original: 三才圖會 (San Cai Tu Hui); a renowned encyclopedia from the Ming Dynasty (1609) that categorizes knowledge across the "Three Realms" of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity.

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Atractylodes

original: 术 (Zhu). This refers to the medicinal rhizome of Atractylodes macrocephala (White Atractylodes) or Atractylodes lancea (Black Atractylodes), essential herbs in Chinese medicine for digestive health.

Atractylodes grows in the mountain valleys of Mount Zheng in Hanzhong and Nanzheng Historical regions in modern-day Shaanxi province. While it is now found in many places, those harvested from Mount Song or Mount Mao Mount Song in Henan and Mount Mao in Jiangsu are traditionally cited as the "terroir" providing the most potent medicinal properties are considered of the highest quality.

In spring, the plant produces green sprouts without side branches. It is also known as Mountain Thistle original: 山薊 (Shanji) because its leaves resemble those of a thistle. The stem is shaped like that of Wormwood original: 蒿 (Hao); often referring to Artemisia, greenish-red in color, and reaches a height of roughly two to three feet.

In summer, it produces purple-blue flowers that also resemble the prickly thistle; some varieties may produce yellow or white flowers. After the peak of summer heat original: 入伏 (rufu); referring to the "Three Dog Days," the hottest period of the lunar calendar, the plant bears seeds, and by autumn, the sprouts wither. The root resembles ginger but has fine secondary roots growing along the sides; the skin is black while the in... The text likely concludes by describing the interior as white or light-colored, a hallmark of high-quality "White" Atractylodes.

Dodder Seed

original: 菟絲子 (Tusizi); the seeds of Cuscuta chinensis. It is a parasitic vine known in folklore as "rabbit silk" because of its thin, wandering golden threads.

The illustration accompanying this entry shows the thin, leafless vines of the dodder plant as it climbs and entwines itself around a host plant. In traditional botanical art, this signifies its parasitic nature—it "lives off" the energy of others.

Dodder Seed is also known as Flame Silk or Rabbit Silk. It is a plant that lacks its own root in the earth; instead, it attaches its life to the stems of other plants, most commonly the soybean or various shrubs.

The best seeds are round, firm, and turn brown when boiled.

Its medicinal properties are highly regarded for tonifying the kidneys and improving eyesight. Because it "creeps" and "clings," ancient scholars often used it as a metaphor for relationships, though in medicine, its strength lies in its ability to nourish the "essence" of the body.