Illustrated Compendium of Materia Medica (Vol. 20)

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Climbing Plants, Volume 21

Xun Gu Feng

Xun Gu Feng original: 尋骨風; Aristolochia mollissima is found in Yuezhou, Hunan Modern-day Yueyang, a city with a long history as a center of trade and herbal medicine along the Yangtze River.

It grows as a climbing vine. Its leaves resemble those of the Rough Potato original: 蘿藦 luómó; Metaplexis japonica; they are soft and thick, covered in a dense layer of fine hairs. The upper surface of the leaf is green, while the underside is white.

In autumn, it bears fruit with six ridges, similar in appearance to the Rangoon Creeper fruit original: 使君子 shǐjūnzǐ; Quisqualis indica, a plant commonly used in traditional medicine to treat parasites. The fruit is a dark greenish-black color, and the seeds within are like beans.