When do we wear sachets in China?

As early as more than two thousand years ago, some people in China wore sachets to ward off evil spirits and protect their health. Nowadays, many cities and villages still have the custom of bringing sachets to children.

Although wearing sachets is a folk custom, it is also a way to prevent plague. When infectious diseases began to rise in summer, in order to ensure children's health, the ancients made Chinese medicine into sachets and tied them on children's skirts and shoulders. Sachet is a commonly used aromatic Chinese herbal medicine, such as Rhizoma Atractylodis, Rhizoma Kaempferiae, Radix Angelicae Dahuricae, Rhizoma Acori Graminei, Moschus, Styrax, Borneolum Syntheticum, Calculus Bovis, Rhizoma Chuanxiong, Rhizoma Cyperi, Flos Magnoliae, etc., which contains strong volatile substances. The sachets are rectangular, square, triangular, angular, heart-shaped and rhombic with flowers, grass, insects, birds and arhat money embroidered on them. The design is extremely exquisite, adding infinite interest to the festival. It also has the functions of fragrance, insect repellent, epidemic prevention and disease prevention, so there is a folk saying that "carrying a vanilla bag is not afraid of five insects".

In recent years, China medical community has studied the formula of traditional sachets and done many pharmacological experiments. The results show that this aromatic substance can excite the nervous system, stimulate the immune system, promote the production of antibodies, inhibit the growth of various pathogenic bacteria and improve the body's disease resistance. At the same time, after the medicinal molecules are absorbed by the human body, they can also promote the activity of digestive glands and increase secretion, thus improving the activity of digestive enzymes and enhancing appetite.

Now, researchers have found through experiments that children often put sachets (bags) in their pockets and pillows, which has certain preventive and auxiliary treatment effects on infectious diseases such as influenza, diphtheria, chickenpox, meningitis and measles.