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Huangshu Kui Flower (Yellow Hibiscus Flower)

Treats strangury (painful, difficult urination) and facilitates childbirth. It also treats various malignant sores with purulent discharge that have not healed for a long time; grinding it into powder and applying it externally leads to immediate healing. It is found everywhere along nearby roads.

Sprouts and leaves emerge in spring, resembling Shukui (Hollyhock) quite closely. The leaves are pointed, narrow, and deeply incised. Flowers bloom in late summer, light yellow in color. Harvested in the sixth and seventh lunar months, dried in the shade for use.
(Newly defined)
Detailed illustrations and descriptions are provided under the entry for Dongkui in *Tu Jing Ben Cao*.

Empirical Postnatal Formula: For facilitating childbirth at term. Roast Huangshu Kui seeds until dry, grind into powder, and take three *qian bi* (a traditional Chinese unit of volume/weight) with well water drawn at dawn. If seeds are unavailable, finely slice the root, decoct until the juice is thick and slippery, let cool, and then ingest.

*Yan Yi* states: Huangshu Kui flower is a different species from Shukui, not merely the yellow variety within Shukui. The center underside of the leaf has a purple-ebony hue. After picking, remove specific parts and sun-dry; otherwise, it will rot. It is an essential herb for treating sores. Seeds: At the time of delivery, take 49 grains, crush thoroughly, mix with warm water, and ingest. It is highly effective.

Shukui (Hollyhock)

Sweet in flavor, cold in nature, non-toxic. Long-term consumption dulls mental acuity. Roots and stems both treat exogenous heat (*ke re*), promote diuresis, and dissipate pus, blood, and foul fluids. Leaves burned to ash and applied externally treat metal wounds (*jin chuang*). Boiled and eaten, it treats flare-ups caused by mineral pills (*dan shi*) and heat accumulation. Crushed and applied externally, it treats burns/fire sores. Leaves roasted and boiled, fed to children, treat dysentery caused by heat toxicity and adult *dan li* (dysentery resembling erysipelas). Juice can also be ingested; if abdominal pain is feared, drink it warm.

Flowers: Cold in nature, non-toxic. Treats infantile wind-rash (*feng zhen*).
Seeds: Cold in nature, non-toxic. Treats strangury with涩 (obstruction/difficulty), unblocks the Small Intestine, facilitates childbirth and expulsion of the fetus, treats edema, and treats all...
Kui, also known as KT
*Er Ya* states: ... is Rongkui. Explanation: ... is also called Rongkui. Guo Pu notes: It is Shukui, resembling Kui, with flowers like those of the Rose of Sharon (*Jin hua*). "Rong" and "Shu" likely refer to its place of origin, hence the name. [(Newly supplemented) See Chen Cangqi, Ri Hua Zi.]
Detailed illustrations and descriptions are provided under the entry for Dongkui in *Tu Jing Ben Cao*.

*Sheng Hui Fang*: Treats leukorrhea in women, cold pain in the umbilical and abdominal regions, sallow complexion, and progressive weakness and fatigue. Take one *liang* of white Kui flowers, dry in the shade, grind into powder, and take two *qian bi* with warm wine on an empty stomach. For bloody leukorrhea, use red flowers.
*Qian Jin Fang*: Treats breech presentation or transverse lie (difficult labor). Grind Kui flowers into powder, take with wine using a *fang cun bi* (square-inch measure). Empirical post-treatment application. Sun Simiao: Consuming it does not heal dog bite wounds. It also dulls human temperament.

*Yan Yi* states: For Shukui, select single-leaf red varieties throughout the four seasons, dry the roots in the shade. It treats leukorrhea and expels pus, blood, and foul matter with extreme efficacy.