The herb calamus and the transcendent Han Zhong in Taoist literature
The role played by mineral and herbal drugs in the early development of the Daoist religion is as complex as it is important. This paper explores some of the many ways calamus was employed in traditional China in an attempt to provide data for further studies on Daoism and medicine. Calamus was used...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
2015
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| In: |
Studies in Chinese Religions
Year: 2015, Volume: 1, Issue: 4, Pages: 293-305 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
China
/ Sweet flag
/ Plants
/ Popular belief
/ Taoism
/ Han, Zhong ca. 2./3. Jh. v. Chr.
/ Hsien
/ History 200 BC-900
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| RelBib Classification: | AG Religious life; material religion BM Chinese universism; Confucianism; Taoism KBM Asia TB Antiquity TF Early Middle Ages |
| Further subjects: | B
Han Zhong
B changpu B Daoism B Lingbao wufu B calamus |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The role played by mineral and herbal drugs in the early development of the Daoist religion is as complex as it is important. This paper explores some of the many ways calamus was employed in traditional China in an attempt to provide data for further studies on Daoism and medicine. Calamus was used to repel mosquitoes and fleas and to ward off evil on the Double-five holiday, but its roots were also ingested as part of herbal regimes designed to lead to the longevous state of Transcendent being 仙人. The plant even had its own patron. Like "Hemp Maid" 麻姑, the goddess who is the simulacrum of the hemp plant, Han Zhong is shown here to be a living embodiment of 菖蒲 (calamus). |
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| ISSN: | 2372-9996 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Studies in Chinese Religions
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/23729988.2015.1128738 |