Although most of them have been replaced by chemical compounds, Long Xianxiang and 3-methylindole were mainly used as fixative in history, with high value. 20 19 a man walking by the sea in Xiamen found a piece of Long Xianxiang, worth 500,000-700,000 yuan.
Basic introduction Chinese name: mbth, Long Xianxiang: Long Xianxiang (Latin) Category: Qi-regulating medicine alias: Long Fuxiang medicinal parts: dung stone taste: warm; Sweet and sour classics: the origin of liver meridian: introduction, origin, discovery history, chemical composition, medicinal value, cultural history, legends and related poems of various oceans. Long Xianxiang is actually the secretion of sperm whales. Because it fails to digest the coracoid bones of squid and octopus, it will form a solid with intestinal secretions and then spit it out. Long Xianxiang, which has just been spat out, is dark and soft, and smells bad. But after years of washing by sunlight, air and seawater, it will become hard, fade and give off fragrance, and can be used to make perfume. Long Xianxiang is also the most precious traditional Chinese medicine in all kinds of animal excreta, which is extremely rare. Since ancient times, Long Xianxiang has been used as a high-grade spice, which is expensive and almost equal to gold. It is recorded in Compendium of Materia Medica that Long Xianxiang can "promote blood circulation, benefit essence, help Yang Dao and promote blood circulation". Long Xianxiang is a precious Chinese medicine for treating diseases and strengthening the body. Source, Harvest and Processing: Most of the Long Xianxiang found is produced by sperm whales, but some dwarf physeteridae Gia Breivik also has Long Xianxiang in his intestines. According to records, Long Xianxiang-like substances have also been found in northern bottlenose whales and some species of baleen whales. It's a dry product of dung stone, white. Long Xianxiang discovered that the earliest country in the world to discover Long Xianxiang was ancient China. In the Han Dynasty, fishermen caught some wax floating objects in the sea, which were the finished products of Long Xianxiang after years of natural degradation. From a few kilograms to dozens of kilograms, it has a strong fishy smell, but it can emit a lasting aroma after drying, and it is more fragrant after lighting, which is more fragrant than musk. Some local officials bought them and presented them to the emperor in front of treasures, which were used as spices or medicines in the palace. At that time, no one knew what this treasure was, so they asked the alchemist in the palace. They thought it was the saliva that the "dragon" in the sea shed when sleeping, and it dripped into the sea and solidified. After a long time, it becomes "Long Xianxiang". It is also said that in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, people mixed dragon saliva, musk and plant spices to make sachets and hung them on the bedside or body. Long Xianxiang said that as early as18th century BC, the spices used in religious ceremonies in Babylon, Assyria and Persia, besides plant spices such as cinnamon, sandalwood and benzoin, were dragon saliva. Ancient Hebrew women also soaked dragon saliva, cinnamon and benzoin in oil to make a fragrant oil and applied it to their bodies. With the progress of the times, the mystery of nature has been revealed. Everyone thinks that Long Xianxiang is the saliva of the "dragon", so there are various conjectures: some people think that it was formed by the eruption of submarine volcanoes; Some say that the bird droppings on the island floated into the water and weathered for a long time; Some people say that this is beeswax, which floats in seawater for a long time; Some people say that this is a special fungus. Long Xianxiang has also attracted the interest of marine biologists. After continuous research, everyone thought it was a huge intestinal secretion of marine animals. As for what animals secrete it, it has never been clear. It was the fishermen in Saudi Karath who really discovered Long Xianxiang's secret. Fishermen on this island mainly make a living by catching sperm whales. Long Xianxiang is actually the excrement of the sperm whale, which belongs to physeteridae, the largest toothed whale. The male is 23 meters long, and the female is 17 meters. The body is conical, the head is barrel-shaped, accounting for about 1/3 of the body length, and the upper jaw is blunt and round, far exceeding the lower jaw. Because of its huge head, it is also called "the giant whale". Its head is so big that no creature can compare with it! Once, an old fisherman found a piece of Long Xianxiang while cutting the intestines of a sperm whale. At that time, fishermen thought it was swallowed from the sea, not in front of it. However, this news spread like wildfire, which aroused great concern of marine biologists. They immediately conducted in-depth research and finally solved the mystery of Long Xianxiang. It turns out that both squid and octopus have tough horny jaws and tongue teeth in their mouths, which are not easy to digest. When a sperm whale swallows a large mollusk, its jaws and tongue teeth will accumulate in the gastrointestinal tract, and the gastrointestinal tract will secrete a special wax, which will wrap the food residue and slowly form a Long Xianxiang. Scientists once found a mass of intestinal juice and foreign bodies in the intestine of a sperm whale with a length of 18m, which is considered as the beginning of Long Xianxiang. Scientists believe that some sperm whales will spit out clots, others will be excreted from the intestines, and only a few sperm whales will leave Long Xianxiang in their bodies. The boy picked up a piece of Long Xianxiang that Long Xianxiang discharged into the sea at the seaside. It was light black at first. Under the action of seawater, it gradually becomes gray, light gray and finally becomes white. Long Xianxiang white wine has the best quality. It must be soaked in seawater for more than 100 years to remove all impurities before it can become the top grade in Long Xianxiang. Long Xianxiang taken from the intestines of a killed sperm whale is of no value. It has to float and soak in seawater for decades (Long Xianxiang is lighter than water and won't sink) before it can gain lofty status. Some Long Xianxiang's works have been immersed in seawater for more than 100 years. The highest price is white Long Xianxiang; The lowest value is brown, which has only been soaked in seawater for more than ten years. Sperm whales have been used as high-grade spices in Long Xianxiang since ancient times. Long Xianxiang purchased by perfume company is graded, ground into very fine powder, dissolved in alcohol, and then made into 5% Long Xianxiang solution, which is used to prepare perfume or as fixative. Therefore, Long Xianxiang is very expensive, almost equivalent to gold. 191212 On February 3, a Norwegian whaling company caught a sperm whale in Australian waters, obtained a Long Xianxiang weighing 455 kg from its intestine and sold it for 23,000 pounds. 1955, a New Zealander found a gray Long Xianxiang weighing 7 kilograms on the beach and sold it for $26,000. If he finds a white Long Xianxiang, it will be priceless. However, to identify Long Xianxiang, we must have knowledge of biology, ecology and chemistry, and have long-term experience in dealing with the ocean, which is not something that ordinary people can do. At present, the international market of natural Long Xianxiang is completely controlled by French perfume country. The purchase price per kilogram is between 1 and 45,000 francs, and the price after processing by perfume companies is 1 10,000 francs per kilogram. According to business data, Long Xianxiang's trade in the world is at its peak, with an annual output of 600 kilograms. With the mass killing of sperm whales by human beings, the resources in Long Xianxiang are decreasing year by year, and the annual trade volume has been reduced to 65,438+000 kg, which is not good news for women and men who love perfume. 20 19 a man was walking by the sea in Xiamen and found something fishy the size of a fist. After expert appraisal, it turned out to be a rare Long Xianxiang with a value of 500,000-700,000 yuan. The chemical composition contains about 25% ambergris alcohol. The ash mainly contains 6.2 1% calcium oxide, 9.88% magnesium oxide, 4.65% phosphorus pentoxide and 6.02% silicon dioxide. Modern chemical experiments show that Long Xianxiang is a collection of polyterpene derivatives, most of which have attractive fragrance and cyclic molecular structure. Because of human's special interest in various spices, there is a great market demand for spices. As early as the19th century, chemists determined the structures of most terpenoids, and isolated geraniol, linalool, anethole, sandalwood alcohol and borneol from natural essential oils, and made industrial production. Synthetic spices derived from benzene rings, such as phenylindole, benzoic acid, methyl phenylacetate and phenylacetaldehyde, have also begun to be produced. 1920, Swiss chemists discovered the molecular structures of musk and geranone, and then American scientists invented the method of synthesizing macrocyclic esters to synthesize artificial musk. All kinds of ingredients in Long Xianxiang can be artificially synthesized, but they can't completely replace the Long Xianxiang endowed by the sea, because human technology can't reach the wonder and harmony of nature, especially the dragon saliva steroid in natural Long Xianxiang, which will form a film on the skin after adding perfume, which can make the fragrance last. Modern analytical chemistry points out that Long Xianxiang is composed of derived polyterpenes, similar to rubber. Many ingredients have fresh fragrance (many flowers and resins are formed because they contain terpenoids). Long Xianxiang is waxy and comes from the intestines of sperm whales. As we all know, the basic food of sperm whales is marlin (such as king squid). In the process of digestion, horseshoe crabs' sharp mouths will pierce their intestines, and the Long Xianxiang substance secreted in the intestines is a good medicine to heal their wounds. Long Xianxiang slowly passes through the intestines of whales and is discharged into the sea, or after the whales die, the bodies rot and fall into the water. The medical value pinyin name Ló n π xi á n xi ā n π alias Dragon Crab, Dragon Fairy, Dragon Fuxiang and Whale Fairy comes from the cetacean sperm whale. Used as medicine together with the intestinal clot of sperm whale. Habitat is distributed all over the world, inhabiting the ocean warm current. Characteristic Long Xianxiang is a gray or black secretion born in the intestines of whales. When taken out from animals, it has an unpleasant smell, and its specific gravity is less than that of water, about 0.7 ~ 0.9. It is amber after drying, sweet and sour, and its melting point is 60℃. Burning blue, soluble in pure acid, with yellow-green fluorescence. It doesn't have much fragrance in itself. When it burns, it is full of fragrance, similar to musk, more elegant, and smoky things remain lasting. Indications: inducing resuscitation, resolving phlegm, promoting blood circulation and benefiting qi. Indications: dizziness, heartburn, removing the crux, cough and asthma. Usage and dosage: 1 ~ 3 minutes. Remarks: Long Xianxiang is not only used for medical treatment, but also the raw material for modern manufacturing of the most precious spices. Excerpted from "National Collection of Chinese Herbal Medicine" ① Fan Xian's "Records of Taiwan Province Province": "Stop heartache and help essence." (2) Addendum to the Outline: "Promoting blood circulation, benefiting essence, helping Yang Dao and promoting blood circulation. Liao also said: Drain water to relieve stranguria, dissipate stagnation, eliminate depression and expel insects. Zhou Quda: It can produce body fluid in the mouth. Anyone suffering from xerostomia can contain it. It can make the body fluid flow and fill the cheeks. "(3) Pharmacology:" Cure cough, asthma, aversion to qi, dizziness, tightness in the heart and pain in the heart. "Usage and dosage: oral: 0.3 ~ 0.6 g at the end of research. Cultural history Some people think that China's discovery of Long Xianxiang in the Han Dynasty is the earliest" record "; But in fact, this statement is not clearly supported by words. Long Xianxiang was accidentally discovered by South Asian residents, and gradually became a luxury of the royal family and the upper class, and was introduced to China through Arab merchants in the Tang Dynasty. Long Xianxiang Long Xianxiang was called Amomum Fragrant in the Tang Dynasty, which originated from Arabic Anba. "Youyang Miscellaneous" "Boba is a powerful country. In the southwest sea, it doesn't eat grains but only meat. Always feel the pulse of cattle and livestock, draw blood and eat raw milk. No clothes, only the waist is covered with sheepskin. Its women are white and upright, and China people have sold them to foreign businessmen several times. The land is only ivory and incense. "In the Song Dynasty, it was called dragon saliva: the generation outside the ridge said," The western sea eats many dragons, sleeps with a stone on its pillow, and saliva floats in the water, which can be piled up strongly. "Jiao Ren to explore it as a treasure. The new color is white, purple for a long time and black for a long time. Because I tasted it in Panyu, as light as pumice. It is not true that Yunlong's saliva has a strange fragrance, or that Yunlong's breath can make a lot of fragrance. If a dragon is addicted to incense, it can gather smoke without profit or loss. The incense is scented with a real dragon, burned for one baht, and the smoke floats, but it does not come loose. The guests can use the cape to divide the smoke. The reason for this is because it is fierce and fierce. " Long Xianxiang was still a high-priced luxury in the Song Dynasty. At that time, there were records of plagiarism and profiteering in Jian Yizhi. "Yi Jian Zhi Ding" Volume 9: "Xu Daoshou is a health Taoist. Later, I was a citizen, living in front of the ancestral temple in Lin' an and making incense as my profession. Imitate the dragon fragrance in Guangzhou. Although musk and sandalwood are heavy, most of them are fake. Her mother has been widowed for a long time, and suddenly she is pregnant, giving birth to two things at a time, which is like a child. The first is a cat, and the other is a crow. She killed it viciously. A few days later, both mother and son died, which was the first year of Longxing. "This story mentioned that merchants sold fake Long Xianxiang in Lin 'an (now Hangzhou), the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty. Guangzhou was one of the main ports for maritime trade between China and the West during the Song and Yuan Dynasties (others such as Quanzhou and Mingzhou). Zheng He, the eunuch of Sambo in Ming Dynasty, visited Longxianyu in northern Sumatra when he went to the Western Ocean. This island is named after the production of dragon saliva; Fei Xin, an accompanying translator, has a special chapter in Xing Cha Sheng Lan to describe the collection and price of dragon saliva: "Dragon saliva island: this island stands in the South China Sea and floats on the Ming Sea, hitting Yun Teng with waves. Every spring, the dragons gather in the mountains, making a scene but leaving saliva foam. People board the island in canoes and take it back. If there is a storm, everyone will go into the sea, one hand tied to the boat and the other hand stretched out to the shore. Its longkou water is black and yellow at first, which is quite fishy, but it will produce mud after a long time. Or cut from the belly of a big fish. If you hit a big round bead, you will feel fishy. If you burn it occasionally, its hair will be fragrant and lovely. The goods are in Sumen City, and the price is not light. Officially, one or two, money from other countries 12, per catty 192. China copper coin 490, especially expensive. " In the Arabian Nights, a famous Arabic literary masterpiece, Sinbad's The Sixth Sailing Adventure describes that there is a dragon saliva spring on an unknown island on the 560th night. The glutinous dragon saliva flows to the sea, feeds on whales, then spews out and condenses into Long Xianxiang at sea. Obviously, although the author understands the relationship between Long Xianxiang and whales; But it may not understand its composition mechanism, or simply add myth to the story. Legend has it that Europeans traditionally call Long Xianxiang "amber fragrance". In the Middle Ages, it may be that Arabs began to use amber to refer to a kind of Gu Song juice condensate produced along the Baltic Sea. This kind of thing is called "sack" by the Romans, "yellow spice" by the French and "amber" by the British. This is why the British borrowed the French word "grey amber" to refer to the "Long Xianxiang" produced by whales. Although their producing areas are different, and the fragrance concentrations of "Long Xianxiang" and "Amber" are different, they all have something in common: they all come from coastal areas and can be ground into powder for edible spices; And because they are all transparent things, they can be used as jewelry. Westerners in Long Xianxiang think that Long Xianxiang is whale droppings or * * *. Arabs and Persians have various views: they think that Long Xianxiang is a solidified sea flower, or it is ejected from a deep-sea spring; Even think it is a kind of marine sediment, or a fungus that grows on the bottom of the sea, just like mushrooms and truffles that grow on the roots. Early China businessmen had different views on how Arabs and Persians called Long Xianxiang, which originated in the west. Some people think that when these dragons rest on stones, their saliva will float into the water and then gather together to dry and solidify, so fishermen will collect them as such very expensive things. Others have come to the conclusion that when a group of dragons sleep, dark clouds gather on their heads and remain motionless for weeks or months while the dragons sleep. When the dark clouds clear, it means that the dragon has gone, and fishermen can go forward to collect. Because it is very dangerous to collect Long Xianxiang, China people would rather buy it from Persian merchants and later Portuguese merchants at a high price. As a rare luxury, occasionally there are tributes from distant countries, the value of which is equivalent to the same weight of gold. Royal courtiers often wear it as decoration, while rich people spray Long Xianxiang powder into the water when making tea. It is also a kind of incense, which is used in festivals and celebrations. The degree of dry heat in Long Xianxiang is Grade II. Because of this, people in China think it is good for the heart, brain and stomach, and say it can "enhance (male's) sexual function". About the poem "Idle Fragrance" Author: Song Bi Nao floating ice, dyed dew, who is the rest. Musk deer and moon have two hearts, phoenix and cloud blend together, and Pei Huan is clever in treasure. Smoke is shallow, drunk, and flowers bloom in spring. Gold cakes are covered with clothes, and silver leaves hang curtains. Sue was very sad by Joan at night. Wake up after drinking, the screen is deep. A wisp of old love flies when the cigarette is cut off. There is little fragrance in the sleeve. I finally missed the Dongting and had a bleak dream. Whoever reads Han Lang will grow old.