The herb long pepper, written 荜茇, was used as medicine in ancient times.
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history
茇 is not used independently in modern Chinese. Classically it meant the root of a plant, and by extension to lodge in the wild among grass. It survives mainly in the herbal name 荜茇 (long pepper). The phonetic core 犮 also drives 拔 and 跋.
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Classical and specialist only — found in old texts and herbal-medicine names, not in everyday Chinese.
