Chinese Materia medica, C17: Plant drugs, Hellebore

Bencao yuanshi (Origins of Materia Medica) by Li Zhongli is a herbal in 12 volumes, containing 379 illustrations. It was first published in 1612. This illustration of hellebore (lilu) is taken from the revised edition of Ge Ding, engraved in 1638 (11th year of the Chongwen reign period of the Ming dynasty, Wu Yi year). Li Zhongli writes: The leaves of hellebore are similar to plantago (cheqian), and the stems are similar to the onion plant (congbai, Allium fistulosum). It is mauve in colour and grows to a height of 5-6 cun (1 cun [Chinese inch] = c. 3 cm). The lower part is covered in a black skin like palm bark, and it has long, thin fibrous roots. The roots and stems are used in medicine. It is pungent in sapor, cold in thermostatic character, and poisonous. It has the medicinal properties of dispelling wind and flushing away phlegm, killing parasites and removing poisons.It is used to treat coughs with profuse sputum, malign sores and mange (jiexuan), diarrhoea and dysentery containing blood and pus, wind epilepsy and withdrawal illness (dianji, depression etc.), etc.

Hellebore (lilu) belongs to the inferior category in the [Divine Farmer's] Canon of Materia Medica (Benjing). It is commonly known as suan lilu (garlic hellebore). The lower section is like the onion. It has a black outer skin like the palm tree.