Xiang Cheng, Volume 07: Fragrance Types VII · Clove · Costus
Clove · Costus — original text (compiled and edited), with vernacular translation and annotations.
Volume 07 · Fragrance Types VII · Clove · Costus
Original Text (Compiled and Edited)
Bencao: Clove grows in Jiaozhou, Guangzhou, and the southern foreign lands; it blooms in the second and third months with purple-white flowers, and its fruit is shaped like a nail, hence the name. It mainly warms the spleen and stomach and stops vomiting. Costus comes from Tianzhu and Kunlun; the kind shaped like dry bone is bitter and warm, and mainly treats qi dysentery and strengthens the spleen.
Vernacular Translation and Annotation
Clove is named for its nail-shaped fruit; it warms the spleen and stomach and stops vomiting, and is commonly used in incense blending to settle qi. Costus is produced in Tianzhu; the kind shaped like dry bone is considered superior, and it mainly treats qi dysentery and strengthens the spleen. Both are warm-natured aromatic medicinals.
Annotations
- Dingzi: nail-shaped small fruit
- Tianzhu: ancient India
- Dry bone: the appearance of superior-grade costus
Editorial Notes · Editions and Compilation Notes
Edition basis:The transmitted editions of Xiang Cheng trace their origin to the Ming Chongzhen-era printed edition; currently seen are the Wenyuan Ge Siku Quanshu edition, the Siku Huiyao edition, and various Qing manuscript copies. This compilation uses the commonly circulated collated edition as its base text, with reference collation against the Siku Quanshu edition.
Collation for this volume:Records clove (jixiang), costus (mixiang), etc.; the distinction of clove into "male clove" and "female clove" is seen in the various schools of Bencao.
Facsimile comparison:The "original text" on this page is a collated transcription (punctuated and paragraphed according to modern conventions), not a facsimile of the original book; for character-by-character comparison, please consult authoritative public-domain editions:Full text of Xiang Cheng (twenty-eight volumes) from the Siku Quanshu edition at Wikisource、Facsimile scans of Xiang Cheng at Wikimedia Commons (PDFs of the National Library of China holdings and others). This site does not fabricate ancient book layouts, and therefore substitutes authoritative public-domain facsimile external links.