On chilli peppers

《花鏡》：番椒，一名海瘋藤，俗呼辣茄，本高一二尺，叢生白花。秋來結子，儼如禿筆頭倒垂，初綠，後朱紅，懸掛可觀，其味最辣，人多採用，研極細，冬月以代胡椒。蓋其性熱而散，能入心脾二經，亦能祛水濕。

According to the Huajing (Mirror of Flowers), fanjiao (foreign pepper) is also called haifengteng (sea-mad-vines) and commonly known as laqie (spicy aubergine). The plant is about one to two chi high [approx. 35-70cm]. It grows in clusters and bears white flowers. When autumn comes, it produces fruits that look very much like the head of a bald writing brush hanging down. They are first green and then turn vermilion, making a pleasing ornament when hung up. They taste extremely hot. People often gather them, grind them very finely to use in the winter months in place of black pepper. Apparently, the nature of this plant is hot and dispersing. It can enter the Heart and Spleen channels as well as dispelling dampness.

癸亥，予在臨安，有小僕於暑月食冷水臥陰地，至秋瘧發，百藥罔效。延至初冬，偶食辣醬，頗適口，每食需此，又用以煎粥食。未幾，瘧自愈。良由胸膈積水變為冷痰，得辛以散之，故如湯沃雪耳。

In the guihai year [1743], when I was in Lin’an, a young servant of mine drank cold water and slept in shady places during the hot summer months. In autumn, he developed malaria, on which no medicine had any effect. [The illness] persisted into early winter, until he had some spicy sauce by chance and found it rather palatable. He needed this with every meal and also made porridge with it. Before long, he recovered from malaria. In fact, that was caused by fluid buildup in the diaphragm, which turned into cold phlegm and was dispersed by the pungency [of the peppers], just as hot water melts snow.

* From Zhao Xuemin 趙學敏 (ca. 1719-1805), Bencao gangmu shiyi 本草綱目拾遺 (Beijing: Renmin weisheng chubanshe, 1957), 8.287.

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Various chilli peppers from the garden