Leisure & Culture #76

Seasonal Aroma: Cypress Wine at Spring Festival

Written & Photos by PMQ Life
Translated by Wendy Yiu

Planting seeds such as "Home Planting Teaching", "Nature Art", "Nature Observation Notes", etc., while keeping social distance, we also keep close to nature.

In Chinese celebrations or funerals, cypress leaves are indispensable elements.

"柏酒欲傾思兩弟,天涯歲底心相繫” In the book 中國文學植物學, the author collects many records of ancient people drinking cypress wine in his poems, such as the above is the Ming Dynasty poet Fang Yi Yuan's "Butterfly Love Flowers, Sanshan Zhaixue". The ancients believed that at the beginning of the year, drinking cypress wine can make people healthy and avoid all diseases.

Using the cypress wine during the Spring Festival, it is said to have the effect of eliminating old and warding off evil spirits. It also has the effect of hemostasis and can be added in water to drink. There is even a folk saying that cypress wine can help grow hair. If you want to consume it internally or apply it externally, of course, you should check with your doctor. Because the sweet, bitter and fragrant smell of cypress leaves comes from the chemical components thujene and thujone, they can stimulate the nerves. Overdose or improper use may be toxic. It is safer to use cypress wine to clean the home.

Homemade Cypress Leaf Alcohol

Ingredients: 1 cypress leaf, 500 ml of alcohol

Steps:

1. Wash the cypress leaves, seal and soak them in alcohol.

2. In two weeks or so, it can be used for household cleaning.

《中國文學植物學》

Author:潘富俊

Publisher:Owl Publishing House Co., LTD

Summary: The author finds application of different plants in daily uses from tens of thousands of historical poems, novels, and Chinese paintings.

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