Pumpkin

The pumpkin was first included in the "Vegetables" section of the Compendium of Materia Medica original: "Bencao Gangmu," the definitive 16th-century pharmaceutical text by Li Shizhen. It is suspected to be the "Shade Gourd" mentioned in older agricultural treatises. It is now grown everywhere, though it is said to have the potential to trigger various illnesses In traditional Chinese medicine, certain foods were considered "stimulating" (fa), meaning they might aggravate existing conditions or sensitivities.

Gazetteers from the northern provinces list four gourds: East, West, South, and North. The "East Gourd" is likely a transcription error for the "Winter Gourd" In Chinese, "East" (dong) and "Winter" (dong) are homophones, leading to frequent confusion in texts. The "North Gourd" comes in two varieties—"watery" and "mealy"—each differing in shape and color. Originally, these were not produced in the South.

There is also a "Foreign Gourd" original: "Fangua" that resembles the pumpkin, but its skin is black and lacks ridges. The Annals of Cao County states that many people have recently begun cultivating this variety and suggests it should be banned. But why should a gourd ever be subject to a ban? Many foreign things have entered China; if they benefit the people, then we should plant them. Is this recommendation not merely like the story of the "White Rabbit Censor," who, unable to obtain a gourd from a neighbor's garden, took to spreading malicious rumors? This is a satirical allusion to an official being petty or vindictive when his personal desires were not met