The flower language and legend of Patchouli

The Flower Language of Patchouli

The flower language of Patchouli is trust.

The legend of Patchouli

A long time ago, there was a family living deep in the mountains. There were only a brother and a sister who depended on each other for survival. The sister's name was Huo Xiang. Not long after, my brother got married and went away to serve in the army for a long time, leaving only my aunt and sister-in-law at home. The relationship between the aunt and the sister-in-law is very harmonious. They are considerate of each other, work together every day, do housework together, and live a stable life. One summer, the weather was extremely hot and humid, and coupled with days of hard work, my sister-in-law suddenly fell ill. She looked very uncomfortable, weak all over, with fever, chills, headache and nausea. Huo Xiang quickly helped her sister-in-law to the bed and said, "It seems you have heatstroke. Don't worry, there is a kind of fragrant herb on the mountain behind our house that can cure heatstroke. I will go up the mountain to collect the herb right away and cure your illness as soon as possible." The sister-in-law was worried that it was not safe for Huo Xiang, a little girl, to go out alone, so she advised her not to go. Huo Xiang insisted on going into the mountains to collect herbs.

It was not until dark that Huo Xiang stumbled back home carrying a basket of herbs. Her eyes were staring blankly and she looked listless. As soon as she entered the door, she fell to the ground and collapsed into a ball. The sister-in-law quickly got up to help her up and asked her what happened. She then learned that while she was picking herbs, she was accidentally bitten by a poisonous snake on her right foot and was poisoned. The sister-in-law suddenly became nervous and quickly removed the shoe and socks on Huo Xiang's right foot. She saw two obvious rows of teeth marks on the instep of Huo Xiang's foot. Her right foot had become very red and swollen, and even her entire calf had become swollen. The sister-in-law screamed and immediately lifted Huo Xiang's right foot, preparing to use her mouth to help her suck out the poison. Huo Xiang was afraid that her sister-in-law would also be poisoned, so she tried her best to stop him. The sister-in-law's cry for help attracted the attention of the villagers, but by the time they called the doctor, it was too late. Huo Xiang had unfortunately passed away.

The sister-in-law cured the disease with the herbs collected by Huoxiang, and buried Huoxiang with the villagers. To commemorate Huoxiang's contribution, my sister-in-law named this fragrant herb "Huoxiang" and asked the villagers to plant this herb near houses, on the edge of fields and roadsides, so that they could pick it and use it whenever they wanted. Since then, the fame of "Huoxiang" grass has spread more and more widely, and many patients with heatstroke have used it to treat their illnesses. Because it is a medicinal herb, over time, people added a radical "艹" to the beginning of the character "火", and "火香" became the "藿香" we know today.