Eucommia ulmoides is a unique Chinese medicinal material, it is the same as ginkgo, it is a living fossil plant that has existed for 2 million years; when glaciers invaded the land, many eucommia plants in Europe and the United States became extinct one after another, and only Chinese eucommia ulmoides survived; now the eucommia grown all over the world were introduced from China at the end of the 19th century. Eucommia ulmoides has a long history of medicinal use in the mainland, as early as more than 2,000 years ago, it was listed as the top grade by the "Shennong Materia Medica", and it is a precious tonic medicinal material. There are different versions of the story about the origin of the name of Eucommia, and here are a few examples.
Legend 1: There is a beautiful legend about Eucommia. In the past, Dongting Lake mainly relied on small wooden boats for transportation, and 9 out of 10 people suffered from low back pain due to the fact that the slender men on the boats were bent down to pull the fibers due to their adult years. There was a young slender man named Du Zhong, who was kind-hearted, and he only wanted to find a cure to relieve the slender man's suffering. In order to fulfill this wish, he said goodbye to his parents and left home to go to the mountains to collect medicine. Along the way, he walked through babbling streams and thorny steep slopes. One day, he met an old man who was collecting medicine on the hillside, and he came forward to meet him with joy, but the old man left without even looking back. Du Zhong was so anxious that he had been away from home for thirty-seven twenty-one days, and that the rations prepared by his mother had been exhausted, but he had no heavy responsibilities so far, so he hurried forward to pay homage to the old man, and told him about the sufferings of the slender men. The old man was moved to tears, and hurriedly took out a piece of bark that could cure waist and knee pain from the medicine basket and handed it to Du Zhong, pointing to the high mountain opposite and telling Du Zhong: "The mountain is high and the slope is steep, you must be careful of your life when collecting medicine!" Du Zhong thanked him again and again, said goodbye to the old man, and climbed along the dangerous road in the mountains. Halfway through, he met an old woodcutter, the old woodcutter heard that Du Zhong was going to the top of the mountain to collect medicine, and hurriedly dissuaded: "Child, there must be a young man in your family, and it is difficult for the swan on the top of this mountain to fly, and the ape is also worried about climbing, and this is more auspicious and less auspicious...... Du Zhong is determined to relieve the pain of the slender man, and he is unwavering. When he climbed halfway up the mountain, he heard only the crow howling, and the female eagle wailing at the male, as if to persuade him to return quickly. Du Zhong was in this scene, he was really flustered, and his stomach was rumbling with hunger, and suddenly his eyes were dark, and he was planted upside down in the mountains, and fortunately his body was hanging on a big branch. After a while, he came to his senses and found that it was the bark of the tree he was looking for, and he desperately gathered it. He was exhausted, fainted on the cliff again, and was finally washed into the ethereal eight-hundred-mile cave court by the mountains and rivers. The old woodcutter in the mountains spread the news to Dongting Lake, and when the slender men heard the bad news, they immediately searched, and after looking for nine hundred and eighty-one days, they finally found the body of Du Zhong in a mountain forest on the shore of Dongting Lake, and saw that he was still holding a bundle of collected bark in his hands, and the slender men ate the bark he collected with tears, and sure enough, the waist and knee pain were all cured. In honor of Eucommia, the bark was officially named Eucommia.
Legend 2: In ancient times, there was a Tujia Langzhong, surnamed Du, named Zhong. He has been traveling around Xiangxi for many years to treat the Tujia people, and he has been in and out of the mountains for many years, causing him to have bad muscles and bones, and his waist and legs are sore.
One day, he went into the mountains to collect medicine, and when he was tired, he rested under a stout, tall tree, and he put his machete on the bark of this tree, and stumbled upon the bark of this tree, which had as many white threads as "tendons", and then he tore open the bark of other plants around him, but he did not see such a phenomenon.
He thought that the plant was unusual, and that there were as many white threads in the bark as "muscles and bones", and that if a person took the "bones" of this bark, would he be as strong as this plant? So, he peeled some of the bark and took it home to boil water, and began to try to take it, and after a while, his waist was no longer sore, and his legs were no longer painful.
He insisted on taking it for a long time, and the result was a miracle, he was not only light and healthy, his hair was black, but he also lived a long and healthy life. Many Tujia people asked him about the secret, and Du Zhong told the Tujia people the secret. As a result, many Tujia elders also began to take the bark of this plant, and the effect was very good, and many healthy and long-lived elderly people appeared.
Later, Du Zhong actually became an immortal because of this bark. In order to express their reverence and longing for Eucommia, the Tujia people called this plant "Sixian" and "Sizhong". For a long time, the Tujia people simply called this plant "Eucommia".
Legend has it that the Tujia people worship the plant as a sacred tree, which can bless the health and longevity of the Tujia women. Therefore, at that time, the eucommia bark was used as a tribute to the king of Tusi, and the common people could not enjoy the eucommia bark.
The period from Qingming to the summer solstice is the best time to peel the skin of Eucommia ulmoides, but the leaves of Eucommia ulmoides at this time are also exceptionally fresh. One day, when people were peeling the skin of Eucommia ulmoides, they picked a leaf of Eucommia ulmoides, and found that the leaves also had white silk like skin, and the Tujia people were ecstatic! They picked some of the leaves and went back to boil water and drink them, and the taste was sweeter than the bark of the Eucommia ulmoides tree, and the Tujia people firmly believed that this must be a gift from the sacred tree to the Tujia people.
Since then, the Tujia people have begun to pick and use the leaves of Eucommia ulmoides for their usual drinking tea, and the skin of Eucommia ulmoides is peeled off and paid tribute to the King of Tusi. As the days went by, people found that the effect of this eucommia leaf was comparable to that of the bark of the eucommia tree. Later, the Tujia people called this eucommia leaf, which can bring them health and longevity, "longevity leaf".
Legend 3: Legend has it that in the early years of the Kaiyuan Dynasty, Du Wang, the governor of Shanzhou, often had migraines. His child, Du You, often has weak and painful feet. The doctor in his house could not cure his strange problems, Du hoped to be an honest official, his children were smart and studious, and the family's illness made him depressed. So, he recruited people from the people to treat their family's illness.
On this day, two people came to Du Hope's house: one was holding an earthen pot in his hand, and the other was a woodcutter with a piece of bark on his back, and the bark seemed to be broken and connected by many threads.
They all claimed to be able to cure Du Hope's father and son's illness. Du hoped to think: This master manages local documents and materials, and should know how to treat this disease. But how does this firewood collector treat the sick? Du Hope asked them: Lord Bo, you usually manage the paperwork, how do you think of treating my illness?
The main Bo said: I saw in the document that there are many insects in Qingzhou like cow hair, "the scorpion is like a water turtle, eight-legged and long-tailed, knotted, green in color, and the catchers mostly eat it with salt mud." It is also remembered that the locals fried this insect to eat, which can dispel wind and circulation, loosen muscles and bones, and remove rheumatism. I'm going to use it to treat your headaches.
Du Hope asked Chai Fu again: You are a Chai Fu, how to treat my headache and my son's weak feet?
Chai Fu raised the back of his solid hand and said: I have been running on the mountains all the year round, and my legs and waist are all dependent on the silk skin on my back. I cut wood on the mountain, accidentally broke my leg, so I used this silk cotton skin, wrapped my leg home, this tree silk is like a human tendon and skin, mixed with wine and boiled water to drink, the broken leg is good, and the whole body strength is infinite. So I can cure your weak feet.
Du wanted to see that they were very sure of what they said, thinking that they would not dare to deceive themselves, otherwise they would be beheaded. So he took one of each according to the method they had taught. Du hopes to grind the scorpion into powder or fry it to eat. His son, Du You, boiled it with half water and half wine to eat. Three days later, Du Wang's head no longer hurts, Du You's feet are no longer weak, and he can walk freely.
Du hoped to be overjoyed and recruited the lord Bo and Chaifu. Ask the Lord why there are no insects in the jar in Jiangnan, and what is the name of this worm? The Lord Bo replied that it is called a whole worm, also called a cocos back worm. Chai Fu said: His bark is not named, and it is generally called the silk bark tree, the silk bark, and the silk cotton bark.
When Lord Du heard this, he said: Your names are too cheesy, and it is not good for you to call the main thin worm, and it will not reflect the effect. These two drugs are equally credited to my family. He poured all the remaining scorpions into my yard and multiplied, and called them "Du Bo", and he also ordered his subordinates and chaifu to go into the mountains and move some silk bark trees and plant them in the courtyard, and they called this tree Eucommia.
Later, Du You became the prime minister, and he was an honest official, and often recommended Du Bo to the common people to treat migraine in his spare time; His grandson is the late Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu.
Legend 4: Once upon a time, there was a group of slender men on the shore of Dongting Lake, they bowed their heads and bent over to pull the fibers for many years, and after a long time, they all suffered from the disease of waist and knee pain. On the way, he met an old man who was collecting medicine, so he asked the old man for advice, and the old man was moved by his kindness, so he gave him a piece of bark and told him that this bark can cure the symptoms of low back and knee pain. Du Zhong took the bark and continued to search for it up the mountain, but accidentally fell down on the edge of the cliff, and when he woke up, he found that his body was hanging from a large branch, and this tree was the kind of tree he wanted, so he desperately picked it, but because he was exhausted, he fell into Dongting Lake during the picking process. His body was later found in the lake, clutching in his arms a bundle of picked bark, which the slender men had eaten, and the pain in his body was cured. In order to commemorate the heroic deeds of Eucommia, people named this bark "Eucommia".
Legend 5: In ancient times, there was a small mountain village at the foot of Huashan Mountain in Shaanxi, where a family lived. The son of the family, Li Houxiao, is loyal and honest. One day, the 60-year-old mother suddenly fell ill and was bedridden. Li Houxiao asked a doctor for diagnosis and treatment, and took several medicines, but his mother's illness did not improve for a long time, and Li Houxiao was anxious. The doctor told him that there was a kind of Ganoderma lucidum grass growing on the cliff of Huashan Mountain, and as long as he picked it back, his mother's illness could be saved. Houxiao immediately put on the medicine basket on his back, took the hoe, and climbed to Huashan.
The cliffs of Mount Hua are like cutting, towering into the clouds. In order to treat the old mother's illness, Houxiao is in charge of the dangers of the mountain road. He climbed the rock and crossed the trench, and finally picked the Ganoderma lucidum treasure grass, and the joy was really indescribable. But when he returned to the bottom of the mountain from the cliff, Hou Xiao accidentally sprained his waist, his hands trembled, and he rolled down the mountain. I don't know how long it took, he slowly woke up, touched the treasure grass was still there, and his heart was relieved, but he wanted to climb but couldn't get up, and his waist and legs hurt so much that he had to grit his teeth and climb under a big tree, leaning on the trunk to rest for a while.
It soon got dark, and in the haze, Houxiao faintly heard the crane chirping. When he opened his eyes, there was an old man with a childish face standing in front of him. Houxiao struggled and shouted: "Old man help me, I have to rush home to save the old lady...... The old man replied with a kind smile: "Child, the back injury is not light, don't move, wait for me to give you a doctor." As he spoke, he took out a small gourd from his bosom, reached out and peeled a piece of bark from the tree, and where the bark was broken, strands of filaments were peeled out. The old man stuffed the bark into the gourd and shook it three times, and the bark immediately turned into water. The old man gave it to Houxiao, and after a while, Houxiao's waist didn't hurt. The old man laughed and helped Hou Xiao up and said, "Child, go home quickly, Lingtang is still waiting for medicine!" Hou Xiao held the old man's hand, thanked him a thousand times, and asked the old man to leave his name. The old man pointed to the big tree and said, "This wood grows in the soil, and it is normal among people." Help the sick and get rid of the disease, why do you need to be famous!" After speaking, he rode on the white crane and floated away. Hou Xiao looked at the old man's back and did not understand the meaning of the poem. He immediately returned home and gave the Ganoderma lucidum to his mother to eat, and sure enough, the medicine was cured. A few days later, Houxiao came to the tree again, and saw that the tree was covered with oval, jagged green leaves, thick and straight. Li Houxiao recognized this as Eucommia Tree. Hou Xiao recalled the scene at that time, and muttered the four lines of poetry left by the old man...... Isn't this the word "Eucommia"? This wood grows in the soil, and a "soil" next to the "wood" is "Du", and it is common among people, and "among people" is "Zhong", could it be that the Eucommia ulmoides tree can cure back injuries? Houxiao was both surprised and surprised, peeled off a piece of bark and brought it home, just when he met a villager who sprained his waist, Houxiao fried the bark, and the patient took it, and it was really effective.
Legend 6: Once upon a time in a big mountain, there was a young man named Du Zhong, his job was charcoal burning, and the charcoal burning work was very hard and very tiring. In that era, Du Zhong could only rely on one pair of hands to do it. Once, while cutting down a tree, Eucommia accidentally fell and injured himself. As the saying goes, "it takes a hundred days to break your muscles and bones", and if you can't work, Du Zhong can only rest at home. One day, at the door of Eucommia's thatched hut, an old beggar came, and as soon as he reached the door, he fainted. Although it is not convenient for Du Zhong to move on his own, it is still possible to walk. He went over and looked, and with his many years of experience (experience of starvation), he saw that the old man was hungry, so he helped the old man into the house, and warmed the porridge he ate and fed it to the old man. After eating the porridge, the old man woke up and was very grateful to Du Zhong, and when he saw that Du Zhong's actions did not change, he asked what was going on. After listening to Du Zhong, the old man handed the wooden stick in his hand to Du Zhong and said, "Peel the skin and decoction as tea, and finish it in seven days", and then drifted away, nowhere to be found. Du Zhong listened to the words of this old beggar, although he was skeptical, but anyway, he didn't have the money to buy medicine, so he died as a live horse doctor, but he didn't expect that after drinking for seven days, the waist and leg disease was cured, and his physical strength was better than before. This Eucommia is a person who loves to ponder things, so he thought, what kind of Nirvana is this magical Dongdong? I don't think I have seen it before? Fortunately, the stick is still there, and there is still some skin left on it, so Du Zhong took advantage of the time to go into the mountain to cut down the tree, and he paid attention to find it, and the effort paid off, and he really let him find it. After finding this kind of tree, Eucommia not only often soaked the bark and drank it himself, but also gave it to those villagers with back and leg pain, and the result was like a god, and Eucommia was also famous. People didn't know what kind of tree it was, because it was passed down from Eucommia, so they named it "Eucommia".