My first encounter with the magnolia vine was in the writings of Mr. Lu Xun. "The tuber of Polygonum multiflorum and the vine of magnolia intertwine, and the magnolia has fruit like a lotus chamber..." When I read this sentence in my Chinese textbook, I was stunned for a while. What does this magnolia, which has fruit like a lotus chamber but grows on the ground, look like?
The question that flashed through my mind was later abandoned, until today, when the name magnolia suddenly resurfaced in my memory, I remembered that I had a long-standing connection with it. To mention this long-standing fate, I have to talk about the small mountain city in northern Fujian where I lived for many years during my student days. Every summer, there would be vendors on the streets of the small city selling a cold drink called "grass jelly". It was shiny and sticky, packed in large wooden barrels, scooped into a bowl using a small bowl, and topped with a spoonful of honey or some sugar. It tasted really good, cool and smooth, and it instantly slipped down my throat, relieving the heat and quenching my thirst. At that time, adults said that grass jelly was made from a herb in the small mountain city, little did they know that this mysterious herb that had aroused my curiosity in my childhood was actually magnolia. So, magnolia was not unfamiliar to me, it was just that we had not met before.
Not only in northern Fujian, many villages and small towns in southern China have such grass jelly. In some places, it is even called by a more pleasant name - magnolia tofu, or "ice slush". When the weather turns hot in summer, the oval-shaped magnolia fruit, resembling a lotus seed pod, is picked and cut open. Inside, there are tiny seeds that look like kiwi. Take out the magnolia seeds, then fetch some cool well water and wrap the seeds in a clean piece of gauze, and rub them in a basin filled with well water. As you rub, the water gradually becomes thick and sticky, then cover the basin tightly and wait for a few hours for it to solidify into jelly, and you will have magnolia tofu.
The nostalgic magnolia, which stirs our memories, belongs to the Moraceae family in the classification of botany. Its roots, stems, leaves, and fruits can all be used as medicine, with the effects of dispelling wind and dampness, promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, reducing swelling and detoxification, nourishing the kidneys, and promoting lactation. The most familiar magnolia fruit contains protein, carbohydrates, various vitamins and minerals. It has a neutral nature and sour taste, and has the effects of invigorating the yang and consolidating essence, stopping bleeding, and promoting lactation. It can treat conditions such as nocturnal emission, impotence, chronic diarrhea and prolapse, and blocked milk flow. "Compendium of Materia Medica" states: "(magnolia fruit) is particularly good for invigorating the yang. It consolidates essence, reduces swelling, dispels toxins, stops bleeding, and promotes lactation. It treats chronic diarrhea, intestinal hemorrhoids."
Stewed pig trotters with magnolia fruit is a highly effective folk remedy for treating insufficient milk production in postpartum women. The ingredients are 4 magnolia fruits and 1 pig front trotter. Clean the trotter and blanch it in boiling water for a period of time, then remove and clean it. Wash the magnolia fruits. Add an appropriate amount of water to the pot, bring the trotter to a boil, then simmer over low heat until cooked. Add cooking wine, salt, spring onion, and ginger to season, then add the magnolia fruits and cook until the trotter is tender. Add monosodium glutamate to taste, and it is ready to serve.
Magnolia fruit sweet drink is a traditional Chinese dietary therapy for treating chyluria, and it also has certain effects on conditions such as insufficient milk production, nocturnal emission, chronic diarrhea, and cloudy urine. The method is to wash 5 magnolia fruits, slice them, put them in a sand pot with an appropriate amount of water, boil them, and add honey or sugar to taste.
Just like magnolia tofu, which belongs to the folk grassroots culture, magnolia has several other grassroots yet vivid aliases. Because the fruit is rich in pectin, it can be used to make jelly, hence it is also called "jelly fruit" or "jelly seeds". In addition, it is also called "ghost steamed bun" or "wooden steamed bun". Compared to these colloquial names, the name "Bili" is an exception, it sounds more refined, so it generally appears in classical poetry. Qu Yuan once wrote in "Li Sao": "Grasping the roots of the tree to form a knot, threading the fallen stamens of the magnolia vine", using magnolia to express his noble sentiment. Later, he wrote a more romantic "Mountain Ghost": "If there is a person in the mountain, wearing magnolia and trailing vine. Both shy and charming, the girl I admire is good at being graceful". Thinking back to those years, there was such a stunningly graceful lady, driving a carriage to meet her lover, wearing a magnolia dress, with trailing vines as a belt, and her skirt fluttering like a fairy, truly captivating.
