Xie Hua: It’s time to smoke new sticks of incense again. This time, ambergris has the reputation of “Heavenly Fragrance” and “King of Spices”. What is the origin of it?Welcome new Changsheng to explain to us.
Changsheng: (Obviously I’m just here to buy incense, so I’m not allowed to listen to some lectures, but I’m required to explain? Just clear your throat and show them the results of my reading...) Salivating, drooling.Bai Xiangshan said that "the saliva of the dragon emerges from the deepest part of Hongcheng", and Wang Jiefu also said that "the breeze blows the tears of the luan and the crane, and the saliva of the dragon shines in the daylight". Ambergris is related to the dragon, but in reality there are no dragons. So there is no dragon's saliva.Therefore, the ambergris was fabricated by the shop owner, and the identification has been completed.
Yuhua: But dragon saliva is also called "dragon saliva", obviously not saliva... Well, what did you say?It turns out that everyone has gone through "Baidu" and knows that ambergris comes from the body of sperm whales, which is really clever.
Chang Sheng (silently tugging at the corner of his clothes, speechless): What is Baidu...
Yuhua: In fact, the Chinese people in the past thought the same as Changsheng, thinking that ambergris was the saliva of Jiaolong. In the Ming Dynasty, there was a man named Fei Xin who accompanied Zheng He on four voyages to the West. "Lan" mentioned "Longxi Island": "Every spring, a group of dragons gather on it, play with each other and leave their saliva, and the Fan people board this island in a canoe and take it back." Westerners generally Ambergris is thought to be whale feces or semen.The Arabs are more romantic. Doctor Avikina regards ambergris as a kind of solidified sea spray sprayed out of the sea by deep sea currents.Many people in the Middle Ages confused amber with ambergris, and some believed that honey and beeswax floated at sea to form ambergris.Having said that, let's see what questions the guest officials have.
[Greensea: In ancient times, dragons gave birth to nine sons, which one would have ambergris?And how do you often use ambergris? If we want to buy it now, how should we use it? What is the effect? 〕
姽竹: The dragon gave birth to nine sons, different sayings, basically referring to Bixi, Xiaofeng, Yazi/狴犴, Jiaotu/Baxia, Chiwen, Pulao, Suanni, Prisoner, Gongxia/ Gluttonous—now you know none of them can spit ambergris.
Ambergris mixed with other fragrances can "gather smoke" and "converge", and its smoke can be cut with scissors.Zhou Qufei of the Song Dynasty mentioned in "Ling Wai Dai Answer": "Amberx has no profit or loss in incense, but it can gather smoke ears. Use real ambergris for incense, burn a baht, and the emerald smoke will float in the air, and the knot will not disperse. The guest can use a cut to divide the smoke. The reason for this is the survivors of the mirage." Wang Yi in the Ming Dynasty's "Barnyard History Compilation" said: "Quanguang is a cloud of incense, and ambergris is fragrant, which can converge Brain musk, even after decades, the fragrance still exists." Therefore, the main function of ambergris is to prepare the fragrance, which has the least fishy smell among animal fragrances, and is also the most valuable animal fragrance.Adding ambergris and musk to Hexiang can suppress the "woody gas" of agarwood or sandalwood.
[Swiped: Who was the first to discover ambergris? 〕
Yuhua: Let me briefly introduce how ambergris was spread in history.It is said that fishermen in the South China Sea in the Han Dynasty in China discovered ambergris, but there is no exact record in the literature.The Arabs discovered ambergris and learned that it has the effect of fixing fragrance to other natural oils. In the second year of Yonghui (651) of Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty, ambergris was brought to China from Arabia.The Indian Ocean is the largest producer of ambergris, and it can be found in warm waters of the tropics and subtropics.In the fourth year of Xining (1071) and the sixth year of Yuanfeng (1083) of Emperor Shenzong of Song Dynasty, envoys from the East African "Lautan Kingdom" (Zanzibar) came to pay tribute with ambergris and other local specialties. China (the coastal city of Sohar in northern Oman) also paid tribute to ambergris.After Zheng He's voyages, ambergris was introduced into my country in large quantities as a tribute.In the fourteenth century AD, ambergris became one of the most valuable spices along with civet and musk.In the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Shizong of Ming Dynasty specially ordered the inner government to buy "agarwood, jiangxiang, and sea lacquer" for more than 100,000 catties because of his preference for the art of cultivating mystery and longevity. Invite ships to enter Australia, and you will get it after a long time." However, it often happened that ambergris could not be bought even after spending money, which caused Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty to vent his anger on others many times. It is unfavorable and the official luck is damaged.
[Ji Yang: Why can only sperm whales produce ambergris? 〕
[Cold light sun: Does the name of the sperm whale have anything to do with ambergris? 〕
Yuhua: Sperm whales can dive for as long as 75 minutes, and they like to devour giant squid in the deep sea. It is said that its super diving ability is related to preying on squid. (Guest officer, what did you say? Do you often dive on the Internet? >!<) The giant squid has hard horny beaks that are not easy to digest. As a result, the intestines and stomach of sperm whales are strongly stimulated by friction, and a large amount of cholesterol is secreted into the stomach. These "horned beaks" Enveloped, the ambergris slowly formed at this moment, and was quickly spit out by the sperm whale.So far, ambergris has only been found in the belly of sperm whales, and the scent of things smoked by it lasts long, hence the name of the sperm whale.
[One side of the lake: I heard that the ambergris just spit out by the whale is stinky, so how can it become fragrant? 〕
Yuhua: Ambergris smells very bad when it first appeared at sea. It needs to be naturally matured after long-term drifting at sea.Protoplasmic ambergris has a specific gravity of about 0.85 and can float on water, so fishermen or passers-by will pick it up at the seaside.The dried incense sticks are amber in color and have a sweet and sour taste.Ambergris itself does not have much fragrance, but when it burns, it is full of fragrance, which is like musk, and it also has the smell of seaweed, wood, moss and so on.
[Dark Feather Fluttering: How did the ancients mine or obtain ambergris?As a globally endangered species, cetaceans have been banned, so does ambergris still exist? 〕
姽竹: Ambergris is slowly passed through the intestines of whales and discharged into the sea, or the dead body of the whale rots and falls into the water. It can be obtained after a long period of natural aging. The ancients usually collected it by boat, or in the sea Caught on the coast.After the development of the whaling industry, some sperm whales were also hunted, obtained from their stomachs and intestines, and then placed for a long time for maturation.As ambergris resources are decreasing year by year, sperm whales are included in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and are listed as national second-class protected animals in my country.The trading of ambergris in the international market is controlled by France. More than ten years ago, it used to trade 600 kilograms per year, but now the trade volume has decreased to about 100 kilograms per year.
[jerry72532: According to the legend, ambergris seems to be edible... really? 〕
Yuhua: "Supplements to Compendium of Materia Medica" records that ambergris "promotes blood circulation, benefits the essence, aids yang, and promotes blood vessels". Significantly, it is especially known for its hormonal effect, but due to its high price, there are very few Chinese medicines using ambergris as medicine.People in the Middle East and European countries believe that ambergris has an aphrodisiac effect, which makes ambergris even more valuable.In Arabia, it's a culinary condiment, or essence, used in food and drink—put a sprig of ambergris in the bottom of a cup, and your coffee will be scented for weeks.In the seventeenth century, ambergris flavor was also found in sugar produced in Europe.Pregnant women use with caution.
[Qiheye: Ambergris is very expensive and is often used in cosmetics. Is there any other use besides beauty? 〕
Yuhua: The value of ambergris is higher than gold. Recently, a British boy picked up 600g of yellow ambergris on the beach, worth about 400,000 RMB.In addition to the above-mentioned edible and medicinal uses, ambergris was also used for deodorizing corpses in ancient times.
[Die Che: Do you use ambergris during sacrifices? 〕
Yuhua: "Yuan Shi Zhi 27 Sacrificial Sacrifice Five" records that when offering sacrifices to Taishe Taiji, "the incense is made of ambergris".
[xt818: What color is the ambergris? 〕
[zygryx2: How to distinguish the color of ambergris?What kind of ambergris is the best? 〕
Yuhua: The most expensive is white ambergris, followed by silver gray, light gold, dark gray, brown, and red.The lowest value is brown, which has only been soaked in seawater for more than ten years.The less black, the better the aroma and the higher the value.
[Mu Yao Tutu: How is the ambergris processed? 〕
[zygryx2: I remember that when ambergris is used, alcohol is used to dissolve it. What is the ratio of alcohol to ambergris and how much alcohol should be used? 〕
姽竹: Ambergris is processed by making it into a tincture of 3% ethanol, or making it 20 times thicker, or extracting it with ethanol and concentrating it into an extract.In addition, synthetic ambergris flavors have achieved considerable success, but are still not comparable to natural ambergris.
[Tang Duoling: Is there any natural ambergris now?How long can its aroma last? 〕
Yuhua: Yes.Ambergris is made into a solid fragrance that can retain its aroma for hundreds of years.It has the best odor stability and longest shelf life of all fragrances.
[Salt Transporter from Two Lakes: What is the main ingredient of ambergris?Was it vomited out of the whale's throat in its natural state, or was it excreted from... that? 〕
姽竹: Ambergris contains about 25% to 45% ambergris alcohol (cholesterol derivative), and contains substances such as benzoic acid.Generally it is excreted from the sperm whale's intestine (that's what you said), and sometimes it is also excreted through vomiting.
[jerry72532: Can ambergris be used as a perfume? 〕
Yuhua: Ambergris is a fixative for making expensive perfumes. Adding it to perfume can slow down the volatilization speed, and the quality of the fragrance is very high.Christian Dior's "Poison" perfume has ambergris in the aftertaste; in "Dune" perfume, the beach scent comes from ambergris.
[Duai Wuguan: It seems that ambergris is used as poison in "Sword of Immortal Sword", is it true? 〕
Yuhua: Ambergris is not poisonous, if it is called poison, then—it’s all the fault of the setting!
"Dragon saliva entering the tripod, the smoke is like a cloud", before you know it, the smoke clears, and the incense burner will also be exhausted.And let's taste a good poem about ambergris to end this round of listening to incense in Xiaoxie.In the next volume, I will burn a furnace of musk that everyone is familiar with, don't forget to come.
