Hanging acorus on the door at Dragon Boat Festival - I heard it's for... repelling mosquitoes?

Every year in the fifth lunar month, acorus and mugwort become honored guests in some people's homes. In the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region, the traditional Dragon Boat Festival custom has always been for every household to hang acorus and mugwort at their door.

The plant referred to hereacorusrefers to the plant with the scientific name Acorus calamus. The genus name Acorus comes from the Greek word for pupil, Acoron (coreon); in the past, this plant was used to treat eye diseases. The species epithet calamus comes from calamos, the Greek word for a type of reed.

A variegated cultivar of Acorus calamus. Photo: J.F. Gaffard / wikimedia

Before we get into the main text,take a deep breath first and repeat after me- Acorus is a monocotyledonous plantthe only genus in the only family (Acoraceae) under the order Acorales。

Sorry for giving you a tongue twister right at the start. But this way, can't you immediately feel how unique this plant is?

The "acorus" plants that are spies for each other

Acorus plants were once classified under the Araceae family. Later, biological observations revealed that Acorus differs from other Araceae plants in many ways, so they were separated out again and given their own order, Acorales. (Take note: if someone tells you acorus belongs to Araceae, tell them to update their reference materials quickly.)

Click the blank area below to view a close-up of the acorus flower

Trypophobia warning

The inflorescences of Acorus plants all bear tightly arranged, bractless bisexual flowers. Photo: D?ng Cá Xinh / flickr

In Chinese folk literature, the term "acorus" refers to several different plants, and sometimes water acorus, stone acorus, nine-node acorus, gladiolus and others are also mentioned.Generally speaking, water acorus and stone acorus refer to the Acorus genus plants just mentioned.

Water acorusis Acorus calamus, which grows in marshes or by paddy fields. The plant can reach up to 1 m tall, with sword-shaped linear leaves, usuallyat the Dragon Boat Festivalthe kind hung indoors or tucked under the eaves.

Water acorus growing by the water. Photo: H. Zell / wikimedia

Stone acorus(A. tatarinowii), also known as Yao chive, is somewhat smaller as an individual plant compared to water acorus, usually 20-30 cm tall, and often grows in marshes and shallow water areas. After rubbing it with your hands, you can smellpungentspecial odor.

Stone acorus. Photo: aliexpress

Money acorus(A. gramineus) is very similar in appearance to stone acorus in the wild,with narrower, more slender leaves, and after rubbing, your hands retainfragrance. It often grows on wet ground or on stones by the water, is relatively easy to identify, and has been a plant greatly loved by literati and scholars through the ages for growing and admiring. However, awkwardly, the ancients often also called it stone acorus (shrug).

The fragrance of money acorus comes from specialized essential oil cells in the rhizome. Photo: Cliff / Flickr

Europeans thought acorus resembledyellow flag iris(Iris pseudacorus, flag iris), and that it had a sweet fragrance, so they affectionately called itsweet flag(sweet flag). Conversely, the species epithet of yellow flag iris also comes from acorus (pseudacorus, meaning "false acorus").

Acorus calamus of the family Acoraceae, genus Acorus (left) and yellow flag iris of the family Iridaceae, genus Iris (right). Without flowers, you really can't tell which one is the spy. Photo: thriftyfun.com & pacifichorticulture.org

Gladiolus(Gladiolus gandavensis) belongs toIridaceae, also known as sword orchid, but it really has no close relationship with acorus or orchids.

Cattail(Typha orientalis) is also a famous member of the "pu" name family. It belongs to the family Typhaceae, genus Typha, and is not related to acorus either - it just looks similar. Cattail is also called water candle. When the flowering season comes,the strings of "grilled sausages" swaying in the wind in the fields are it。

Cattail. Photo: Bernard Dupont / wikimedia

In addition, another easily confused one is "nine-node acorus". Since ancient times there has been a saying that "(acorus) with nine nodes per cun is the best," referring to the root of acorus. But the so-called "nine-node acorus" in Chinese medicine is not acorus root, but comes from a plant in the family Ranunculaceae, genus Anemone,Anemone altaica(Anemone altaica). Although the rhizome looks very similar to acorus, the above-ground parts are completely different. Most importantly - both of these plants aretoxic。

Anemone altaica. Photo: Radomil / wikimedia

The root of Anemone altaica is the so-called nine-node acorus. Photo: Chinese Herbal Medicine Database

Acorus in Asian folk customs

In Chinese folk tradition, the fifth lunar month is called the "poisonous fifth month", when it approaches midsummer, temperatures gradually rise, the five poisons all emerge, mosquitoes and insects breed, and various diseases are highly prone to spreading. The ancients would use the aromatic essential oils of acorus and mugwort (also the source of their scent) to cleanse the living environment and prevent disease and harm.

In the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region, people wouldburn acorus during the Dragon Boat Festivalto drive away poisonous insects, and in some places they would also brew acorus wine to drink. This gave the Dragon Boat Festival another alternative name,Acorus Festival. Although there is no relevant evidence proving it can repel mosquitoes, some people still believe so.

Every household hangs acorus and mugwort at the door. Photo: vfe.cc

Neighboring Japan also has an Acorus Festival. But after the Meiji Restoration, they changed all lunar calendar festivals to the solar calendar, sothe Acorus Festival fell onMay 5 every year, which is Japan's Children's Day. On the day of the festival, they drink acorus wine, bathe in water infused with acorus, and hang carp streamers for the children in the household. Some places even retain the custom of hanging acorus and mugwort and eating zongzi.

Illustration of a helmet and acorus, both wishing for boys' healthy growth. Photo: Satomi Unrei

Group acorus bath. Photo: blog100.fc2.com

Acorus legends circulating in Europe and America

Through introduction and cultivation, acorus has long spread throughout Europe and America. They are often planted in herb gardens alongside other aromatic plants, and are also used as spices and herbs. Because the whole acorus plant is rich in a special fragrance, it is used asspicewhich is only natural.

Chapter 30 of the Hebrew Bible's Book of Exodus mentions a kind of "holy anointing oil" (Holy anointing oil). According to later interpretations, its ingredients include myrrh, sweet cinnamon, acorus, cassia and olive oil. From this, during the medieval dark magic chuunibyou era, "Abramelin oil" also appeared, with a formula of myrrh, sweet cinnamon, acorus and cassia.

Acorus is recorded in the Arabic version of De Materia Medica. Author: Dioscorides

Europeans also dried acorus root and smoked it - the taste is pleasant and not harsh; some also laid acorus leaves on thatched roofs, which can be calledthe ultimate insect-proof method; in the 19th century, it was also added to absinthe for flavoring. In India's Ayurvedic texts, acorus is considered a pleasant herb, and it is said that taking a small amount can make one excited. Spices are also often used to enhance pleasure in the bedchamber. The Egyptians, skilled in using spices, would use refined acorus essential oil as anaphrodisiac. (However, no scientific research has provided supporting evidence.)

Some essential oil plants, with acorus circled. Photo: Dreamstime

InNorth America, a story circulates among the Penobscot people (a Native American tribe): someone dreamed that a muskrat told him, "Actually I am acorus root. You can find me somewhere." When that person woke up, he found the acorus root and made it into a panacea that cures all diseases. Now, the Penobscot people still hang a piece of acorus root on their doors to ward off evil; they also chew acorus root during long journeys to prevent illness; and they also use it in coming-of-age ceremonies.They revere acorus as a deity, and some tribes even do not allow the sale of acorus - the only way to obtain it is as a gift.

The rhizome of the true acorus. Photo: D?ng Cá Xinh / flickr

Eat acorus and ascend to immortality?

Acorus also has a folk "birthday." Through the ages, acorus lovers have pruned acorus every year onthe fourteenth day of the fourth lunar month, and after pruning it grows better. But the plant pruned here isnot today's main subject, but generally money acorus or stone acorus. They have always been kept by literati and scholars as ornamental potted plants, placed on desks. The leaves are fragrant and can also be used to refresh the mind.

In the Song Dynasty, Shu Yuexiang wrote, "Trying to pick nine nodes and smell them before the wind, one already feels like ascending to immortality without support." This describes the fragrance of acorus, which not only refreshes the mind but even makes one feel as if one could become immortal.

Potted money acorus. Photo: Vintage Green Farms with Tom Piergrossi

Crush a leaf of acorus, and you can smell that fresh fragrance with a hint of lemon. The fresh scent of acorus mainly comes from the aserone it contains, along with a small amount of eugenol and safrole. Recent research shows thatβ-asarone has potential carcinogenic risk. For this reason, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration now completely prohibits the use of acorus extract as a food additive; although the EU allows its use, it strictly sets an upper limit for β-asarone content.

Today,we still retain the custom of the "Acorus Festival", and what truly moves us in this is our bond with tradition and with the land. As fortoxic acorus, it's better not to casually put it in your mouth.

Acorus in a landscape is also very beautiful - just enjoy it. Photo: Pixabay

(Editors: vb, hannah; Reviewer: Yu Tianyi)

This article is the 145th article of Year 4 of the Species Calendar, from Species Calendar author @Zhimengshu de Yu Laoban.

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Acoraceae Acorus tatarinowii