Dammar

6. DAMMAR

Tu-nau-hiang comes from the country of Cambodia.

It comes from a tree which resembles the pine and juniper in shape. But its gum lies concealed in the bark.

When the tree is old, it runs out spontaneously as a white and vitreous resin called tu-nau which does not melt even in the hot summer.

If the trunk is scorched in the summer by a fire kept burning around it, the fluid resin will flow out freely again. It may be gathered during the winter, when it hardens.

This variety of incense is liquid in the summer, and hardens during the winter. It is called hei (black) tu-nau.

The natives fill gourds with it. The shippers afterwards transfer it into porcelain vessels.

Its flavour is pure and lasting. The black variety easily melts and leaks through the gourd.

But by breaking the gourd and exposing it to fire, one may obtain something similar to the original substance.

It is now called tu-nau-piau or gourd dammar.

7. LIQUID STORAX

Su-ho-hiang-yu comes from the Arab countries. Its taste and aroma are similar to those of dammar. Richness and freedom from sediment make up the high quality kind.

Foreigners rub their bodies with it. The natives of Fu-kien use it when afflicted with paralysis. It is mixed with juan-hiang or incenses of delicate aroma and may be used in medicine.

8. BENZOIN

An-si-hiang is the resin of a tree which comes from Palembang, Sumatra.

It resembles the edible part of a walnut in shape and colour, but it is not fir to burn as incense.

However, it brings out other scents. This is why it is used for mixing purposes.

The T’ung-tien wrote about the Western Barbarians. It says that the country of An-si has sent tribute to China in 566—572 and 605-617.

It may be conjectured that the name is derived from this country and is imported from Palembang, Sumatra.

9. GARDENIA FLOW^ERS

The chi-tzi-hua comes from the 2 countries of Ya-pa-hien and Lo-shi-mei of the Arabs.

It resembles the safflower, but is light brown.

The natives gather the flowers, dry them in the sun, and put them in bottles of opaque glass. Flowers of carnation colour are rare.

What in Buddhist books is called tan-ipo is the same as this.

10. ROSE-WATER

Tsiang-wei-shui is the dew of flowers in Arabia. In 907-960, the foreign envoy to Pu-ko-san (Abu-1-Hassan?) brought as tribute 15 bottles, after which importation became rare.

Nowadays, a common substitute is manufactured by gathering the flowers, which are steeped in water and steamed, in order to extract the essence.

Rose-water is much counterfeited and adulterated. To test its genuineness, the substance should be placed in glass bottles and shaken about for a while, then, if full of bubbles moving up and down, the substance is genuine.

The flower (from which it is made) is not identical with the Chinese rose.