How Much Do You Know About the Dragon Boat Festival Materia Medica

This is the 4947th article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

May 5th, let's talk about the Dragon Boat Festival. In addition to dragon boat racing and eating rice dumplings, people also wear sachets, drink realgar wine, and hang moxa leaves and calamus in front of their doors to express their good wishes for health. Have you noticed that many customs of the Dragon Boat Festival involve 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 originated from the "clothing therapy" of traditional Chinese medicine. Because it is close to the Dragon Boat Festival, mosquitoes and five poisonous insects are infested, and the climate is hot and humid, many people feel uncomfortable all over. At this time, wearing sachets for its fragrance is also a way to prevent and treat diseases. The sachets contain some aromatic Chinese herbal medicines that can remove turbidity and avoid filth, such as Atractylodes, Angelica dahurica, Acorus calamus, cloves, mint, etc., which contain strong aromatic volatile substances. Modern research believes that these volatile substances can form a small environment with a high concentration locally around the human body, which has a certain inhibitory effect on a variety of pathogens. At the same time, they can enter the human body through the respiratory tract, stimulate the nasal mucosa, increase the content of antibodies on the nasal mucosa-secreting immunoglobulin, and improve the body's disease resistance. In addition, wearing sachets can also drive away mosquitoes and insects. In ancient times when there were no mosquito coils or mosquito repellents, people relied on wearing sachets to drive away mosquitoes and insects. As the saying goes, "wear a bag of fragrant herbs, you are not afraid of five insects."

However, the Chinese herbal medicine in the sachet is effective due to the aromatic volatile substances it contains, so its protective range is limited. Therefore, it is recommended that you wear it with you or hang it on the head of the bed when you sleep, and replace the Chinese herbal medicine inside on time.

Zongzi-shaped sachet

2. Drink realgar wine

The ancients believed that realgar can drive away demons and avoid evil spirits, so there is a custom of drinking realgar wine on the Dragon Boat Festival. Realgar does have certain detoxification and insecticidal effects, and is often 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 and nerves, and in severe cases lead to necrosis of various organs. When heated, realgar will turn into arsenic trioxide, also known as arsenic trioxide, which is more toxic. Therefore, it is recommended that you do not drink realgar wine on the Dragon Boat Festival.

Many people know about realgar wine because of the folk legend "The Legend of the White Snake". After drinking realgar wine, the White Snake revealed her true form, so they firmly believe that realgar wine can repel snakes. But in fact, the principle of realgar wine to repel snakes is mainly to use its pungent smell to drive away snakes, so its effect is limited.

Realgar wine

3. Hang calamus and mugwort leaves in front of the door

The ancients believed that hanging mugwort leaves in the hall could ward off evil spirits and drive away miasma; using calamus as a sword and hanging it in front of the door had the magical effect of exorcising demons and killing evil spirits, to express the beautiful wish that their relatives would always be healthy and auspicious. This custom has been passed down to this day in many places.

Hanging mugwort and calamus in front of the door, your family and friends will be healthy forever

Mugwort 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 the meridians and stop bleeding, dispel cold and relieve pain. In fact, mugwort can not only be taken orally, but also used externally. For example, people often use mugwort to boil water to bathe their children, which can not only relieve the symptoms of itchy diseases such as eczema, but also prevent the occurrence of other summer skin diseases.

Can you also feel the refreshing scent of mugwort through the screen?

If you dry the moxa leaves, crush them into fluff, twist them into strips, and burn them to fumigate the acupuncture points on the body surface, it has the effects of dredging the meridians, harmonizing qi and blood, and dispelling cold and dampness. This is moxibustion therapy, a magic weapon for TCM to treat diseases. Women who often feel cold limbs can choose some health care acupuncture points, such as Shenque and Guanyuan, for moxibustion treatment, and soak their feet in water boiled with moxa leaves for better results.

Moxibustion can achieve the purpose of health care and disease treatment

The strong aroma of wormwood can also be used to ward off filth, but mosquitoes hate this strange smell. Therefore, in summer, you can rub fresh wormwood leaves on the exposed parts of the body, or light wormwood sticks to fumigate the room to keep away mosquitoes.

In addition to its medicinal value, some areas in the south also use mugwort as a food ingredient. For example, the combination of mugwort and glutinous rice can be made into delicious snacks such as green rice balls and mugwort cakes.

Both Qingtuan and Aiyebaba are fragrant and delicious.

In addition, wormwood can also be used as a natural plant dye, such as the silk dyed with wormwood leaves shown in the picture below. Through "wormwood dyeing", it is not only environmentally friendly, but also the tones dyed with wormwood are simple and elegant, giving people a sense of a distant and charming natural atmosphere.

Mugwort dyeing not only has aesthetic value, but also demonstrates cultural value

Next, let's talk about calamus. Common calamus include water calamus and stone calamus. So which type of calamus is used for the Dragon Boat Festival? Water calamus usually grows near water, so it is called water sword grass. Because its leaves are shaped like swords, it is also called calamus sword. Therefore, it is regarded as a thing to ward off evil spirits. This type of calamus is hung on the Dragon Boat Festival.

Do you feel that the leaves of calamus look like swords?

Acorus calamus, which comes from the Araceae family, can also be used as medicine, and its rhizome is generally used. It has a strong aromatic smell. In folk culture, the air is hot and humid around the Dragon Boat Festival, mosquitoes breed, and it is easy to cause itching on the body. People can take calamus decoction to treat eczema and other skin diseases, and it has certain antipruritic, anti-swelling and analgesic effects.

Let's take a look at the brother of Acorus calamus, which also comes from the Araceae family. The medicinal part is also the rhizome, which has the effects of awakening the mind, removing dampness and harmonizing the stomach, and calming the mind and improving intelligence. In fact, in clinical practice, Acorus calamus is more widely used and has better effects. Therefore, the "Chinese Pharmacopoeia" currently only includes Acorus calamus. Acorus calamus is an aromatic Chinese medicine, so Acorus calamus is often found in the sachets worn during the Dragon Boat Festival.

Acorus calamus growing on the rocks by the stream

In addition, Acorus calamus is also a plant with great ornamental value. It is known as the "Four Elegant Flowers and Plants" together with orchids, narcissus and chrysanthemums, and ranks first among the "Four Elegant Flowers". It is quite popular among literati and poets. Its green and elegant color makes people feel relaxed and happy. Especially in the hot summer, it gives you a sense of quietness and elegance.

When you see the Acorus calamus potted plant, do you also want to own one?

Author: Gong Yanrong, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Naval Medical University

Li Xianglin, Class of 2018, Eight-year TCM Program, Naval Medical University

Supervisor: Zhang Huiqing, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Naval Medical University

Project funding: The first round of Shanghai Health Science Talent Capacity Improvement Project (JKKPYC-2022-10)