Compendium of Materia Medica, Volume 3

Page 2

Yellow Mastic Tree

Original: Huangdongshu. Known today as the Chinese Pistache (Pistacia chinensis), it is valued for its timber and as a source of edible young shoots.

The Herbal for Famine Relief Original: Jiuhuang Bencao, a famous 15th-century text by Prince Zhu Xiao designed to help people identify edible wild plants during food shortages. states that the Yellow Mastic Tree grows in the wild throughout the southern mountains of Zhengzhou. The leaves resemble those of a newly sprouted Chinese Toon tree Chunshu (Toona sinensis), a tree whose leaves are still a popular seasonal delicacy in China but are significantly smaller. They also resemble the leaves of the Chinaberry Lian (Melia azedarach), though their color has a slight yellow tint.

The tree produces purplish-red flowers and bears seeds about the size of a garden pea. These seeds are green when young and turn purplish-red when they ripen.

The leaves have a bitter taste. To prepare them, gather the tender buds and leaves and blanch Original: zha, a technique of quick-boiling to soften and prepare wild greens. them until cooked. Change the water and soak them to remove the bitter flavor, then season with oil and salt to eat. Alternatively, the buds can be steamed and then sun-dried; prepared this way, they can also be used to brew a tea for drinking.