Hail the healing herb

The shihu orchid is often infused in a herbal tea.

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"Only those who have a very cool disposition (as described in TCM) should not eat it. They will feel cold when they eat it," he says. "But there are very few people like that."

Usually people will feel warmth in the stomach, and even in the legs after eating the herb.

Some old Chinese people know that shihu clears the vision.

China's Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang (1894-1961) was known to regularly drink water boiled with shihu to protect his throat and voice. Some other Peking Opera masters of his time did the same.

There are different kinds of shihu. Longling county produces a purple-peel variety. Anhui, Zhejiang and Fujian provinces produce shihu with iron-colored skin. Anhui's Huoshan county produces a Huoshan shihu. But these herbs have similar health functions.

At traditional Chinese medicine pharmacies, a dried roll of shihu is available for sale. It is called fengdou, dried shihu with iron-colored peel. The dried product is commonly used to boil with chicken, duck, or lamb, for general health benefits.

At Longling county's news conference, shihu herb is presented in different ways: The herb is squeezed into juice for drinking directly; the flower of shihu is made into a tea drink; and it is even brewed into a clear liquor with 38 percent alcohol.

Wang Youhong, a Chinese chef specializing in healthy recipes with Radegast Lake View Hotel, prepared a shihu feast for people who presented the event.

Fresh shihu stems can be chewed directly. It is rather tender, although there will be some remaining fiber after the chewing. Chef Wang cut the herb into slices and assorted it with seaweed and fungus to make tasty cold appetizers.

Shihu was boiled with ginseng to make a soup. After drinking it, many guests felt very warm in the belly shortly afterwards. The herb can be braised along with sea cucumber. But it tasted even better with braised lamb.

Wang even made a sweet drink with shihu juice and peach gum, which is believed to have a cosmetic function, especially for women. For men, it is not a bad-tasting dessert.

According to Liu Yong, deputy director of Longling Shihu Association, shihu is traditionally used in soups for people in Guangdong and Hong Kong, who have a habit of drinking them for health purposes.

"The herb is especially good because it nourishes but does not replenish directly," he says. Some replenishing herbs can be too strong for people with a weak physical condition. Shihu doesn't seem to pose that problem.

Wild shihu grown in nature is harvested from November to February. But it is planted in greenhouses and available all year round.

Liu says Longling now produces 2,500 tons of shihu a year. Last year the county sold 250 million yuan ($41.35 million) worth of the herb. Encouraged by that outcome the county is actively promoting its product around the country.

Depending on quality, home-grown shihu from Longling can cost around 300 yuan per kilogram. Wild varieties cost a lot more. It is available in specialized stores and Taobao.com.