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(From *Food Records*)
[Names] Daylily (Huanghua Cai).
Shizhen says: Its flowers are yellow, and its odor resembles that of a melon; hence the name.
[Collected Explanations] Ying says: Huanghuacai grows wild in fields and marshes. It resembles rape (Brassica chinensis), but has a slightly bitter taste. When used as soup or vegetable, it is very fragrant and delicious.
Shizhen says: This vegetable sprouts in the second lunar month and is abundant in fields, forming small clumps like shepherd's purse (Shepherdia canadensis). In the third, fourth, and fifth months, it bears yellow flowers. The flowers, stems, and leaves resemble those of *Viola philippica* (Diding), but are smaller. One clump bears several flowers and produces fine seeds, unlike *Viola philippica*, whose flowers turn into cottony fluff. Rural people eat it and also collect it to feed goslings.
[Taste and Properties] Sweet, slightly bitter, slightly cold, non-toxic.
[Indications] Unblocks stagnant Qi, promotes bowel function (Wang Ying).

(From Song Dynasty *Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica*)
[Names] Named so because its taste carries the odor of raw melon.
[Collected Explanations] Song says: Shengguacai grows in flat, shaded vegetable plots in Zizhou. Sprouts appear in spring, growing three to four inches long, in dense clusters. Leaves are green and round, resembling white amaranth (*Amaranthus retroflexus*). In summer, it bears purple-white flowers and produces small black fruits.
[Taste and Properties] Sweet, slightly cold, non-toxic.
[Indications] Treats migratory pain attacking the head, face, and limbs, as well as Yang-toxin typhoid fever, high fever with headache, restlessness, and irritability. Promotes free flow in the chest and diaphragm; drink the expressed juice. Also, apply fresh mashed herb topically to swellings (Su Song).

(From *Shennong Bencao Jing*, Lower Grade)
[Names] Kui (*Erya*), Tengkui (*Shijian*), Tengcai (*Bencao Gangmu*), Tiankui (*Shennong Bencao Jing*), Fanlu (same), Yucai (common name), Yanzhicai.
Zhi says: Luokui, also known as Tengkui, is commonly called Hu Yanzhi (Foreign Rouge).
Shizhen says: The leaves of Luokui are cold and slippery like those of common mallow (Kui), hence the name "Kui." Buddhists call it Yucai, or Teng'ercai. *Erya* states: "Kui is Fanlu." It is also named Chenglu (Receiver of Dew). Its leaves are best at catching dew, and its hanging seeds also resemble dangling dewdrops, hence the name "Lu" (Dew).
The characters "Fan" (蘩) and "Luo" (落) look similar; it is suspected that "Luo" is a corruption of "Fan." According to *Kaogong Ji*: "The head of the large jade tablet is Zhongkui." The commentary notes: "People of Qi call a mallet Zhongkui." The head of the jade tablet, six inches wide, is shaped like a mallet. Could this vegetable be named for its leaf shape resembling a mallet head?
[Collected Explanations] Hongjing says: Luokui is also called Chenglu. It is widely cultivated by households. The leaves are edible, cold, and slippery. The seeds are purple; women use them soaked in water to tint powder applied to the face as a cosmetic, and they are used medicinally in small amounts.
Baosheng says: It is a creeping vine with round, thick leaves resembling apricot leaves. The seeds resemble Schisandra chinensis (Wuweizi), green when raw and black when ripe. It is found everywhere.
Shizhen says: Plant Luokui in the third lunar month; tender shoots are edible. By the fifth month, it spreads vines. The leaves resemble apricot leaves but are thicker, greener, softer, and slippery. Suitable as a vegetable or cooked with meat. In the eighth and ninth months, it bears small purple flowers and clusters of fruit, as large as Schisandra chinensis, turning dark purple-black when ripe. Squeeze the juice; it is red like rouge. Women use it for facial makeup, lip coloring, and dyeing fabrics, calling it Hu Yanzhi or Ranjiangzi, though the color fades over time.
[Taste and Properties] Sour, cold, slippery, non-toxic.
Shizhen says: Sweet, slightly sour, cold and slippery. People with cold spleen should not eat it.
Hongjing says: If eaten after being bitten by a dog, the illness will never heal.
[Indications] Slides the intestines, clears heat (*Shennong Bencao Jing*). Promotes urination and bowel movement (*Shizhen*).
Seeds
[Indications] Beautifies and lusters the complexion (*Shennong Bencao Jing*). Can be made into facial cream (Su Song). Shen says: Steam the seeds, dry them in strong sunlight, remove the husks, grind the kernels finely, mix with white honey, and apply to the face; freshness and radiance appear immediately.