Prinsepia utilis

Prinsepia utilis

　　　The prickly ash fruit, the raw material for Ch’na oil, ripens in the fifth lunar month each year. During this time, groups of Mosuo women, carrying bamboo baskets on their backs and long hooks in hand, head into dense prickly ash forests to gather the fruits. After washing them clean, they dry the fruits, grind them into fine particles, sieve out the chaff, and then dry them again. The dried powder is then placed in a steamer and steamed until about 80% cooked before being transferred into a hemp cloth bag for hot pressing. The Mosuo people's oil-pressing tools consist of relatively primitive wooden, stone, and bamboo implements. These include wooden or stone vats, pressing vats, wooden blocks, pressing poles, bamboo or copper troughs, as well as ropes and pressing stones. The wooden or stone vats are roughly one square foot in both depth and width, with several grooves carved at the bottom of the vat opening to guide the extracted oil into containers. The method of pressing involves placing the steamed prickly ash fruit powder into a cloth bag, then putting it into the pressing vat. A sturdy wooden pole is used with the help of a lever to apply pressure, allowing the clear and transparent oil to slowly flow along the trough into the container. Adding salt makes it ready to eat. Thanks to its natural and unique color, aroma, and flavor, this oil has been used by the Mosuo people as cooking oil for thousands of years. They either use it salted as a dip for “flowing head rice,” or for stir-frying and seasoning vegetables, resulting in delicious flavors and appealing colors. Especially during times when vegetables were scarce, this oil almost served as a vegetable substitute. Long-term and widespread consumption of this oil has demonstrated its excellent health benefits. Although the Lugu Lake area has a harsh environment and tough climate, Mosuo men and women are robust, handsome, rarely fall ill, and many enjoy long lives, including centenarians. The Mosuo people all believe this is thanks to the health-preserving effects of the oil.

　　Not only that, but the Mosuo people also use this oil as a medicinal treatment for various ailments. Taken internally, it treats stomach diseases, liver problems, dizziness and headaches, rib-side pain, chronic muscle and bone pain, etc.; applied externally, it soothes local pain and removes bruises. The sediment from Ch’na oil is used externally to treat boils, papules, plaques, and other similar skin conditions, proving highly effective. Mosuo women are especially fond of it, using it as an essential skincare product to rub on their hands and faces, protect against sun exposure, prevent dryness and cracking, and keep their skin soft and tender. They also dip combs in the oil to style their hair, using it as a beauty treatment to maintain glossy, black, unbroken, and non-shedding hair. Additionally, the Mosuo people use the oil waste residue (i.e., oil pomace) to treat diarrhea in large livestock, achieving immediate results.