Jinxiu Lingxiang Grass

Jinxiu Lingxiang Grass

　　The protection of ancient books and rare editions from insects is one of the key tasks for cultural institutions such as libraries, museums, and archives. Long-term use of chemical pesticides and other protective methods can cause significant harm to both the collections and human health. In ancient China, laborers used the natural aromatic plant Lingxiang Grass to repel and protect books from insects. It is non-toxic and harmless to both books and humans, and boasts an elegant fragrance, delivering highly effective results—making it a green and eco-friendly method of book preservation. Historic institutions such as Zhejiang’s Tianyi Pavilion, as well as modern libraries including those in Guangxi’s Jinxiu County, Guilin, and Nanning, Zhejiang Provincial Library, and over eighty other provincial, municipal, and county libraries across Guangdong, Zhuhai, Fujian, Tianjin, Jiangsu, and more have used Lingxiang Grass for insect repellent and protection purposes over the years, achieving remarkably effective results.

Lingxiang Grass is a traditional and precious local specialty of Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County in Guangxi. It is a crop that has strict requirements for light, temperature, humidity, and soil. With over 400 years of cultivation history in the Dayaoshan Mountains of Jinxiu County, it is a valuable natural aromatic plant of the region. Its fragrance lingers powerfully and can be enjoyed year-round without dissipating for over thirty years. According to evaluations of plant specimens by the Guangxi Institute of Botany from 1936 to 1950, the grass still retains its fragrance to this day. Lingxiang Grass has special insect-repellent and insecticidal properties with no side effects, and has been hailed by some domestic experts as the “King of Modern Insect Repellents.”

It is the best product for preserving books, documents, collectibles, cultural relics, as well as protecting high-end clothing items such as sweaters and woolens at home. The method of using Lingxiang Grass to protect books and materials is very simple: your library only needs to place one bag or 10 grams of Lingxiang Grass (wrapped in gauze or sandpaper) on each shelf or in each drawer of a bookcase (approximately 1 kilogram for every 10,000 books). This will fill the entire storage area or bookcase with a pleasant aroma. If the fragrance weakens after several years of use, simply expose the grass to sunlight for about half an hour to restore its scent, providing insect-repellent effects for decades. Placing 10 grams of Lingxiang Grass in a wardrobe not only repels and protects against insects, but also fills your day with its fragrance as you wear your clothes for work or study.