The Origin Distribution and formation process of Chenxiang

Incense is a resin-containing wood of Daphneaceae plant, distributed in Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Fujian and other places. It has the effects of relieving pain, relieving vomiting and relieving asthma. It is often used for chest and abdominal distension and pain, stomach cold, vomiting hiccup, kidney deficiency, asthma and other symptoms. Let's take a look at the origin distribution and formation process of incense.

Distribution of Origin of Chenxiang

Chenxiang is mainly produced in Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Fujian and other places. It is born in low-altitude mountains, hills and sparse forests on the side of the road.

Variety classification of Chenxiang

1. Ripening: after the death of a tree, the root and trunk fall to the ground or sink into the soil, drenched in wind and rain, and slowly decompose and contract over the years, leaving a condensate mainly composed of oil and fat. As recorded in the Compendium of Materia Medica, "its old wood has accumulated over the years, its outer skin is rotten all the year round, its wood heart and branches are not bad, and those who are strong and dark are also Chenxiang."

2. Knot: the incense knot formed by trees while they are alive. After deep wounds are caused by external forces such as knife and axe chopping, snakes, insects and animals, the incense tree will exudate resin for self-protection, thus forming incense near the wound.

3. Shedding: the fragrance produced by the decay of the branches.

4. Worm leak: incense formed by the decay of trees by tree insects, bacteria, etc.

The formation process of Chenxiang

Aristolochia mandshurica is actually the alienation of sap of four specific families and genera of Olive, Lauraceae, Daphne and Euphorbiaceae. In order to produce incense effect, there must be the following conditions.

1. The correct tree species: they must be plants of four specific families and genera of Olive, Lauraceae, Daphne and Euphorbiaceae.

2. Injury is a necessary condition for incense: in nature, tree injury is a small probability event, and the main causes of injury are insect erosion, animal climbing collision, debris flow, wind and rain and so on. Once the incense tree is injured by external force, it immediately produces stress response and secretes a large amount of sap as a life experience.

3. Fungal invasion is the key link of incense formation: in the process of tree injury recovery, if the temperature, humidity and other conditions in the surrounding environment are suitable, and there happens to be a suitable fungus around the wound, the flora will invade the tree through the wound epidermis of incense trees. and quickly take the nutritional factors in the sap as the medium for complex biological reaction process, fungi produce a lot of metabolites in the anaerobic environment. These metabolites contain a large number of new aromatic substances that the incense tree does not originally have, and these aromatic substances are the source of the aroma. At this time, a large number of coagulation factors will be produced in the incense tree. And gradually solidify the sap in part of the veins in the infected area, so as to resist the further invasion of fungi. At this time, although the incense tree species already have aromatic substances, but their amount is very small, does not take shape, and can not become incense.

4. The persistence and spread of infection: fungal infection and metabolism not only stay in the wound position, but also invade further along the nutrient channel of the tree, which is what we usually call the spread process of infection. Under various conditions, in the incense tree, the fungus continues to expand the infection, constantly interact with various factors in the tree, continue to produce aromatic substances, and continue to be condensed in the vein by the solidification factors of the tree. the process of infection, reaction, production of aromatic substances, coagulation and re-diffusion of infection starts over and over again. The cycle is called the stage of persistent infection. This stage is the guarantee of continuous fragrance and eventually a lump of incense.

5. Incense: in the incense tree, the newly generated aroma substances, fungal body, other non-aroma metabolites, fungal death residues, tissue residues and some substances in the sap are coagulated and solidified with the lignin fiber of the tree under the action of the coagulation factor. At this time, there is a kind of solidified organic compound in the incense tree species. The process of "tree injury, fungal infection, infection spread, tree anti-infection, fungal metabolism, production of aromatic substances, solidification, and forming a mixture with wood fibers" is the incense-forming process.