Library

Originating from Hainan, and also produced in Guangdong. The tree resembles *Prunus pseudocerasus* (sour cherry), and the fruit resembles a peach. It flowers in spring and fruits in summer, ripening only by the following spring. Preserved in honey, it is sweet and sour and edible. Its pits resemble human faces on both sides, with eyes, ears, mouth, and nose all fully formed.

*Guang Zhi* records: The renmianzi (Human Face Fruit) is as large as plums or Chinese apricots; its pit resembles a human face, with two eyes, mouth, and nose all present; the flesh is sweet and sour, suitable for making candied fruit; the kernel is extremely beautiful. When used to flavor tea (ground into powder and added to tea), it resembles plum blossom petals, glossy and lovely, without altering the color or aroma of the tea. The best quality comes from Shuidong in Zengcheng. In this variety, shaking the pit causes the kernel to fall out easily, which does not occur in other regions. This tree thrives best in sandy soil, which is loose and promotes growth; within a few years, it becomes lush and canopy-like. Mountain dwellers plant it for profit. The taste is sweet, nature is neutral, and it is non-toxic. It can detoxify alcohol and treat wind-toxin invading the body, causing widespread bumps and sores that may be painful or itchy; consuming it leads to recovery.

For difficult labor where delivery is delayed, the parturient woman should hold one renmianzi fruit. On odd days, she holds it in her right hand; on even days, in her left hand, and the baby will be delivered.

*Lingnan Za Ji* records: When cooking meat or duck with renmianzi, it must be pounded until soft and boiled into a paste, which is sweet, sour, and beneficial for generating fluids.

Produced in the Qilian Mountains, the tree grows like a jujube tree. If cut with a bamboo knife, it tastes sweet; if cut with an iron knife, it tastes bitter; if cut with a wooden knife, it tastes sour; if cut with a reed knife, it tastes pungent. Travelers who obtain it can use it to relieve hunger. The taste is sweet, pungent, and sour; it is non-toxic. It brightens the eyes and nourishes the liver, calms the spirit and stabilizes the will, harmonizes the stomach and promotes appetite, directs qi downward, and relieves cough.

For kidney deficiency causing lower back pain and inability to turn or lie on one's side, cook four-flavor fruit (Siu Wei Guo) together with dog kidneys and eat them. Consume once daily for one month to recover.

Zhao Xuemin notes: Dongfang Shuo’s *Shen Yi Jing* states: In the great wilderness of the south, there is a tree named "Ruhe" (How?). It bears fruit tasting like maltose, with pits shaped like jujubes, five chi long, and circumference equal to length. Cut with a gold knife, it tastes sour; cut with a reed knife, it tastes pungent. Those who eat it become earth immortals, fearless of fire, water, and sharp blades. Furthermore, *Meng Qi Ji* records: "Ruhe" changes taste according to the knife used. Some say this is the large jujube mentioned in immortal scriptures. Based on these two accounts, this is what is now known as four-flavor fruit (Siu Wei Guo).

*Nanfang Caomu Zhuang* records: Produced in Jiaozhi, it grows as a vine. The fruits are located at the roots, with green rootlets interlaced like weaving. Each inflorescence contains over two hundred seeds. The shell is blue-yellow. Inside the shell lies a seed resembling a chestnut in both appearance and taste. When dry, the shell separates from the flesh, producing a rattling sound when shaken, similar to nutmeg. Guan Han’s *Lingnan Suibi* records: Qiansuizi (Thousand-Year Seed) has many rootlets attached to the seeds; when dry, the shell separates from the flesh, producing a rattling sound.

The taste is sweet and neutral. Its main functions are to harmonize the middle jiao and benefit the stomach, promote lung function, clear heat, relieve thirst, detoxify alcohol, and dispel summerheat.

For urinary retention, take ten to twenty qiansuizi seeds, crush them, decoct in water, strain, and drink the clear liquid to restore urination.

For carbuncles on the back (Fabai Echuang), take an unspecified amount of qiansuizi, pound into a paste, apply topically three times to see results.