Can Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui really make you feel full of righteous energy?

It's that season again when we rely on air conditioning to stay alive. To prevent heatstroke, many people probably have childhood trauma from having their noses pinched while being force-fed Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui.

But if you take the ingredient list of Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui and do a little reading comprehension, you'll make a startling discovery: just as there's no wife in wife cake, there's no huoxiang in Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui -- only"patchouli oil"(though at least it's related to huoxiang).

The childhood nightmare Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui: one gulp and you immediately feel full of righteous energy. Image: pttnews.cc

True and false "huoxiang," impossible to tell apart

Patchouli and huoxiang, these two plants, not only have similar names, but also both belong taxonomically tothe Lamiaceaefamily.Patchouli(Pogostemon cablin) is a perennial herb or subshrub of the Lamiaceae family,genus Pogostemon(Pogostemon), native to tropical regions of Asia, including Southeast Asia and India. The English name Patchouli comes from the 19th-century Tamil word pacc?uli.

Today, patchouli is widely cultivated in tropical regions of Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Although patchouli loves the tropics, itdoes not like direct sunlight. A warm, humid climate, fertile and well-drained soil, and a semi-shaded environment are most suitable for patchouli's growth.Patchouli is tenacious, and its leaves can be harvested multiple times a year. If it withers from lack of water, just one rain shower or a little watering will quickly restore its vitality.

Like many other plants in the Lamiaceae family, patchouli also growsunremarkably, like a casual weed. Patchouli plants generally grow 0.3 to 1 m tall, covered all over with fine fuzz.

Patchouli plant. Image: frozenseeds.com

The stems of most Lamiaceae plants are quadrangular, but the old stems of patchouli are more nearly round. Patchouli leaves arethick and fleshy ⟧27⟧, shaped, appearinground or ovate, with opposite leaves and edges that arecrenate。

Chubby leaves. Image: motherearthliving.com

In late autumn, patchouli producessmall purple or pale purple flowerswith a rich fragrance; the seeds are ovate, slightly flattened, and can be used for sowing, butthe seeds are very fragileand easily damaged, sopropagation is generally done by cuttings。

Little pale purple flowers. Image: Valérie75 / wikimedia

As for the one people hear about more often,huoxiang(Agastache rugosa), it belongs to the Lamiaceae family,genus Agastache(Agastache). The plant is slightly taller than patchouli, generally 0.4 to 1.1 m, with stems tinged with red, and leaves that are longer, shapedheart-shaped or long-ovate。

Patchouli leaves are rounder and broader. Image: Forest & Kim Starr / wikimedia

Huoxiang leaves are more pointed and slender. Image: Dalgial / wikipedia

"Huoxiang"this name was first recorded in the Han Dynasty, when it was animported spice; the earliest record of "huoxiang" being used as medicine appears in the Song Dynasty, when "huoxiang" was already widely cultivated in the Lingnan region. But! The actual plant behind this medicine called "huoxiang" ispatchouli。

Patchouli has a long history of cultivation in Guangdong, and Guangdong is also China's best patchouli-producing region. Later, people gradually discovered that "huoxiang" (actually patchouli) was a good thing -- not only fragrant, but seemingly able to treat many illnesses -- so its usage increased greatly, and cultivation in Lingnan alone could not meet demand. Doctors began looking for a substitute -- the plant huoxiang (true huoxiang), which when used as medicine is often called"tu huoxiang"。

A familiar big family -- Lamiaceae

Most plants in the Lamiaceae family share one characteristic: they exudea distinctive fragrance. So some of the spices we commonly use come from the Lamiaceae family.

Famous members includemint, lavender, and basil, among others, while other members hold their own "three places" in the famous "marketplace" -- the song "Scarborough Fair" sings: "Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme)." Of these four spices, the latter three all belong to the Lamiaceae family.

I'm also a regular in perfume

In Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui, the"patchouli oil"is distilled from patchouli leaves, and its main components include patchoulol, patchoulenone, α-guaiene, and various other terpenes and alcohols. Among them, patchoulol in a high-concentration statehas almost no odor。

Patchouli occupies an important position in the perfume industry, and its fragrance is usually described aswoody, earthy, and bitter(roughly what Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui smells like after removing the alcohol smell), and it is a commonly used spice in oriental, woody, and chypre perfumes. In addition, patchouli essential oil is also an excellentfixative, and is the longest-lasting of all plant essential oils.

Patchouli essential oil is brown. Image: organicdailypost.com

An indissoluble bond with the hippies

As the saying goes,"Each place's soil and water nurture its own patchouli"Patchouli's hot, humid homeland is the stage where it fully exerts itsantibacterial, anti-inflammatory, insect-repelling, and itch-relievingfunctions, among others. As early as the 17th century, patchouli "traveled" to Europe along the Silk Road because of its outstanding insect-repelling ability.

At the time, to repel insects, merchants placeddried patchouli leavesin high-end silk products from India. As a result, Europeans naturally associated the scent of patchouli with luxury goods, exotic charm, and the mysterious Orient.

Dried patchouli leaves. Image: theherbexchange.com

With its oriental background, patchouli was fervently embraced byEuropean and American hippiesin the 1960s and 1970s. American educator and historian John Anthony Moretta wrote in "The Hippies: A 1960s History": "Even today, when most people think of the hippies of the '60s, the classic image still comes to mind: a long-haired, raggedguy reeking of patchouli, sitting cross-legged in a psychedelically decorated room meditating..."

To some extent, the pervasive scent of patchouli represented that era even more than marijuana.This time, patchouli came from Asia to Europe and America with backpackers.

At the time, hippies greatly admired Indian religion and spirituality.The "Beat Generation"representative poet Allen Ginsberg and the Beatles both went to India in the 1960s, which to some extent inspired many people to embark on the"Hippie Trail"(The Hippie Trail) -- from Istanbul through Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nepal, finally reaching India.

Because ofpatchouli's close connection with India, the hippies who came to India to pursue religion naturally loved everything associated with it. In addition, patchouli's strong scent could also be used tomask the smell of marijuana, whileits earthy scenthappened to fit elements of hippie culture such as environmentalism and closeness to nature. And so, because of its own characteristics and cultural background, patchouli, together with the hippies, left a vivid mark on the 1960s.

Finally, here is one of the hippies' most famous slogans for everyone:Make Love Not War. With patchouli, let the world be filled with love.

This is the 185th article of the 4th year of Species Calendar, from Species Calendar author @Brooke.

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Lamiaceae, Leonurus japonicus