Illustrated Compendium of Materia Medica (Vol. 30)

Juniper Huai

The Juniper is the Gua. The commentary on the Erya Dictionary of Progress states that the Gua has the leaves of a cypress and the body of a pine, which is the same as the Juniper described in the Erya Yi Expanded Erya. People today call it Yuanbai Sabina chinensis to distinguish it from the Cebai Platycladus orientalis. There is another type called Cibai Juniperus formosana, which has a similar wood grain. The Laoxue'an Biji Notes from the Old Study mentions two types: the Sea Juniper and the Earth Juniper. The Sea Juniper is difficult to obtain, and it is unclear if its leaves differ from the others. On a single branch of a Juniper-Cypress, one may find both juniper and cypress foliage. They are often planted in courtyards for aesthetic enjoyment. There is also the "Three Friends Cypress," where one tree possesses three types of leaves: rounded, lateral, and prickly.