Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c5.s2.t9.7

v1.c5.s2.t9.7

*Juan* 17 of Sun Simiao’s *Valuable Prescriptions for Emergency* noted that the prescription for lavender incense used aromatic drugs such as holy basil, lilac, green cinnamon, green ‘mu xiang’ (*radix saussureae*), thick leaf croton (*croton crassifolius*), saffron, sweetgum, mastic etc. *Juan* 31 of Wang Tao’s *Medical Secrets from the Royal Library* referred to a lotus herbal ointment made out of lotus seeds which could produce an immediate effect. This was an Indian prescription and its main functions were to cure diseases including deafness and blindness as well as prematurely greying hair and to protect teeth and prolong life. The prescription used four herbs including altemanthera juice, raw fructus oil, lactogenesis and liquorice, with saffron and was very effective. *Juan* 2 of the work *Flavor Vehicles* by Zhou Jiazhou (1582-1658) quoted from the *Overall Survey of Land*, the observation that Samarkand in Central Asia was a great country in the Western Regions, which abounded in yellow saffron looking like cotton rose hibiscus.