Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms: Volume 5 on Plants and Trees

Common Carpesium

original: 鶴虱 (Heshi); Carpesium abrotanoides

Common Carpesium grows in the western frontier regions original: 西戎 (Xirong), referring to the lands west of ancient China, as well as throughout the regions between the Yangtze and Huai rivers and the areas surrounding the Heng and Xiang rivers modern-day Anhui, Jiangsu, and Hunan provinces. In the spring, the shoots emerge. The leaves are wrinkled and resemble those of the Perilla original: 紫蘇 (Zisu); a fragrant herb in the mint family, though they are larger, more pointed, and longer, without a glossy surface. The stem grows to a height of about one or two feet.

In the seventh month, the plant produces yellow and white flowers similar to chrysanthemums. In the eighth month, it bears fruit; the seeds are extremely sharp and slender, turning a yellowish-black color when dried. There is no fixed season for harvesting it. People in the south call its leaves "Fire Staffs" original: 火杖 (Huozhang).

Its flavor is bitter and neutral, and it is considered to have a mild toxicity. It is primarily used to treat parasitic pinworms original: 𧈪蛲 (Huinao). When used for this purpose, it should be ground into a powder and ingested along with the broth of a fatty meat stew. For "heart pain" In this context, this usually refers to epigastric or abdominal pain, often caused by the aforementioned parasites, take half a spoonful original: 匕 (Bi); an ancient measurement for powders mixed with weak vinegar.