Spices in ancient times are divided into two types: plant spices and animal spices. The former uses the roots, stems, leaves, skins or fruits of plants as raw materials to obtain aromatic substances, such as agarwood, white sandalwood, roses, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, etc. The latter mainly uses animal secretions and excretions, commonly used There are four types: musk, ambergris, civet and castoreum.
Spices were widely used and spread in ancient times. Why did the ancients like spices so much? The unique fragrance and scarcity of spices highlight their preciousness and popularity. Among many spices, agarwood is recognized as the "first of all fragrances". Agarwood is a special substance of the Daphneaceae plant. After the tree is damaged by wind and thunder or bitten by insects and rats, the fungus takes the opportunity to invade. The parenchyma cells of the daphne tree and the starch substances stored inside undergo a series of chemical reactions, causing the outer skin to decay and Contains balsamic structure.
After it becomes fragrant, it will become dense in texture over time and sink into water, hence the name agarwood. Agarwood has the effects of promoting qi and relieving pain, warming and relieving vomiting, relieving qi and relieving asthma. It is favored and valued by dignitaries. The main producing areas of agarwood are in Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and Guizhou. The specialty "Wanxiang" in Dongguan, Guangdong is a treasure among agarwood and has been listed as a tribute to the court since the Tang Dynasty.
Zhongshan was also called "Xiangshan" in ancient times because of its production of agarwood. Hainan agarwood, known as "agar", is the most popular in the world. After being demoted to Hainan, Prime Minister Ding Wei of the Northern Song Dynasty wrote "The Legend of Tianxiang". The book contains "precious agarwood, the same price as gold." This illustrates the preciousness and scarcity of agar at that time. . This yellow opaque waxy substance is composed of the digestive tract secretions of sperm whales.
After sperm whales prey on octopus and squid, the undigested coracoid bones and intestinal secretions are wrapped into a solid and spit out. The freshly spitted ambergris has soft black matter. Under the combined action of sunlight and sea water, it fades and hardens, and emits fragrance. Zhang Shifu, a scholar from the Song Dynasty, recorded a story about selling ambergris in "Ke Shu".
One day, the servant saw a foreign trade merchant selling two coins of ambergris for three hundred thousand yuan. This is a sky-high price equivalent to 300 million yuan. The Liu family, the favorite concubine of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, sent someone to counteroffer the price of 200,000 yuan, and the Lun family was so arrogant that it was completely rejected. At that time, the price of 60 kilograms of rice was only 600 yen, and 2 yen of ambergris could be exchanged for 30,000 tons of rice, which was specially designed to cure all kinds of dissatisfaction.
The main reason why ancient spices are so important is that spices have been integrated into the daily life of ancient people in all aspects. Spices are widely used. From emperors and generals to common people, the use of spices has become a normal part of life. In ancient times, the ancients collected various spices to offer sacrifices to the gods and ancestors in order to purify the body and mind and enlighten spiritual enlightenment.