Cut the daffodils.
Last week was New Year's Day, and in three weeks, it will be Lunar New Year. Besides buying new year goods before the new year, I also buy several types of new year flowers every year, and narcissus is always my top choice.
Narcissus flowers are elegant and fragrant, symbolizing confidence, good fortune, remembrance, and reunion.
Two years ago, I started trying to carve narcissus, and this year, I'm taking it a step further by challenging myself to carve crab-claw narcissus. Carving regular narcissus isn't difficult, and there are many tutorials online. The key is to ensure good ventilation and change the water frequently, as the stem's sap is toxic. It's recommended to wear gloves when carving the flowers.
It usually takes about 18 to 25 days for narcissus bulbs to bloom, and warmer weather will accelerate blooming. This year, the first day of the Lunar New Year is February 1st, so buying narcissus bulbs now and starting the carving process should still allow them to bloom in time for the New Year.
In the "Compendium of Materia Medica," narcissus flowers are recorded as follows: "Dig up the roots in May, soak them overnight in boys' urine, then dry them... used to treat carbuncles, sores, and insect bites by mashing them into a juice and applying it externally to the skin."
Narcissus is sweet and bitter in taste, cold in nature, and enters the heart and lung meridians. It is toxic, and its bulb is used in medicine, mostly for external application rather than internal consumption. It can clear heat and detoxify, expel pus, and reduce swelling, and can be used for carbuncles, sores, insect bites, and so on.
The narcissus tea commonly drunk in dim sum restaurants is unrelated to the new year flower narcissus. Narcissus tea leaves are a type of Oolong tea, which is cold in nature and can clear the head and eyes, relieve thirst, remove greasiness, aid digestion, promote urination, and detoxify. Because narcissus is a semi-fermented tea, polyphenols are produced during the fermentation process, which helps inhibit fat absorption and excrete accumulated fat.
Narcissus flowers are elegant and fragrant, symbolizing confidence, good fortune, remembrance, and reunion.
Two years ago, I started trying to carve narcissus, and this year, I'm taking it a step further by challenging myself to carve crab-claw narcissus. Carving regular narcissus isn't difficult, and there are many tutorials online. The key is to ensure good ventilation and change the water frequently, as the stem's sap is toxic. It's recommended to wear gloves when carving the flowers.
It usually takes about 18 to 25 days for narcissus bulbs to bloom, and warmer weather will accelerate blooming. This year, the first day of the Lunar New Year is February 1st, so buying narcissus bulbs now and starting the carving process should still allow them to bloom in time for the New Year.
In the "Compendium of Materia Medica," narcissus flowers are recorded as follows: "Dig up the roots in May, soak them overnight in boys' urine, then dry them... used to treat carbuncles, sores, and insect bites by mashing them into a juice and applying it externally to the skin."
Narcissus is sweet and bitter in taste, cold in nature, and enters the heart and lung meridians. It is toxic, and its bulb is used in medicine, mostly for external application rather than internal consumption. It can clear heat and detoxify, expel pus, and reduce swelling, and can be used for carbuncles, sores, insect bites, and so on.
The narcissus tea commonly drunk in dim sum restaurants is unrelated to the new year flower narcissus. Narcissus tea leaves are a type of Oolong tea, which is cold in nature and can clear the head and eyes, relieve thirst, remove greasiness, aid digestion, promote urination, and detoxify. Because narcissus is a semi-fermented tea, polyphenols are produced during the fermentation process, which helps inhibit fat absorption and excrete accumulated fat.