1. What is Polygonatum

Dried rhizomes of the plants Disporum longistylum, Polygonatum sibiricum, or Disporum multiflorum of the lily family. Depending on their shape, they are commonly referred to as "large Polygonatum", "chicken head Polygonatum", or "ginger-shaped Polygonatum".

　　2. Origin of the name Polygonatum

The term "Polygonatum" for the plant first appeared in Ji Kang's (223-263) "Letter of Severing Relations with Shan Juyuan": "I have also heard the Taoist's words, that taking Polygonatum can lead to longevity, and I believe it very much." Polygonatum appears multiple times in pre-Qin literature, often meaning "constellation" or "auspicious star", which may be its original meaning. In the Jin Dynasty, Ge Hong recorded in "Baopuzi" that "ancient people obtained the energy of the Kun soil from this product, thus naming it." Kun, one of the eight trigrams, represents the earth, which was considered yellow in ancient times, like yellow earth. Since Polygonatum is associated with the yellow star, which is an auspicious star, Polygonatum is naturally also an auspicious herb, as this auspicious herb derives its essence from the Kun soil, and immortals use it to obtain the essence of the land. Polygonatum grows best in a humid and shady climate, in deep, fertile, loose, and moist soil. This environment has rich soil energy, and Polygonatum thus obtains the essence of the soil energy, with yellow representing the color of the earth. The essence is stored in the kidneys, and the name Polygonatum emphasizes that it embodies and condenses the essence of the soil energy.

Ancient people believed that humans live on the earth, which embodies the energy of the soil, represented by Kun. The virtue of Kun is: "thick virtue carries things, great heart, and tolerance." Human health is inseparable from soil energy. People need to eat grains, which are all born from soil energy. The more soil energy one obtains, the healthier one becomes. Conversely, the further one is from soil energy, the more prone one is to illness. Nowadays, more people face various survival pressures, distancing themselves from the nourishment of soil energy.

As an ancient treasure that is both food and medicine, Polygonatum also has the concept of being a substitute for meals, which precisely compensates for the deficiency of the central soil, meeting the current public demand for meal replacements in health preservation.

　　3. Other names for Polygonatum

Due to the numerous varieties and different forms of Polygonatum, there are many names based on its morphology, such as: Longxian, Xianren Yuliang, Jiupin, Lvzhu, Tuzhu, Baiji, Chui Zhu, Wild Ginger, Mipufu, Huangzhi, Wild Xian Ginger, Jitou Shen, etc.

　　·Xian, Zhi, Shen: all indicate the preciousness of Polygonatum.

　　·Jiupin: indicates that Polygonatum is precious yet affordable, making it accessible to poor families, thus giving Polygonatum a unique and approachable image.

　　·Named after deer: on one hand, Polygonatum is a favorite food of wild deer; on the other hand, deer often dwell in mountains and forests, feeding on good grass, living naturally, and pursuing a tranquil and pure life, which aligns with the hermit spirit of Taoism. Therefore, Taoists often regard deer as divine beasts and the mounts of immortals. Additionally, Polygonatum has multiple leaves, with leaves arranged oppositely, and the leaf blades are lanceolate, gradually tapering to a point and curling, resembling bamboo, hence the name Lvzhu.

　　·Polygonatum: The character "Huang" describes the color of Polygonatum, which is yellow when raw and black when ripe; on the other hand, it refers to soil, emphasizing Polygonatum earthy nature: derived from the earth, it supplements the body of the earth, and serves the purpose of the earth. The medicinal part of Polygonatum is the underground tuber, where the essence of the medicine is concentrated. It absorbs the essence of the Kun soil, obtaining the energy of the earth, embodying the full virtue of the earth, and acquiring the essence of heaven and earth, which ancient people praised as the essence of yellow earth, hence the name Polygonatum, also known as Dijing. The character "Jing" not only reflects its "soft and nourishing" medicinal characteristics and health benefits but also showcases the complex and refined processing involved. In Taoism, the number "nine" is considered the ultimate number. Using this processing method allows Polygonatum to fully exert its medicinal effects and extract its essence.

　　4. Food and medicine from the same source - Polygonatum

Polygonatum is a plant that serves both as food and medicine, with a long history of use in China. The initial discovery that Polygonatum is edible came from the common people who, during years of famine, would go to the mountains to find leaves and roots to fill their stomachs. They happened to dig up this plant, whose tuber is sweet and powdery, making it a substitute for food. The instinct for survival led to Polygonatum being passed down through generations. Polygonatum is sweet and easy to eat, and after processing, it can serve as food to satisfy hunger, thus it is called the food of immortals and a famine-relief herb. Historical herbal texts record that the roots, leaves, flowers, and fruits of Polygonatum are all edible, with great potential for developing grains, vegetables, and tea, but in modern times, the edible part of "Polygonatum" is only the rhizome.Polygonatum, just like its name, is like a treasure of heaven and earth, a unique and extraordinary traditional Chinese medicine. Ancient China has many records about it, not limited to the field of traditional Chinese medicine.Polygonatum encompasses many people's beautiful imaginations about longevity and eternal beauty.

1. Mythological stories recorded.

The twelfth volume of the "Compendium of Materia Medica" cites Xu Xuan's "Records of the Gods", which includes a story titled "The Story of the Yellow Essence Maid" in volume five. It tells of a maid from a wealthy family in Linchuan who, unable to endure her master's abuse, escapes into the deep mountains. Hungry and tired, she sits by a mountain stream for a long time. She discovers a wild plant nearby, with tender green leaves, and pulls it up to wash off the dirt in the water, then eats it root and all. She finds it very tasty, so she pulls up many more of these plants and has a hearty meal. Later, she uses this plant to stave off hunger in the mountains. After some time, she gradually feels her body becoming light and strong. Every night she rests under a big tree, and one night, while dreaming, she suddenly hears a wild beast moving in the grass. Thinking it is a tiger, she becomes frightened and wants to climb the tree to hide. While thinking this, she finds herself leaning against the top of the big tree. When dawn comes and she thinks she should climb down, she suddenly floats down lightly. Thus, wherever she thinks to go, her body floats away freely, like a bird flying from one mountain peak to another. Years later, a servant from that wealthy family goes into the mountains to chop wood and discovers her, then returns to report to the master, who immediately sends people to capture her, but they cannot catch her. One day, they encounter her under a cliff and set a net to trap her from three sides. She leaps into the air and lands on the cliff top. The master becomes even more afraid and is determined to capture her. He thinks, "Does this maid have a celestial bone?" Later, he suspects she might have eaten some magical medicine, so he orders delicious food to be prepared and placed along her usual path to lure her. The maid, smelling the aroma of human food, indeed comes and eats it all. After several days of this, she can no longer float as lightly as before and is captured by the master. Upon questioning, she explains the situation and shows the master the wild plant she eats every day, which is the yellow essence. This story tells us that in ancient times, yellow essence could fill the stomach and serve as a substitute for grain, and its miraculous quality is reflected in the maid suddenly gaining extraordinary strength.

2. The history of Taoist food "Yellow Essence"

Taoism originated in the late Eastern Han dynasty, with its early form called the Immortal Way, which primarily used yellow essence as one of the main medicinal foods. A record in the "Daozang" states that the earliest history of Taoists consuming yellow essence dates back to the Eastern Han period, during the reign of Emperor Ling of Han, when Chunyu Zhen "consumed yellow essence and sesame essence as food." From the end of the Han dynasty to the Northern Wei period, Taoist Zhang Lizheng "consumed yellow essence, his complexion was robust, always like that of a forty-year-old." At the end of the Sui dynasty, Taoist Cen Daoyuan "often ate yellow essence, lived over a hundred years, and his skin was like ice and snow." Throughout the ages, the practice of consuming yellow essence among Taoists became widespread and numerous. The "Continuation of Immortal Tales" records: "Zhu Rizi, deeply enamored with the immortal way, often climbed mountains to gather yellow essence for consumption, for over ten years." Taoist practitioners not only personally foraged for food in the wild but also cultivated it, such as Taoist Wang Hui from the Wei dynasty, who "often planted yellow essence by the stream, and tigers would plow it, leopards would weed it."

3. Documented records

Yellow essence has been listed in the "List of Items that are Both Food and Medicine" since 2002. The document originates from the notice of the Ministry of Health regarding further standardization of health food raw material management, document number Wei Fa Jian Fa [2002] 51.

4. Records in ancient poetry

　　·There are numerous poems and lyrics containing yellow essence in Tang poetry and Song lyrics, indicating that poets of the Tang and Song dynasties were well acquainted with yellow essence. For example, in Tang poet Zhang Ji's "To Wang Shiyu," it mentions moving to live nearby, with many fields to plant yellow essence; in Tang poet Tan Yongzhi's "To Wang Shiyu," it states, "Seeing the desire to move nearby, with many fields to plant yellow essence"; in Tang poet Du Fu's "Mount Zhangren," it says, "Sweep away the white hair, yellow essence remains; look at him when he has the ice and snow complexion"; in "The Spring Water of Taiping Temple," it mentions, "In the three springs, yellow essence is wet, one meal can grow feathers"; and in Northern Song poet Su Shi's "Reply to Zhou Xunzhou," it states, "Knowing the military's clean salary is hard to increase, let’s seek yellow essence to relieve hunger." These descriptions prove that yellow essence was not only a plant that could replace grain in disaster years but also possibly a major food crop widely cultivated in certain regions throughout the year.

　　·Su Shi, along with his father Su Xun and brother Su Zhe, is known as the "Three Sus." As a famous literary figure of the Northern Song dynasty, he achieved great success in poetry, lyrics, prose, calligraphy, and painting. However, it is less known that, in addition to poetry, lyrics, prose, calligraphy, and painting, Su Shi also had profound knowledge of Taoism and was particularly fond of Taoist health-preserving techniques. "The secluded person only gathers yellow essence, not seeing the deer growing antlers in the spring mountains," and "One must sweep away the white hair, no longer using yellow essence" reflect his admiration and love for yellow essence. According to historical records, Su Shi not only had profound knowledge of Taoism but was also particularly fond of Taoist health-preserving techniques, authoring works such as "On Health Preservation," "Yang Dan Yin Lian," and "Yin Dan Yang Lian," discussing his understanding and experiences of health preservation and alchemy, believing that through appropriate cultivation, one could return to youth and enjoy longevity. Su Shi's love for yellow essence is evident from the number of poems he wrote about it—he wrote as many as ten poems about yellow essence, making him one of the poets with the most works on yellow essence. Four of them are selected for annotation.

1. In "Yellow Essence and Deer," it states, "The secluded person only gathers yellow essence, not seeing the deer growing antlers in the deep mountains," meaning that those who live in seclusion only know to gather yellow essence herbs, but no one looks at the deer antlers that have grown in the deep mountains. Comparing yellow essence with deer antlers, people only gather yellow essence and not deer antlers, which sufficiently reflects people's love and admiration for yellow essence.

2. In "Reply to Zhou Xunzhou," it states, "Knowing your clean salary is hard to increase, let’s seek yellow essence to relieve hunger," indicating that ancient people had already regarded yellow essence as one of the food-medicine sources, embodying the virtue of integrity, truly a delicacy for the honest in the mountains, with significant meaning.

3. In "Coix," it states, "Zi Mei picks acorns and chestnuts, yellow essence fills the empty stomach," and in "Again, in the previous rhyme to give to Jia Genglao," it states, "The poet's empty stomach carries yellow essence, only looking at the long-handled weapon for trouble," which describes the filling nature of yellow essence, widely used in ancient times, and could replace grain in disaster years.

4. In "Next Rhyme to Zhang Chaofeng's Late Drink," it states, "Sweeping white is not yellow essence, how can lightness be like sesame," and in "First Farewell to Ziyou," it states, "One must sweep away the white hair, no longer using yellow essence," which describes the effects of yellow essence.