典藏书目

The creeping variety has fruits the size of a chicken egg, with a sweet taste and cold nature; it can resolve alcohol toxicity and lighten the body. Wang Taipu once presented it, as recorded in *Youyang Zazu*.

Sweet and cold, non-toxic, consumption prevents hunger, prolongs life, strengthens the physique, resolves alcohol toxicity, dispels dampness, treats jaundice (yellowing of skin and eyes), difficult urination, urine resembling golden color, thirst, irritability, and fever.

For pediatric double tongue (a small tongue growing beneath the main tongue) or wooden tongue (stiff and swollen tongue), burn the seeds of *Housaozi* to ash and rub on the affected area, or mix with honey for topical application.

For superficial carbuncles (superficial abscesses) or back carbuncles (carbuncles on the back), drink the decoction of *Housaozi*, then crush the residue and apply topically; this is highly effective.

These are the fruits produced by the Cactus (*Opuntia*). In Cantonese: The cactus often grows clinging to rock walls; its leaves are tough and long, jagged in shape; when blooming, they resemble phoenixes. The fruits grow under the flowers, named "Phoenix Chestnuts," and the leaves are called "Phoenix Tails." The bud exterior resembles taro, while the inner petals cluster like pearls, each "palm" holding fruit pearls. One branch, one palm. The fruits change from green-red to yellow, possessing a double shell, thick outside and thin inside. When ripe, the kernels are eaten; the taste is sweet, combining flavors of water chestnut and chestnut, capable of prolonging life. It is also known as "Thousand-Year Fruit." This herb can ward off fire; people in Guangdong often plant it beside their halls. It prefers sandy soil and dislikes rich, greasy earth. Huang Zuo's Preface to *Ode to the Cactus* in the Ming Dynasty states: The cactus is a strange herb. It grows clinging to rock walls, found only in the Yellow Dragon Jinsha Cave on Luofu Mountain. Its leaves are tough and long, jagged in shape. When budding, the exterior resembles taro tubers, and the inner petals cluster like emerald spheres, each palm holding fruit pearls, turning from green-red to yellow, with a double shell. Cut open, the thick outer layer resembles a small coconut and can serve as a spoon; the thin inner layer resembles ginkgo seed coat, wrapping round flesh which can be baked and eaten. The leaves combine the effects of water chestnut and chestnut, tonifying various deficiencies. Long-term use lightens the body and prolongs life, commonly called "Thousand-Year Fruit." This differs from the creeping variety, which shares the name but is a different substance. *Yunnan Gazetteer* records: The cactus leaves are fat and thick like palms, thorny, connecting into branches. The flower is named "Jade Flower," red-yellow in color, and the fruit resembles wild melons, edible. Sweet in taste, neutral in nature, it tonifies the spleen and strengthens the stomach, enhances leg strength, and eliminates chronic diarrhea.

Zhao Xuemin notes: The cactus described in *Qunfang Pu* originates from Fujian and Guangdong. It is neither herb nor tree, nor vegetable nor fruit; it has no branches or leaves, nor does it bloom. A single piece suddenly emerges from the soil, indistinguishable from a human hand. Its skin is green and glossy. Beige dots appear on the palm. Each year, only one leaf grows at the apex; if grown on the left this year, it will grow on the right next year, accumulating layers upward. Planting it indoors can suppress water disasters. To propagate, take one piece, cut it into three or four sections, and plant in fertile soil; it will naturally regenerate into a full palm. Recently, varieties have appeared in the Liangzhe region of Zhejiang. According to records, these must be a different species, entirely distinct from this one, perhaps sharing the name but differing in substance.