Tokay Wine

Last updated 2026-11-09 — Tokay is a well-known local specialty that lives on the subtropical rocky hills of Guangxi. It belongs to the gecko family in the order Squamata. Its body, including the tail, is about 30 centimeters long and weighs approximately 150–200 grams. The back is grayish-brown with red or white spots, while the belly is grayish-white; it has a large, triangular head and large, brownish-yellow eyes. Its daytime vision is blurry but its night vision is sharp. It often ventures out of its cave at night to forage for food such as insects and mosquitoes. Tokay can move swiftly across steep cliffs or smooth stone surfaces. When soaked in aromatic rice wine for several years, it becomes a premium tonic, known for nourishing the lungs and kidneys, enriching vitality, strengthening yang, relieving thirst, promoting fluid production, and calming wheezing and coughing. According to *Compendium of Materia Medica*, Tokay is as effective as ginseng in replenishing lung qi and soothing wheezing and coughs, and as efficacious as antelope horn in nourishing yin blood and supporting the weak. Folk remedies have proven that when combined with other traditional Chinese herbs such as ginseng, fritillaria, anemarrhena, and apricot kernel, it shows excellent therapeutic effects on conditions like neurasthenia. The five-clawed Tokay from Longzhou is hailed as the “Five-Clawed Golden Dragon” and is among the most valuable. In recent years, artificially bred Tokay has been exported to Hong Kong, Macao, and overseas markets, and breeding Tokay has become a way for people to escape poverty and achieve prosperity.