This is the 4947th article of Da Yi Xiao Nu
On May 5, talk about the Dragon Boat Festival. When the Dragon Boat Festival arrives, in addition to dragon boat racing and eating zongzi, people will also wear sachets, drink realgar wine, and hang mugwort leaves and calamus in front of the door to express their good wishes for health. Did you find that many customs of the Dragon Boat Festival have traditional Chinese medicine? Today, let's talk about the herbal elements related to the Dragon Boat Festival.
1. Wear a Chinese medicine sachet
Wearing sachets is a Dragon Boat Festival custom since ancient times, which originates from the "clothing and crown therapy" of traditional Chinese medicine. Because of the proximity to the Dragon Boat Festival, mosquitoes are infested with five poisons, and the climate is humid and hot, many people are uncomfortable, at this time wearing sachets, take its fragrant taste, but also a way to prevent and control diseases. The sachet contains some aromatic turbidity and avoidance of Chinese herbal medicines, such as Atractylodes, Angelica Angelica, calamus, cloves, mint, etc., which contain strong aromatic volatile substances. Modern research believes that these volatile substances can form a high concentration of small environment around the human body, have a certain inhibitory effect on a variety of pathogens, and at the same time can enter the human body through the respiratory tract, stimulate the nasal mucosa, increase the content of antibodies on the nasal mucosa, secretory immunoglobulin, and improve the body's ability to resist disease. In addition, wearing sachets also has the effect of repelling mosquitoes, in ancient times when there were no mosquito coils and mosquito repellent liquid, people relied on wearing sachets to repel mosquitoes and insects, as the so-called "wear a herb bag, not afraid of five insect pests".
However, the Chinese herbs in the sachet rely on the aromatic volatile substances contained in it to work, so its protection range is limited, so it is recommended that you wear it with you or hang it at the head of the bed when you sleep, and replace the Chinese herbs in it on time.
Zongzi-like sachets
2. Drink realgar wine
The ancients believed that realgar can drive away demons and ward off evil, so there is a custom of drinking realgar wine during the Dragon Boat Festival. Realgar does have certain detoxifying and insecticidal effects, and is commonly used to treat a variety of skin diseases, but it is mostly used externally. Drinking realgar wine is actually harmful to the human body. Because the main chemical component of realgar is arsenic disulfide, which is toxic, improper use can easily cause arsenic poisoning, damage blood vessels, nerves, and in severe cases, lead to necrosis of various organs. When heated, realgar becomes arsenic trioxide, also known as arsenic, which is more toxic. Therefore, it is recommended that everyone do not drink realgar wine during the Dragon Boat Festival.
Many people know realgar wine because of the folklore "The Legend of the White Snake", the white lady appeared in its original form after drinking realgar wine, so she is convinced of the effect of realgar wine in repelling snakes. But in fact, the principle of male yellow snake repellent is mainly to use its pungent smell to drive away snakes, so its effect is limited.
Realgar wine
3. Hang calamus mugwort leaves in front of the door
The ancients believed that mugwort leaves were suspended in the hall to ward off evil spirits and drive away miasma; Using calamus as a sword and hanging it in front of the door has the miraculous effect of exorcising evil spirits to express the beautiful vision of eternal health and auspiciousness of relatives, and this custom has been passed down in many places to this day.
Wormwood calamus hangs in front of the door, relatives and friends are forever healthy
Wormwood is a plant of the genus Artemisia in the Asteraceae family, the plant has a strong aroma, and is a traditional Chinese medicine commonly used in clinical practice to warm menstruation and stop bleeding, dissipate cold and relieve pain. In fact, mugwort leaves can not only be taken internally, but also used externally. For example, people often use mugwort leaves to boil water to bathe children, which can not only relieve the symptoms of itchy diseases such as eczema, but also prevent the occurrence of other summer skin diseases.
Through the screen, do you also feel the refreshing scent of wormwood?
If the mugwort leaves are dried and mashed into velvet, twisted into strips, and the acupuncture points on the body surface of the fumigation and moxibustion are ignited, which has the effect of dredging the meridians, harmonizing qi and blood, and dissipating cold and dampness, this is moxibustion therapy, which is a great magic weapon for Chinese medicine to treat diseases. Women who usually feel cold limbs can choose some health care acupuncture points, such as Shenque, Guan Yuan, etc., for moxibustion treatment, and soak their feet in mugwort leaves boiled water, the effect is better.
Through moxibustion, the purpose of health care and treatment can be achieved
The heavy aroma of wormwood also has an aromatic effect on avoiding filth, but mosquitoes are very disgusted by this strange smell. Therefore, in summer, you can rub fresh mugwort leaves and apply them to the exposed parts of the body, or light moxa sticks to smoke the room to keep away mosquitoes.
In addition to its medicinal properties, wormwood is also used as an ingredient in parts of the South. For example, the combination of mugwort leaves and glutinous rice can be made into delicious dim sum - Qingtuan, mugwort leaf baba, etc.
Whether it is Qingtuan or mugwort leaf baba, it is fragrant and delicious
In addition, wormwood can also be used as a natural plant dye, as shown in the figure below for silk dyed with mugwort leaves. Through "wormwood dyeing", not only is it environmentally friendly, but the color of wormwood dyeing is also simple and elegant, making people feel that there is a long and natural atmosphere full of charm.
Wormwood dyeing not only has aesthetic value, but also shows cultural value
Next, let's talk about calamus. Common calamus include water calamus and stone calamus, so what kind of calamus is used in the Dragon Boat Festival? Water iris is generally born near the water, so it is called water sword grass, and because the leaf shape is like a sword, it is also called Pu Jian, so it is regarded as a thing to cure evil, and it is this kind of calamus that hangs on the Dragon Boat Festival.
Do you feel that the leaves of the water iris resemble a sword?
Araceae calamus can also be used in medicine, generally using its rhizome. Its smell is fragrant and strong, in the folk, the air is humid and hot before and after the Dragon Boat Festival, mosquitoes breed, easy to cause body itching, you can take water calamus decoction water fumigation to treat eczema and other skin diseases, has a certain anti-itching, swelling, pain-relieving effect.
Let's take a look at the brother of the water calamus that also comes from the Araceae family - calamus, the part of the medicine is also the rhizome, which has the effect of opening the body and awakening the mind, dissolving dampness and stomach, and calming the nerves. Therefore, at present, the "Chinese Pharmacopoeia" only includes calamus. Calamus is an aromatic traditional Chinese medicine, so the sachets worn during the Dragon Boat Festival often have the figure of calamus.
Stone iris on a crevice in the rock by the stream
In addition, calamus is also a plant with great ornamental value, and orchids, narcissus, chrysanthemums and called "flowers and plants four elegant", and ranks first of the "four elegances", quite popular among literati and ink writers, its color is green and elegant, which makes people feel refreshed and happy. Especially in the hot summer, it gives you a sense of quiet elegance.
When you see a potted calamus, do you want to have it?
Author: Gong Yanrong, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Naval Medical University
Li Xianglin, Class of 2018, Eight-year Traditional Chinese Medicine Program, Naval Medical University
Advisor: Zhang Huiqing, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Naval Medical University
This Work was Funded by: The First Round of Shanghai Health Science Popularization Talent Capacity Improvement Project (JKKPYC-2022-10)
Some of the pictures are taken from the Internet, if there is any infringement, please inform us and delete it.
所有人名和地名均为化名，如有雷同，纯属巧合。