synonyms of Wan t'olo hua (Daiura alba).

Porter Smith, p. 84; Soub. et Dab. de Th.,p. 190; I'lantce Davidiance, (1884),p. 221; Med. Plants, (III), 192.Pharmacographia, 459; Per. Mat.Med., Vol. II, Pt. I, p. 561.

10.—Podophyllum versipelle,1

Hance., O. Berberideae.

\ C.—Tuk keuk lin.IM.— Tu chio lien.

The discovery a few years ago of twoChinese species of Podophyllum—one inFormosa, P. pleianthum, 2 and the other inthe Kwaugtung province—affords anotherillustration of the relationship which exists

1. Journal of 'Botany, (1883), p. 362.2. Ibid., (1883), p. 175.

THE CHINA REVIEW.

between the flora of China and that of the

United States.

The sole habitat of the species now no-

ticed is the Lof'au mountains, stituatedabout fifty miles to the N.E. of Canton,

where it has been seen growing at an al-titude of about 3,000 feet.

As a drug it is consequently rare: the

specimens purchased by us some time ago of

an itinerant Lofaushan medicine vendor,

who happened to be in Hongkong, consisted

of portions of the rhizome and rootlets, with

petiole and leaf attached.

The nearly orbicular peltate leaves are

about 6 or 7 inches in diameter: the petioleis from 12 to 14 inches long.

The use of the entire plant as a medicine

seems to be restricted to the treatment of

snake bites, bruises and sprains.

We are unable to refer with certainty to

any native work mentioning- this drug.

Both the Pen ts'ao and Chih wu havedescriptions and figures of a plant under

the name ^| ^] f|lj C. Tuk keuk sin, M.Tu chio hsien,1 which do slightly resemble

the characters of the Lofaushan species of

Podophyllum; but it remains to be proved

whether or not the two plants are identical.

The Tu chio hsien of the Pen ts'ao and

Chih wu is said to grow on the mountains

at the back of Foochow.Ind. Flor. Sinens , p. 33; Ph. Journ. (3),

xiv, 504; Annual report for 1883 ofDirector of Hongk . Bot Gard , inHongk. Gov. Gaz , Vol. XXX., p. 471.

11.—Abutilon indicum,2 G. Don.N. O. Malvaceae.

Syn.—Sida indica, Linn., et S. asiatica,Linn,; Abutilon cysticarpum, Hance ;A. graveolens, Seem.

( C. — Tung k'wai tsz,I M..— Tung k'wei tzu.3

1. Pen ts'ao, Ch. XXXI., Fig. 519. Chih wu,Pt. 2, Ch. VIII., p. 61.

2. Flor. Hongk., p. 33.3. Both Loureiro and J. Russel Reeves refer

this name to Malva verticillata, Linn.

Pen ts'ao, Ch. XVI., Fig.' 273 ; Chih wu,Pt. 1, Ch. III., p. 5.; Pt. 2, Ch. III.,p. I.

HABITAT. — Abutilon indicum has been

found by European botanists in the Shan-

tung, Chekiang and Kwangtung provincesof China ; also in Hongkong. It is a native

of tropical Asia, Africa and Australia.1

DESCRIPTION, &c.-~ The Tung k'wei tzu

of Chinese druggists have been regarded by

some as identical with Musk-seeds, derivedfrom Hibiscus Abelmoschus, Linn.2 In 1885

specimens from the drug shops were sown

in the Botanic Gardens, and the plant turn-

ed out to he A. indicum. The seeds are

ear-shaped, slightly compressed, 2 lines long

and measure £ inch at the broadest end :

100 weigh 23 grains. The testa is hard, ofa dull brown colour, having a rather scurfy

appearance under the microscope, non-hairy.

Immature specimens are often distinctly cor-

date or reniform, with a marked depression

in the centre. There is not the slightest

odour of musk about them, not even when

they are bruised.

USES.—According to the Chinese in Hong-

kong, the seeds are employed as an emollient

and demulcent: the root is used as a diuretic

and pulmonary sedative, and the flowers and

leaves as a local application to boils and ul-

cers. Porter Smith states3 that the seeds

and the entire plant are used ' as demulcent,

lenitive, diuretic, laxative and discutient

remedies. Puerperal diseases, urinary dis-orders, chronic dysentery and fevers are

treated with the seeds.'

Tatar. Cat. Med. Sin., No. 169 ; Williams,Chin. Comm. Guide, p. 128; Low.Flor. Cochin,, p. 514; Dymock, Mat.Med. of W. Ind., p. 82.

1. Ind. Fl. Sin., p. 86.2. This plant is known in Pekin by the name

jf?T vS Ch'iu k'wei (Bietschneider, Ear. Eur.

Res., p. 63) : in Canton by the names TEMf'Sj vS

^o'Wfa Wong shuk k'wai and Ka yeungand Tfo 'o

t'o (Parker, Canton Plants, p. 118).3, Cont. to Mat. Med,, p. 112.

NOTES ON CHINESE MATERIA MEDICA.

12,—Fcenioulum capillaceum,1Gilib.

FENNEL,N. O. Umbelliferae.

Syn.—Anethum Foeniculum, Linn.; MeumFceniculum, Spreng.; Fceniculum vul-gare, Gacrtn.; F. officinale, All.; F.sativum, Bertol.; F. Panmorium, De C.;F. dulce, De C.

CHINESE NAMES.—ijS|| 3JJS, C. Wai heung,

M. Huai hsiang • ffij ;z|£ C. Wui heung, M,Hiu hsiang: also known as /I1* 'jffi 5&Hsiao hui hsiang (i.e. small hui hsiang) todistinguish it from ^^ "raj ;3k 3Ta hui hsiang(i.e. large hui hsiang), the star aniae.

Pen ts'ao, Ch. XXVI., Fig. 572 ; Chih wu,Pt. 1, Ch. V., p. 3; Pt. 2, Ch. IV.,p. 12.

The Chinese evidently observe some re-semblance between the odour of fennel fruitsand that of the star anise, for in both thePen ts'ao and Chih wu the fruits of Illiciumanisatum, under the name f\^ •& 7J|f ^t

pa chio hui hsiang (i.e. eight-cornered huihsiang), are described along with fennel.1

1. This identification is given on the autho-rity of Loureiro and Tatarinov.

2. According to Mr. M. Sheriff fennel andanise have been confounded together in Arabicand Persian Works on Materia Medica. Dymock,Mat, Med. of W. India, p. 308.

"We are of opinion that Dr. Porter Smith iswrong in inferring (p. 18) that the Chineseconfound the fruits of Pimpinella Anisumwith those of Foeniculum, capillaceum. The

Umbelliferous aniseeds are not known tothe Chinese in Hongkong, and the descrip-tion of the plant figured as above can onlyrefer to fennel.

Loureiro mentions fennel as abundant inChina,1 and from the wording of his habitatnote we fancy he regarded it as a native.Bretschneider, in his Early European Re-searches (p. 154), alludes to it as much culti-vated in Pekin.

The only difference observed between theSzechuen variety of fennel fruit and Euro-pean-grown samples is in the former con-taining such a large percentage of imma-ture specimens.

The stalks and leaves are eaten in China.The seeds are used as a carminative and inthe treatment of enlarged scrotum and kid-ney disorders.

Tatar. Gat. Med. Sin., Nos. 57 and 352;Bentley and Trimen (II), 123 ; PorterSmith, p. 97; Pharmacograph.,p. 308;Soub. et Dab. de Th., p. 196.

1. ' Habitat abundanter in China: colituretiam in Cochinchina,' Flor, Cochin,, p. 226.