广藿香

廣藿香

guǎnghuòxiāng

noun

Meanings

1 patchouli (Pogostemon cablin)
2 (TCM) the dried plant used as a herbal medicine for damp-heat conditions

Characters

Guangdong (here)

(plant name component)

Examples

广藿香是常用的中药材。

Guǎnghuòxiāng shì chángyòng de zhōngyàocái.

Patchouli is a commonly used Chinese medicinal herb.

藿香正气水里就含有广藿香的成分。

Huòxiāngzhèngqìshuǐ lǐ jiù hányǒu guǎnghuòxiāng de chéngfèn.

Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui contains patchouli as one of its ingredients.

Tips

culture

广 here is 广东 (Guangdong) — the herb is named after its main cultivation region (the southern coast). In 中医 it's classed as a 化湿 ("transform dampness") herb and is the namesake ingredient of the famous summer remedy 藿香正气水, used for nausea and heat exhaustion.

memory

广 (Guangdong) + 藿香 (huoxiang, the plant). The Western perfume "patchouli" comes from the Tamil paccilai ("green leaf"), a totally separate naming path — same plant, different cultural framing.

Stroke Order

广 guǎng

藿 huò

香 xiāng