Ebitsuru no Mushi (Wild Grape Insect)
|Ebitsuru no Mushi (Wild Grape Insect) |Another name for a tree |Wild grape
|In Yamashiro Province, |it grows on |Mt. Taka. |It is considered a high-quality product. |The vines, |leaves, |flowers, |and fruit |are no different from |grapes. |In the Classic of Poetry, the line 'eating the wild grapes in the sixth month' |refers to this.
* The "Classic of Poetry" is the oldest collection of poetry in China. It is one of the Five Classics.
* "Wild grape" (iku) refers to the Vitis coignetiae, a plant in the grape family.
In the spring month, |it sprouts, and in the third month, |it produces small |yellowish-white |flower spikes. In the seventh or eighth month, |it bears |fruit. |They are small |and round, |the color |is pale purple, |and when you blow on the stem, |air |comes out. |The juice |is like that of an akebia.
|The vines |occasionally |have swollen |parts, |which resemble the |roots of wild rice (makomo). |Inside them, |there is a |white |insect. |It is said that this is a |medicine |to treat |childhood |malnutrition (kan), |so they cut them off |along with the branches |and sell them |at the market.
* "Akebia" is a deciduous woody vine of the Lardizabalaceae family.
* "Wild rice" (makomo) is a perennial plant of the Zizania genus in the grass family. When a type of fungus called Ustilago esculenta parasitizes it, the base becomes enlarged, and this is eaten as "makomo-dake" (Manchurian wild rice).
|However, |there is no mention |in Japanese or Chinese |books |of there being an insect |inside these stems. |Willow |insects |and Clerodendrum trichotomum (kusagi) insects are also used as |medicines |for |malnutrition, |but it is said that they are |even |better.
|In Nara (Nanto), |there are no true |grapes, |so they pick |this |fruit, |remove the |seeds, |and boil it down |until it is like |ointment |to be |eaten. Also, |there is hair |on the back |of the leaves. |If you dry them |and rub them well, |they are like |moxa wool. |This is used to |treat |warts. Therefore, it has the name "wart remover." |In China, |it is brewed |into sake, |and the "beautiful wine |with the scent of turmeric" |seen in |Tang poetry |refers to |this.
* "Clerodendrum trichotomum" (kusagi) is a deciduous tree of the Lamiaceae family. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is called "Haizhou Changshan."
* "Nanto" refers to Nara.
* "Wart" (ibo) refers to common warts.
* "Beautiful wine with the scent of turmeric" is from a poem by Li Bai. "Lanling's beautiful wine, scented with turmeric." Lanling is a place name.
|The Japanese name Ebitsuru |has been |mistakenly |used for a long time. Ebitsuru |refers to |grapes, |and is also called |wild grape, dog-grape, |or budo. However, it seems they have been confused since ancient times.
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