Tonglu Bayberries

Tonglu Bayberries

　　Bayberries, also known as tree bayberries, small bayberries, pearl bayberries, or yangmei, belong to the genus Myrica in the family Myricaceae. They are a specialty fruit of southern China. Pollen from the Myrica genus has been found at the Hemudu Neolithic site in Yuyao, Zhejiang Province, indicating that bayberries have grown in the area for over 7,000 years. The genus includes over 50 species, with five known in China: Myrica rubra (common bayberry), Myrica esculenta (hairy bayberry), Myrica adenophora (green bayberry), and Myrica nana (dwarf bayberry). The most commonly cultivated for economic purposes is the common bayberry.

　　National Distribution: China is the primary producer of bayberries. Aside from limited cultivation in Japan, very few other countries grow them. In China, bayberries are mainly distributed between 20°N and 31°N latitude, primarily in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Yunnan provinces (regions). There are also small distributions in Taiwan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Chongqing, and southern Anhui.

　　Tonglu Specialty – Distribution in Tonglu County: Meirong Village, Langli Village, and other areas in Tongjun Subdistrict, Tonglu County

　　Bayberry Composition: Bayberries are a delicacy among fruits, rich in beneficial components such as protein, iron, magnesium, copper, vitamin C, and citric acid. Each 100 grams contains 0.9 grams of protein and 79 kcal of energy. Besides being eaten fresh, the fruit can also be processed into jams, juices, wines, and dried products (candied fruit).

　　Bayberry Benefits: Bayberries serve both as food and medicine, with consumption mainly focused on the fruit. The "Compendium of Materia Medica" records: “Bayberry leaves resemble those of longan and purple daphne, remaining green even in winter. They bloom and bear fruit in February, with fruit shaped like paper mulberry seeds, ripening in May. There are red, white, and purple varieties; red ones are better than white, and purple better than red. The berries are large with tiny seeds. They are excellent when preserved in salt, honey, or sugar.” However, “bayberries are heating in nature and should not be consumed in excess.” Their medicinal functions include: first, “eating salted bayberries helps eliminate phlegm and relieve vomiting”; second, “keeping a salted bayberry in the mouth and swallowing its juice benefits the five internal organs and regulates qi”; third, “quenching thirst, harmonizing the internal organs, cleansing the intestines, and dispelling irritability and foul qi”; fourth, “burning bayberries into ash and consuming it is highly effective against dysentery”; fifth, treating “persistent headaches” or “migraine pain.” The "Compendium of Materia Medica" also includes four traditional prescriptions, one of which from the "Experiential Formula" mentions drying and grinding bayberries into powder to treat external injuries, with effects of stopping bleeding and promoting tissue regeneration. Mashing salted bayberries and their pits into a paste, then grinding into powder and applying it ensures no scarring — a quite marvelous remedy. The bark and roots of the bayberry tree can also be “boiled into a decoction to wash malignant sores, scabies, and ringworm. Boiled water can be used to rinse sore teeth. Consuming it detoxifies arsenic poisoning. Burnt ash mixed with oil can be applied to scalds and burns.” The Tang Dynasty's "Dietary Materia Medica" states: “It stops dysentery, proven effective many times.” Qing Dynasty’s Wang Shixiong in "Sui Xi Ju Dietetic Spectrum" wrote: “Salted and honey-preserved, made into preserves or dried, it aids digestion and stops dysentery.” Bayberry wine (or infused wine) has existed for over 2,000 years. Dongfang Shuo of the Western Han Dynasty (154–93 BC) wrote in "Records of Lin Yi": “The area produces bayberries as big as cups or bowls. When green, they are extremely sour, but when ripe, they taste like honey. Used to make wine, it is called bayberry liquor, highly treasured.” In Wenzhou folklore, during the bayberry season, there is a custom of soaking Nantang bayberries in white liquor. Nantang bayberries are large, with firm pulp fibers, thick flesh, and tiny seeds. After soaking, they lose only a few seeds and produce almost no sediment. Though they appear on the market slightly later than tea mountain bayberries, their price is relatively lower, making them popular among locals. What kind of white liquor is best for soaking bayberries? In old Wenzhou, there was some preference. People liked using old wine sweat, high sweat, sweat liquor, distilled spirits, or sorghum liquor from Shandong or Hebei. Liquor was also categorized into regular and aged, with premium aged liquor being the three-year-aged wine sweat from Guanghe Sauce Garden. The “Wu Wei He” grocery store sold bayberry wine separately from the liquor, pricing the wine based on quality — a single copper coin could buy a few bayberries. But in rural areas, families often soaked bayberries in homemade white liquor. To reduce the sharpness of the bayberry wine, an appropriate amount of white sugar is added. This keeps the bayberries bright red, resembling fresh ones. Soaked bayberry wine is not only consumed but also used medicinally. In hot summer days, eating a few is believed to relieve “heat-induced discomfort” (i.e., alleviate heat and cool down). It is also widely believed that consuming two or three bayberries soaked in wine can miraculously stop diarrhea. Thus, bayberries become an excellent food, drink, and medicine, as well as a common household “remedy” — sweet like licorice, truly a “sweet-tasting” medicine that benefits health.