Ming herbal (painting): Sappan tree

Painting of the logwood/sappan tree (sufangmu, sumu) in the meticulous (gongbi) style, in colour on silk, from Bencao tupu (Illustrated Herbal). The painted illustrations in Bencao tupu were jointly executed by Zhou Hu and Zhou Xi in 1644 (the final year of the Ming period). The explanatory texts were provided by Zhou Rongqi. The book was not completed: each volume was to have contained 14-15 paintings, but only 29 are extant. Zhou Rongqi writes: The logwood (sufang mu) or sappan (sumu) tree has a tall trunk and leaves like the elm. It bears yellow flowers and long, oval fruit which are green when unripe and black when ripe. The wood has a deep red colour and is much used as a dye. As a drug, it is sweet and salty in sapor, neutral in thermostatic character, and non-poisonous. […?]...it has the effects of activating the blood, breaking up stagnations, reducing swelling and alleviating pain. Used in small doses, it harmonises the blood, while in large doses it breaks up [stagnant] blood. It is used to treat amenorrhea and menstrual pain; post-partum stagnation and blockage; injury from falls, etc.

Sappan wood/tree (sufangmu)