It is said that calamus is hung on the Dragon Boat Festival door. Mosquito repellent?

In the fifth month of the lunar calendar, calamus and Artemisia become guests in some people's homes. In Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the custom of Dragon Boat Festival has always been that every household hangs calamus and Artemisia wormwood at the door.

The calamus here refers to the plant with the scientific name Acorus calamus, and the genus name Acorus comes from the Greek pupil Acoron (coreon), which used to be used to treat eye diseases, while the species word calamus comes from the Greek Reed calamos.

A variety of calamus flowers and leaves. Photo: J.F. Gaffard / wikimedia

Before entering the text, take a deep breath and remember with me that the genus Gladiolus is the only genus under the family Gladiolus of the Monocotyledon Gladiolus.

I'm sorry I wrote a tongue twister for everyone in the first place. But in this way, can you feel the difference of this plant right away?

The "calamus" spying on each other

The genus Acorus was once classified under the Araceae. Later, from a biological point of view, it was found that there were many differences between Gladiolus and other plants of Araceae, so they were re-isolated and set up Gladiolus separately. Knock on the blackboard: if someone tells you that calamus belongs to Araceae, ask him to update the reference materials as soon as possible. )

Click on the blank area below to view the close-up of calamus flowers.

Be careful with secret fears.

The inflorescences of Acorus calamus all have closely arranged, bracteless bisexual flowers. Picture: D?ng C á Xinh / flickr

In Chinese folk literature, the word calamus refers to several kinds of plants, and sometimes it also mentions water calamus, Acorus calamus, Gladiolus and so on. Generally speaking, water calamus and gladiolus refer to the plants of the genus calamus just mentioned.

Water calamus (Acorus calamus), which grows on marshes or on the edge of paddy fields, can be up to 1 meter tall and has sword-shaped leaves, usually hanging in the house or under eaves during the Dragon Boat Festival.

Water calamus living near the water. Photo: H. Zell / wikimedia

Acorus tatarinowii (A. tatarinowii), also known as Yao leek, is smaller than the monomer plant of Acorus calamus, usually with high 20~30cm, and often grows in swamps and shallow waters.

Acorus calamus. Picture: aliexpress

The shape of A. gramineus is very similar to that of Acorus tatarinowii in the wild environment, the leaves are thinner and narrower, and the hands remain fragrant after kneading. It often grows on wetlands or rocks by the water, and it is easy to tell. It is a plant that writers and writers have loved to grow and play with since ancient times. However, embarrassingly, the ancients often called it Acorus tatarinowii.

The aroma of Phyllostachys pubescens comes from specialized essential oil cells in the rhizome. Picture: Cliff / Flickr

Europeans think that calamus is like Iris pseudacorus (flag iris), with sweet aroma, so they call it sweet iris (sweet flag). On the other hand, the species name of pseudacorus also comes from Acorus calamus (false calamus).

Gladiolus (left) of the genus Gladiolus of the Gladiolus family and Gladiolus of the Iris family (right) can't tell who is the spy without flowering. Picture: thriftyfun.com & pacifichorticulture.org

Gladiolus (Gladiolus gandavensis) belongs to Iridaceae, also known as sword orchid, but it is not related to calamus or orchids.

Cattail (Typha orientalis) is also a famous "cattail" generation, it belongs to the genus Euphorbiaceae, and calamus are not as close as relatives, but look alike. Cattail is also called water candle, and it is the string of "roast sausage" swaying in the wind in the field during the flowering season.

Cattail. Picture: Bernard Dupont / wikimedia

In addition, it is easy to be confused by the "nine sections of calamus". In ancient times, it is said that it is better to have nine knots per inch, which refers to the root of Acorus calamus. But the so-called "nine-section calamus" in traditional Chinese medicine is not the root of calamus, but comes from Anemone altaica, a plant of the genus Ranunculaceae. Although the rhizome is very similar to calamus, the aboveground part is completely different. The most important thing is that both plants are poisonous.

Altai anemone. Picture: Radomil / wikimedia

The root of Altai anemone is the so-called nine-section calamus. Picture: Chinese Herbal Medicine Database

Acorus calamus in Asian folk customs

In our country, the fifth month of the lunar calendar is called "poisonous May". At this time, near the height of summer, the temperature gradually rises, the five poisons are exhausted, mosquitoes breed, and various diseases are easy to spread. The ancients would use the aromatic essential oils of calamus and moxa grass (also the source of their smell) to clean the living environment to dispel diseases and prevent pests.

In Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, people burn calamus on the Dragon Boat Festival to drive away poisonous insects, and in some places, calamus wine is brewed to drink. This gives the Dragon Boat Festival another nickname for the calamus Festival. Although there is no evidence to prove that it can repel mosquitoes, some people still think so.

Calamus and moxa grass will be hung at the door of every household. Picture: vfe.cc

Neighboring Japan also has a calamus festival. But they changed the lunar calendar into the Gregorian calendar after the Meiji Restoration, so the calamus Festival falls on May 5 every year, that is, International Children's Day in Japan. On the day of the festival, they will drink calamus wine, bathe in water with calamus, and hang carp flags for children at home. In some places, they even retain the custom of hanging calamus wormwood and eating zongzi.

Zhou and Gladiolus, both wish the boy a healthy growth. Picture: see Yunling in the

Group Gladiolus soup. Picture: blog100.fc2.com

The legend of calamus spread in Europe and America

Through introduction, calamus has already spread all over Europe and the United States. They are often grown with other spice plants in vanilla gardens and are also used as spices and herbs. As the whole plant of calamus is rich in special fragrance, it is normal to be used as a spice.

Chapter 30 of the Hebrew Bible Exodus mentions a "holy anointing oil" (Holy anointing oil). According to later interpretations, its ingredients include myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, cinnamon and olive oil. As a result, in the second Age of Dark Magic in the Middle Ages, there was also the "Abel Merlin Magic Oil" (Abramelin oil), which was formulated with myrrh, cinnamon, calamus and cinnamon.

Acorus calamus is recorded in the Arabic version of Medicine Chronicles. Author: Dioscorides

Europeans also dry the roots of calamus as cigarettes, which tastes good but not exciting; some people put gladiolus leaves on the roof of thatched grass, which is the ultimate means of insect control; in the 19th century, it was also added to absinthe for seasoning. According to the Ayurveda Sutra in India, calamus is a pleasant herb, and it is said that taking it in small amounts can make people excited. Spices are also often used to have fun in bed, and Egyptians who make good use of spices use the refined calamus essential oil as an aphrodisiac. (however, there is no scientific research to support it. )

Some essential oil plants, the circle is calamus. Picture: Dreamstime

In North America, there is a story among the Penobscot (an Indian tribe): someone dreamt that a muskrat told him, "actually I am the calamus root, and you can find me somewhere." the man woke up and found the calamus root to make a panacea for all diseases. Now, the Penobscot people hang a calamus root on their door to ward off evil spirits, chew it during long journeys to prevent disease, and use it in adult ceremonies. They regard calamus as a god, and some tribes are not even allowed to sell calamus, so they can only get it by giving.

The root of real calamus. Picture: D?ng C á Xinh / flickr

Eat calamus feathering to ascend to immortals?

Calamus also has a folk "birthday". Through the ages, people who love calamus can grow better after pruning calamus on April 14 of the lunar calendar every year. But what is trimmed here is not our protagonist today, but usually Golden Prunus or Acorus tatarinowii. They have always been used by literati as ornamental potted plants and placed on their desks. The leaves have fragrance and can be used to refresh the mind.

In the Song Dynasty, Shu Yuexiang said, "try to smell the wind before nine knots, and you already feel that there is no need to help the immortal." What is described is the fragrance of calamus, which can not only refresh the mind, but also make people feel that they can become immortals.

Money is a pot plant. Picture: Vintage Green Farms with Tom Piergrossi

Crushing a calamus leaf, you can smell the fragrance of lemon. The fragrance of calamus mainly comes from its aserone and a small amount of eugenol and safrole. Recent studies have shown that β-asarone has a potential carcinogenic risk. For this reason, the US Food and Drug Administration now completely prohibits calamus extract as a food additive; although the European Union allows it to be used, it also strictly sets an upper limit on the content of β-asarone.

Today, we still retain the custom of "calamus Festival", in which what really affects us is our relationship with tradition and land. As for the poisonous calamus, it should not be imported easily.

The scenery of calamus is also very beautiful, just enjoy it. Picture: Pixabay

(editor: vb, hannah; Review: Yu Tianyi)

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