Supplement to the Compendium of Materia Medica, Volume 4

Compiled by Zhao Xuemin (styled Shuxuan) of Qiantang

Section on Herbs, Part 2

Golden Bean Appended with "Closing at Night" original: "金豆子" (Jin dou zi). "Closing at Night" refers to Lespedeza cuneata, a plant whose leaves fold at night.

According to the Mirror of a Hundred Herbs An earlier pharmaceutical reference text frequently cited by the author, this is also called the "Golden Flower Leopard." Its sprouts emerge in the third month [of the lunar calendar] and it withers in the tenth month. Although it is a type of bean, it does not grow as a vine. The plant stands one or two inches tall, branching out to form a cluster. The leaves resemble those of the Locust treeoriginal: "槐" (Huai). Sophora japonica. but are slightly larger.

During the "End of Heat" A solar term in the traditional calendar occurring around August 23rd, it blooms with yellow, five-petaled flowers; they resemble the Chime-mouth Wintersweet original: "磬口蠟梅" (Qingkou lamei). A variety of wintersweet where the petals curve inward like the shape of an ancient stone chime.. The seed pods point upward, resembling a red silk ribbon-fastener, though they are short, measuring only two or three inches. The seeds look like mung beans but are flat, with purple spots on the skin; they are slightly larger than mung beans and have a mild taste.

The seeds treat carbuncles original: "癰" (Yong). A cluster of painful, pus-filled boils under the skin. with miraculous effect.