The Herbal Fragrance of Chinese Sachets: The Cultural and Practical Value of 16 Plants

In the long river of Chinese culture, sachets (xiangnang) shine like a bright pearl, emitting a unique charm. They are not only exquisite ornaments but also carriers of profound cultural connotations and traditional customs. The plant ingredients that make up these sachets—such as lemongrass, mulberry branches, cloves, patchouli, angelica dahurica, honeysuckle, perilla leaves, Chinese arborvitae leaves, fennel, cypress husks, rosemary, mint leaves, calamus, spikenard, mugwort, and lavender—each have their own unique stories. Coming from mountains, fields, and riversides, they carry the breath of nature, integrate into people’s lives, and become important vehicles for cultural inheritance. Today, let us explore the mysteries behind these plants together.

Lemongrass: A Fresh Messenger of Tropical Charm

Lemongrass, a plant native to tropical and subtropical regions, has long, slender leaves with slightly rough edges and a fresh emerald green color. It is extremely common in Southeast Asia, often growing in clusters in moist meadows or along riverbanks. When you approach a clump of lemongrass and gently crush its leaves, a rich, distinctive lemon scent instantly fills the air—this fresh aroma seems to dispel the surrounding heat and irritability.

In sachets, lemongrass plays a unique role. Its fresh fragrance not only repels mosquitoes, bringing more tranquility to summer nights but also refreshes the mind the moment one smells it. On a hot afternoon, when drowsiness strikes, the lemongrass scent from the sachet can instantly invigorate you. Culturally, lemongrass holds a special status in some Southeast Asian countries. It is often used in religious rituals, as people believe its aroma can purify the body and mind, bringing auspiciousness and peace. In local traditional medicine, lemongrass is also used to treat minor ailments such as colds and headaches, and its medicinal value is well-known and utilized.

Mulberry Branches: Memories of Ancient Agricultural Civilization

Mulberry branches come from the mulberry tree, which carries a thousand years of agricultural culture. The mulberry tree has an elegant shape, a sturdy trunk, and luxuriant branches and leaves. Its branches are slender yet tough, with faint textures on the surface and traces of fallen leaf stalks. In ancient times, the mulberry tree was crucial to people’s lives: mulberry leaves served as the main food for silkworms, and the silk produced by silkworms became the raw material for making silk fabrics—thus initiating the world-famous Silk Road and promoting cultural exchange and trade between the East and the West.

When mulberry branches are used in sachet making, they hold unique significance. Although mulberry branches themselves do not have a strong fragrance, they represent a form of cultural inheritance. Putting mulberry branches into sachets is an expression of nostalgia and respect for the ancient agricultural civilization. Furthermore, mulberry branches have certain medicinal values: they are slightly cold in nature and have the effects of dispelling wind-dampness and benefiting joints. In traditional medicine, mulberry branches are often used to treat conditions such as rheumatic arthralgia and limited joint movement. In sachets, though they do not emit a rich fragrance, they silently protect people’s health through their unique presence.

Cloves: The Fragrant Legend of the “King of Spices”

Cloves have small, delicate flowers in elegant pale purple or white, clustered in strings like exquisite little bells hanging from branches. The clove tree is an evergreen tree native to the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. Clove aroma is rich and unique, with a blend of sweetness and spiciness—this rich scent has earned it the reputation of “King of Spices” in the spice world.

In sachets, the aroma of cloves can warm the middle energizer, descend adverse qi, and tonify the kidney to support yang. Its unique fragrance can regulate the body’s qi, providing some relief for symptoms such as deficiency-cold in the spleen and stomach, and hiccups with vomiting. In ancient times, cloves were not only an important ingredient in sachet making but also a favorite spice among the nobility. In imperial palaces, people often burned cloves in incense burners, filling the entire palace with a charming aroma. In Europe, cloves were also highly regarded: they were once precious spices in trade, with a value comparable to gold at one point, witnessing the prosperity of ancient trade and the glory of the Spice Road.

Patchouli: A Cool Guardian in Summer

Patchouli has an upright stem with a quadrangular shape, covered in a thin layer of downy hair. Its leaves are cordate-ovate or oblong-lanceolate, with irregular serrations on the edges. Patchouli thrives in warm and humid environments and can be found in many parts of southern China. Its aroma is fresh and pleasant, with a special coolness—this scent is especially precious in summer.

In sachets, patchouli is a key ingredient for preventing summer heat. It has the effects of resolving dampness with aromatics, harmonizing the middle energizer to stop vomiting, and relieving exterior symptoms to dispel summer heat. In summer, people are prone to being attacked by summer-damp pathogens, experiencing symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. The aroma of patchouli from sachets can help people resist summer dampness and keep the body cool. In traditional medicine, Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui (Patchouli Essential Water), a classic formula with patchouli as the main ingredient, is widely used to treat summer heat stroke and gastrointestinal discomfort. Patchouli also has a deep cultural foundation among the people: people believe that wearing a sachet containing patchouli can bless them with safety and health during the hot summer months.

Angelica Dahurica: A Fragrant Herb for Beauty and Skin Care

Angelica dahurica is a tall plant with a thick, hollow stem. Its leaves are pinnately compound, with sharp serrations on the edges. Its small white flowers cluster together to form umbels. Angelica dahurica mostly grows in moist environments such as under forests, forest edges, or along streams. Its aroma is unique—elegant and fresh, bringing a sense of tranquility.

In sachets, angelica dahurica is favored not only for its pleasant aroma but also for its beauty and skin-care benefits. It can dispel wind to relieve pain, dispel cold to relieve exterior symptoms, and unblock nasal passages, providing good relief for symptoms such as headaches and nasal congestion. In ancient times, angelica dahurica was a common medicinal herb for women’s beauty, often used in making various beauty formulas and skin-care products. In literary works, angelica dahurica is also often used to describe beautiful women. For example, Qu Yuan wrote in Li Sao: “I wear river parsley and keep white angelica, / And string autumn orchids to make a sash.” This line links angelica dahurica with beauty and nobility, endowing it with rich cultural connotations.

Honeysuckle: A Flower for Clearing Heat and Detoxification with Golden-Silver Charm

Honeysuckle flowers are white when they first bloom and gradually turn yellow—these two colors (gold and silver) complement each other beautifully. Honeysuckle has slender vines that climb and grow on other objects. Its opposite leaves are ovate or elliptical. It has strong adaptability and can grow in many parts of China, whether on hillsides, wastelands, or roadsides. The aroma of honeysuckle is elegant and fresh, with a hint of sweetness.

In sachets, honeysuckle is a powerful agent for clearing heat and detoxifying. It has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, and dispersing wind-heat, with significant curative effects on symptoms such as wind-heat colds and sore throats. In summer, wearing a sachet containing honeysuckle can help people prevent and relieve discomfort caused by summer heat. Among the people, honeysuckle is also often used to make honeysuckle tea, which is cool and refreshing and deeply loved by people. Culturally, honeysuckle symbolizes purity and resilience—it can bloom beautiful flowers even in harsh environments, bringing health and beauty to people.

Perilla Leaves: A Green Treasure for Both Food and Medicine

Perilla leaves are ovate or broadly ovate, with coarse serrations on the edges. The upper surface of the leaves is green, while the lower surface is purple or reddish-purple. The perilla plant emits a unique aroma—rich yet not pungent, with a special flavor. Perilla has a long history of cultivation in China; it can be used as a vegetable and also has important medicinal value, making it a typical plant that serves both as food and medicine.

In sachets, perilla leaves have the effects of dispelling cold to relieve exterior symptoms, and regulating qi to harmonize the stomach. Its aroma can regulate the body’s qi, relieving symptoms such as headaches and coughs caused by wind-cold colds. In daily life, perilla leaves are often used in cooking. For example, in Japanese cuisine, perilla leaves are often used to wrap sashimi, which can remove fishy smells and add a unique flavor. In some southern regions of China, people also use perilla leaves to make perilla cakes and other delicacies. Culturally, perilla also holds a special status—it symbolizes vitality and vigor, adding rich colors to people’s lives.

Chinese Arborvitae Leaves: A Green Symbol of Tenacious Life

Chinese arborvitae leaves come from the Chinese arborvitae tree, an evergreen tree with a tall and straight shape and vigorous branches. The leaves of Chinese arborvitae are flat, and the small branches are flat and arranged in a single plane, with both sides being green. The tree remains evergreen throughout the year, maintaining vitality and vigor regardless of severe cold or extreme heat. Chinese arborvitae leaves have a faint fragrance, which brings a sense of tranquility and calmness.

In sachets, Chinese arborvitae leaves have the effects of cooling blood to stop bleeding, resolving phlegm to relieve cough, and promoting hair growth and blackening. They have a certain therapeutic effect on symptoms such as bleeding due to blood heat and excessive phlegm with cough. In traditional medicine, Chinese arborvitae leaves are often used to treat problems such as hair loss, and their effect of promoting hair growth and blackening is well-known. Culturally, Chinese arborvitae leaves symbolize the tenacious power of life—they are often planted in temples and cemeteries, implying eternity and immortality. In some traditional sacrificial activities, Chinese arborvitae leaves are also used to express respect for the deceased and awe for life.

Fennel: A Dual-Role Ingredient in Both Kitchen and Sachets

Fennel is a short plant with slender stems. Its leaves are pinnately compound, with linear leaflets. Its yellow flowers form umbels. Fennel is native to the Mediterranean region and is now widely cultivated in China. The fruits of fennel are oblong, slightly pointed at both ends, with five longitudinal ridges on the surface, and emit a rich aroma—sweet with a hint of spiciness, very unique.

In sachets, fennel has the effects of dispelling cold to relieve pain, and regulating qi to harmonize the stomach. Its aroma can warm the spleen and stomach, providing good relief for symptoms such as deficiency-cold in the spleen and stomach and abdominal cold pain. In daily life, fennel is an indispensable spice in the kitchen—whether stewing meat, stir-frying vegetables, or making fillings, adding fennel can enhance the unique flavor. It brings rich tastes to food and at the same time silently protects people’s health in sachets, becoming an important link between daily life and health.

Cypress Husks: A Natural Gift from Cypress Trees

Cypress husks are the outer coverings of cypress fruits. Cypress trees have a long history of cultivation in China, with an elegant tree shape and evergreen leaves. Cypress husks are spherical, with irregular textures on the surface, mostly in brown color. They have a unique woody aroma—elegant and long-lasting, bringing a sense of tranquility and peace.

In sachets, cypress husks have a certain effect of calming the mind and aiding sleep. Their aroma can soothe people’s emotions, relieve stress, and help people fall asleep more easily at night. In some places, people collect cypress husks to make pillows or sachets, which are used to improve sleep quality. Culturally, cypress husks are also associated with meanings such as longevity and auspiciousness—cypress trees are often regarded as a symbol of longevity, and as part of cypress fruits, cypress husks also carry these beautiful implications, bringing tranquility and hope to people’s lives.

Rosemary: A Love-Guarding Herb Across Time and Space

Rosemary is a perennial evergreen shrub with lignified stems and irregular longitudinal cracks on the surface. Its leaves are linear and leathery, with a dark green upper surface and a silvery-gray lower surface, densely covered with white downy hair. Rosemary is native to the Mediterranean coast; its small flowers, in pale blue or purple, cluster at the top of branches to form spikes. The aroma of rosemary is rich and unique—with a fresh herbal scent and a hint of pine fragrance.

In sachets, rosemary has the effects of refreshing the mind and calming the nerves. Its aroma can stimulate the nervous system, improve people’s attention and memory, and at the same time relieve symptoms such as anxiety and insomnia. In Western culture, rosemary has a special meaning: it is regarded as a symbol of love, loyalty, and friendship. At weddings, brides often wear garlands made of rosemary, implying loyalty and protection for love. In literary works, rosemary is also often used to express thoughts and affection, conveying people’s deepest emotions across time and space.

Mint Leaves: A Cool and Refreshing Green Sprite

Mint leaves are ovate or oblong, with serrations on the edges. The upper surface of the leaves is green, and the lower surface is light green, with downy hair on both sides. The mint plant emits a strong cool aroma—fresh and pleasant, which can instantly refresh the mind. Mint has strong adaptability and is widely cultivated in various parts of China, whether in fields, along streams, or by roadsides.

In sachets, mint leaves are representatives of coolness and refreshment. They have the effects of dispersing wind-heat, clearing the head and eyes, relieving sore throat and promoting eruption, and soothing the liver to regulate qi. In summer, wearing a sachet containing mint leaves can effectively relieve discomfort caused by summer heat, making people feel cool and comfortable. In daily life, mint leaves are often used to make drinks such as mint tea and mint lemon water, whose cool taste is deeply loved by people. In some cosmetics and skin-care products, mint extract is also often added to utilize its cool and soothing properties, bringing comfort to the skin. With its unique cool charm, mint leaves have become an indispensable part of people’s lives.

Calamus: An Important Symbol of Dragon Boat Festival Culture

Calamus is a tall plant with sword-shaped leaves—long, narrow, and upright. The base of the leaves is sheathed and clasping the stem. The surface of the calamus leaves has obvious midribs, with a dark green color and a shiny luster. Calamus mostly grows in water or wetland environments. Its aroma is unique—with a faint pungent scent, bringing a sense of freshness and solemnity.

In sachets, calamus has the effects of opening the orifices to refresh the mind, resolving dampness to harmonize the stomach, and calming the mind to enhance intelligence. Its aroma can regulate the body’s nervous system, improving symptoms such as mental confusion, forgetfulness, and insomnia. In traditional Chinese culture, calamus is closely associated with the Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu Festival). Every Dragon Boat Festival, people hang calamus together with mugwort at the door, implying the dispelling of evil spirits and plague, and blessing the family with safety and health. In some places, people also boil water with calamus and mugwort leaves to bathe children, believing that this can remove evil spirits from the children’s bodies and help them grow up healthily. As an important symbol of Dragon Boat Festival culture, calamus carries people’s aspirations for a better life.

Spikenard: A Mysterious and Charming Aromatic Plant

Spikenard is a short plant with a short rhizome and many slender fibrous roots. Its leaves grow from the base, in the shape of long spoons or linear oblanceolates, with entire margins and hair on both sides. The small flowers of spikenard are pink or reddish-purple, clustered into capitula. Spikenard is native to the southwest region of China, growing in mountainous areas at high altitudes. Its aroma is rich and unique—with a sweet, warm scent and a hint of smoke, which is mysterious and charming.

In sachets, spikenard has the effects of regulating qi to relieve pain and relieving stagnation to invigorate the spleen. Its aroma can regulate the body’s qi, providing good relief for symptoms such as qi stagnation in the spleen and stomach and loss of appetite. In traditional medicine, spikenard is also used to treat some mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression, and its effect of soothing emotions is valued by people. In the cultures of some ethnic minorities, spikenard also has special uses: it is often used in sacrificial and prayer activities, as people believe its aroma can communicate with the gods and bring good luck and blessings.

Mugwort: The “King of Hundred Herbs” for Dispelling Evil and Preventing Epidemics

Mugwort has a strong aroma. Its stems are single or a few, brown or grayish-yellowish-brown, slightly lignified at the base, herbaceous at the upper part, and with a few short branches. Its leaves are pinnately deeply lobed, with elliptical or obovate-elliptical lobes. The upper surface of the leaves is covered with grayish-white short downy hair, with white glandular dots and small depressions, while the lower surface is densely covered with grayish-white cobweb-like dense downy hair. Mugwort is widely distributed in China, and can be seen in fields, wastelands, and roadsides. Its aroma is rich and unique—with a special herbal scent, which is regarded by the people as a symbol of dispelling evil and preventing epidemics.

In sachets, mugwort has the effects of warming the meridians to stop bleeding, dispelling cold to relieve pain, and eliminating dampness to relieve itching. Its aroma can repel mosquitoes and prevent diseases, providing natural protection for people in summer. During the Dragon Boat Festival, in addition to hanging calamus, people also tie bunches of mugwort and hang them at the door to pray for safety and health. In traditional medicine, mugwort is widely used in moxibustion therapy: by burning mugwort to generate warm stimulation on acupoints, it achieves the purposes of treating diseases and maintaining health. With its powerful effects and deep cultural heritage, mugwort has become an indispensable plant in people’s lives, known as the “King of Hundred Herbs.”

Lavender: A Dreamy Flower of Romantic Purple

Lavender is a subshrub or low shrub with branches covered in stellate tomentum, which is denser on young parts. Its leaves are linear or lanceolate-linear, covered with sparse or dense gray stellate tomentum, gray-white or olive-green when dry, with entire margins and rolled outward. Lavender is native to the Mediterranean coast, various parts of Europe, and islands in Oceania, and is now widely cultivated around the world. Its flowers are spicate, mostly in romantic purple, with a fresh and elegant aroma and a hint of sweetness—this aroma can soothe emotions and relax the body and mind.

In sachets, lavender has the effects of calming the mind to aid sleep and relieving stress. Its aroma can regulate the nervous system, helping people relieve anxiety and insomnia, and find a sense of tranquility in a busy life. In Provence, France, large lavender fields have become a famous tourist attraction, attracting countless tourists every year. Lavender is thus closely linked to romance and love, becoming an important symbol for people to express their emotions. Whether in perfumes, skin-care products, or sachets, lavender adds a touch of romantic color to people’s lives with its unique charm.

Each of these plant ingredients that make up sachets has its own unique shape, aroma, and efficacy. Coming from nature, they carry the breath of the earth, integrate into people’s lives, and become an important part of Chinese culture. As the carrier of these plants, sachets are not only fragrant ornaments but also treasures inheriting thousands of years of culture—passing down the stories and implications behind these plants from generation to generation, allowing people to enjoy the fragrance while also feeling the profoundness and vastness of traditional culture.