十 / 百十七 Page Ten / One Hundred and Seventeen

Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms, Volume on Herbs and Trees, Part Four

Inula Flower

original: Xuanfuhua (旋復花). Also known as Inula japonica, a yellow flower often used in traditional medicine to resolve phlegm and stop vomiting.

Inula grows in marshy plains and river valleys; today it can be found in almost any location. After the second lunar month, the plant begins to sprout, appearing most frequently near the water’s edge. It greatly resembles Safflower original: Honglan (紅藍), referring to Carthamus tinctorius but lacks its characteristic thorns. The plant grows to a height of about one to two feet, featuring leaves similar to those of a willow and slender stems.

In the sixth lunar month, it blooms with flowers resembling small chrysanthemums, about the size of a small copper coin and deep yellow in color. People in the rural fields of Shangdang A historic commandery in modern-day Shanxi Province known for its medicinal herbs refer to it as the Gold Coin Flower original: Jinqianhua (金錢花). Between the seventh and eighth months, the flowers are harvested and dried in the sun.

It is also known by the names Daishen meaning "Wearing a Mulberry", Golden Boiling Herb original: Jinfeicao (金沸草), and Shengshen meaning "Abundant Mulberry". Its taste is sweet, and it is considered slightly toxic. It is primarily used to treat qi the body's vital energy imbalances in the ribs and intestines, to dispel alternating chills and fever, and to treat edema shuizhong: the accumulation of fluid in the tissues by promoting healthy fluid circulation.

十一 Page Eleven

Blackberry Lily

original: Shè gān (射干). Known scientifically as Iris domestica (formerly Belamcanda chinensis), it is also commonly called the Leopard Lily.

Blackberry Lily is found growing throughout the mountain valleys. The plant is easily identified by its leaves, which grow in two distinct rows and overlap at the base, spreading out at the top in a shape that resembles a folding fan. Due to this unique appearance, many people refer to it as the Flat Bamboo original: Bianzhu (扁竹).

The stems are firm and upright. During the summer months, it produces striking flowers that are orange or yellow, dotted with deep purple spots like the coat of a leopard. When the flowering stage is complete, it produces black, lustrous seeds that resemble blackberries.

The medicinal part of the plant is its rhizome the thick, horizontal underground stem. It is harvested in the spring and autumn. In medical practice, it is considered bitter in taste and cold in nature. It is most famously used as a powerful remedy for throat-blockage houbi: a traditional term for severe sore throat or tonsillitis and to clear heat and toxins from the lungs.

The roots should be cleaned of fibrous hairs and sliced before being dried for use in decoctions.