The day I went to Herb Alley, I also visited Longshan Temple.
Here, two young ladies perform poah poe (pronounced "bwah bway") in front of the Old Man Under the Moon, a god of love and marriage.
More to come...
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Herb Alley
Just around the corner from Taipei's famed Longshan Temple is a lesser-known attraction: Herb Alley. It's a tiny covered lane with a number of shops selling medicinal herbs. Walk in, and you'll be hit by the aromas of a myriad herbs.
A view into the alley. On the right, there are some large Aloe vera plants hanging. And the brown tangled masses are the roots of Uraria crinita.
Visible in the photo below are prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica), also called nopal; milk spurge (Euphorbia neriifolia), which though itself poisonous is said to treat cancer (herbal chemo?); a fruit of the screw pine (Pandanus odoratissimus), which can be brewed into a tea, is hanging from a pink cord.
Left to right: common rue (Ruta graveolens), turmeric (Curcuma longa), and fo-ti (Polygonum multiflorum) roots. Behind the fo-ti roots are Tinospora cordifolia vines, said to be good for the liver.
Outside the alley there are some stalls selling herbal teas. I bought a cup of tea brewed from the chameleon plant (Houttuynia cordata). It's supposed to rid you of toxins and harmful bacteria.
If you go visit Longshan Temple, be sure to stop by Herb Alley and take a look around. You may find the cure for what ails you!
A view into the alley. On the right, there are some large Aloe vera plants hanging. And the brown tangled masses are the roots of Uraria crinita.
Visible in the photo below are prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica), also called nopal; milk spurge (Euphorbia neriifolia), which though itself poisonous is said to treat cancer (herbal chemo?); a fruit of the screw pine (Pandanus odoratissimus), which can be brewed into a tea, is hanging from a pink cord.
Left to right: common rue (Ruta graveolens), turmeric (Curcuma longa), and fo-ti (Polygonum multiflorum) roots. Behind the fo-ti roots are Tinospora cordifolia vines, said to be good for the liver.
Outside the alley there are some stalls selling herbal teas. I bought a cup of tea brewed from the chameleon plant (Houttuynia cordata). It's supposed to rid you of toxins and harmful bacteria.
If you go visit Longshan Temple, be sure to stop by Herb Alley and take a look around. You may find the cure for what ails you!
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