Illustrated Compendium of Materia Medica (Vol. 20)

Milk Tree

The Milk Tree original: Nǎishù. As noted previously, this refers to the Codonopsis lanceolata, or Milk Ginseng. grows in Nan’an. It is a climbing plant with four leaves clustered at the ends of the stems. Green buds open into flowers shaped like purple flutes; they resemble the morning glory but have shorter petals. Beneath the bud, there is a green calyx. In autumn, it bears fruit containing seeds.

The sap within the vine is white and extremely thick, with a pungent odor. The root is yellowish-white with horizontal rings, similar to the high-quality Ginseng from Shangdang Shangdang, in modern Shanxi province, was famous during the Tang and Ming dynasties for producing the finest medicinal roots.. The root is fleshy and round with nodules about the size of a fist.

Locals in Guangxin call the plant the "Mountain Sea Snail," a name inspired by the spiraled shape of its root. It is also known as "The Milk Lady." Its flavor is sweet and its nature is warm. Local people harvest the root to promote the production of breast milk. It is also found on Mount Heng in Hunan and is very easy to propagate. Folk healers call it "Bull’s Aconite" original: Niúfùzǐ. Aconite usually refers to a potent medicinal root; here it suggests a powerful herbal substitute. and use it to strengthen male yang In traditional medicine, "yang" represents the active, warming, and masculine energy of the body..

According to the Notes on the Southern Yue original: Nanyue Biji, a Qing dynasty text describing the geography and flora of southern China (modern Guangdong/Guangxi).:

There is a "Milk Vine" similar to a trailing raspberry bush. Its leaves are long with pointed tips. When broken, it yields a white sap just like milk. After giving birth, women mash the vine into juice and mix it with rice to make a porridge; this naturally clears the milk ducts and stimulates flow.

All these plants belong to the same category.