Very unpleasant-smelling plant, 'related' to spiders, used for sparkling wine

When it comes to several foods with unpleasant smells, durian and stinky tofu must be at the top of the list. Because of the special smell, many people are reluctant to try this kind of food, but this kind of taste is still within the tolerance range, even for For some people, it is a kind of fragrance, but there are also a few food tastes that are beyond the range that most people can bear. Houttuynia cordata is one of them.

In addition to Houttuynia cordata, there is another plant with an unacceptable smell. Almost no one thinks it smells good. However, although this plant smells very bad, it is used as a sparkling wine for drinking. What kind of plant is it?

The scientific name of this very unpleasant smell is spider incense. Although the name has the word "fragrance", it is actually a very unpleasant smelling plant. The plant is also called dog because of its special smell. Stink medicine, millet flower, even vanilla, etc. This plant was first recorded in the "Compendium", in which it was described as "spider incense comes out of the Songpan Mountains in Maozhou, Western Shu, with grass roots, black and thick whiskers, like spiders and Ligusticum vulgaris", so this plant Known as spider incense.

Spider incense is often found in Shaanxi, Henan, Hubei and Sichuan, as well as in Yunnan and Tibet. It usually grows between May and July every year. Sometimes you can see the white flowers of this plant. , but the flower shape is cylindrical, which is slightly different from the flowers we see every day.

Spider incense is the Chinese medicine name of this plant. It is a kind of sap family plant, and the shape of the leaves is somewhat similar to the shape of the horseshoe. Therefore, it is also called horseshoe incense in some areas. The taste of this plant is very strong. , but not aroma, but a very unpleasant smell.

The rhizome of the plant is cylindrical, slightly flat, slightly curved, with few branches, with densely raised links and protruding point-like root scars, the texture is relatively firm, and it is not easy to break. The taste is slightly withered and a little spicy. It grows in valleys or forests, and there are also a small amount of distribution on the roadside.

Although this plant has a very unpleasant smell, it is a kind of Chinese medicinal material and is often used in making wine. The medicinal wine soaked in spider fragrance is often used in the folk to stop diarrhea or drive cold and remove moisture from the body. Is the medicinal wine specific? This kind of effect is unknown, it is a kind of folk recipe.

As a Chinese medicinal material, spider incense is not only used in folk ways, but actually more important formulas. In the market, the price of this medicinal material is not cheap, and the price per kilogram is about 20 to 30 yuan. , Few people know this medicinal material nowadays, and many people regard them as a kind of weed.

Traditional Chinese medicine has been passed down for thousands of years, but there are fewer and fewer people learning Chinese medicine, and the number of people who know these Chinese herbal medicines is also gradually decreasing. Young people living in cities are not aware of this kind of Chinese herbal medicine, and many vegetables do not recognize it. complete. Does this herbal medicine exist in your hometown? You are welcome to leave a comment below.