The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1882-08-30
The Poppy In China.

I The date otthe introduction OF opium
In China is moot point. Even 5 Rob
ert Hart, the lnspector-GenerM Of
chinese Customs, In la reports can say
nothing more definite about it than that
native opium was known. produced
and used long before any Europeans be.
gan the sale OF the foreign drug along
the coast" Cinnamon themselves are
no better informed; and it is onl h rc-
lore, by references 10 the poppy al 10
opium in the literature OF the country
That We can gain any positive inf rma-
uon on the subject The dictionaries
tell US that the poppy has at different
periods been known under the names Of
u me hwa, Imperial grain flower
Me nang hwa, "grain-bag lower and
ing sub hwa. "pitcher-grain flower
30. The last names refer 20 The shape VI
the seed-capsules, and the other find, an
eNplanat on in the History Of the Later
Han Dynasty" "a. ID. 2j-220), where
we read that at that period it was the
duty of two especially appointed court
officials TO superintend the making Of
Iu me poppy-seed) cakes for the En-
perOr use. OF course the seeds OF the
poppy do not contain opium but it is
obvious that some glutinOus substance
must have been used in making up the
cakes, and il is not rash conjecture
that the juice from the capsules was
that used for the purpose. This is the
more probable since the juice has long
been employed in like manner in max
ing the cakes known as 'poppy-juiee
fish According to X ANGLES cele-
brated Encyclopedia published in
1920, These cakes are made Of flour
formed into dough by the admixture Of
the juice of the poppy, and are then
kncaded into cakes shaped in the like
ness Of fish. Under the later Han Dy-
nasty just referred to, the capital Wa, in
the province of SEE ch'uen, where the
poppy is at the present date largely
grown; but we learn from the "Shwuv
king choo,n work referring TO some
what later period, that the plant was
not confined TO that district, since men.
ton is therein made of its houri,hing
also in the province OF kwangSe.
The instructive admiration which the
Chinese have always felt for coloring
especially in flowers, la, gained for the
poppy u high place in their estimation
But, from the nature Of the literature,
the expression Of their admiration must
be looked for mainly in the works Of the
poets. Their enthusiasm fOrlhe poppy
blossom, however, Is vastly heightened
by An appreciation OF the charms Of the
juice and the strengthening qualities Uf
the seeds; at all events, these virtues Of
the plant lind prominent mention in
Chinese poetry. With Yung laou. of
the Tang dynasty "a. d. 6lo 500, the
pleasure Of ~ight seems 10 have pre-
dominated. While on a Journey this
poet wa So enchanted by Il field OF pop.
pies, possibly because they reminded
him Of similar scenes in his native pro.
vince Of sac ch'uen, that he forgot Che
says) all Tia. gricis Of ten thousand miles
OF travel. The poet Soc Chch (lOJ3
Il.-i dwcllS. in an ode, on the curative
and inyigorating effects Of the poppy
seeds and juice and 500 Sung, OF about
the same period, native Of Fuh-krrn,
praises the beauty of the plant, which
he speaks Of a. being grown every
wh:rr" Cch 90 CHI oo). The first mcdi-
cal man vino speaks of the jGicc of the
poppy in Il professional point OF view il
certain Choo Chin-hang, native Of
the.kcang, who lived during the end of
the twelfth and the beginning Of tho
thirteenth century. AT the present
day writes this author, "many peo-
pie suffering from cough and weakness
take The juice OF the poppy Is a remedy.
II Is also . cure for fever arising from
damp, and for dy5entcry. But" h.
adds, though is value rs u medicine
is great. il vet Kills men like dOu e.
edged sword (>ha jim joo kecnl, and lis
use should therefore be avoided at all
hazards. '-.St. dimcS' Ga:e,tc.