mr toodly Posted June 8, 2006 I bought this in Chinatown today. The box contains many packages which in turn contain sugar granules mixed with some kind of herb. It is definitely not galangal. It seemed weird to me from the outset, since (as far as I know) galangal is more of a southeast Asian treat. Any guesses? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
-bijanto- Posted June 9, 2006 (edited) BAN LAN GEN CHONG JI - That's what's written on the package. "Chong Ji" is an instant-extract-granulate or solvable block. BAN LAN GEN (Isatis tinctoria root) is used in China to treat fever, liver inflammation and more. They recommend drinking it at the first sign of flu or cold, also to reduce swollen glands and sore throat. The leaf is called "DA QING YE". http://alternativehealing.org/ban_lan_gen.htm This plant used to be the main source of blue dye throughout Europe. It contains the substances, indican and isatin b, both of which can be converted to indigo for dying cloth and for making a blue paint. Recent research in Germany has shown that (the dyestuff?) in this plant is a very good preservative for wood. In the US, this plant is considered weed. I don't know about Australia but it may soon follow....:-) [trying to make a bloody joke here]. Here's part of some articles from the Web: *** "A three-year, £700 000 research project will investigate ways of making the humble woad plant—Isatis tinctoria—yield enough dye for use in industrial and desktop printers. The inks used in these printers are usually nonrenewable petroleum byproducts. Woad, on the other hand, has been used as a dye for over 5000 years, but its use declined as cheaper alternatives were discovered, according to Kerry Stoker, one of the project workers at the Institute of Arable Crops Research near Bristol. Stoker says that the researchers will be crossbreeding many regional varieties of woad in a bid to create a tall plant with a high indigo yield. The taller the plant, the less the damage caused to it by combine harvesters and the greater the quantity of dye that can be extracted from the leaves. The ..." *** Woad Woes "Utah is determined to rid itself of Dyer's Woad (Isatis tinctoria), an invasive plant introduced to the state over a century ago, and -everyone- is getting involved. If you're a kid and you live in Box Elder or Cache county, you can earn $10 per bag of Dyer's Woad (sorry, there's a 2 bag limit!). Mormons led camping trips during the late 1990's during which participants pulled the weeds or sprayed them with herbicide. Dyer's Woad, as its name implies, can be used to make a dye, comparable to indigo. It has become a pervasive part of the landscape in Utah and surrounding states...." *** Edited June 9, 2006 by -bijanto- Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr toodly Posted June 9, 2006 Wow. <i>Ancient Briton never hit on anything as good as woad to fit on spats or hats or where you sit on tailors you be blowed! Romans came across the Channel all decked out in tin and flannel half a pint of woad per man'll dress us more than these</i> Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr toodly Posted June 9, 2006 Mormons led camping trips during the late 1990's during which participants pulled the weeds or sprayed them with herbicide. Only a Mormom could dream up something so captivating. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
