Zhangjiajie Cuisine: Mountain Flavors of Western Hunan's Tujia & Miao Heartland
Zhangjiajie cuisine (张家界菜, Zhāngjiājiè cài) is the food of soaring sandstone peaks, mist-shrouded valleys, and the Tujia and Miao people who have lived in these mountains for centuries. While the city is world-famous for its otherworldly karst landscape, its culinary traditions are equally extraordinary — a rugged mountain cuisine built on cured meats, wild herbs, fermented vegetables, and ingredients foraged from the Wuling Mountains (武陵山脉, Wǔlíng Shānmài). This is food forged by harsh winters and steep terrain, where preservation is a necessity and every ingredient tells a story of survival and ingenuity.
What Makes Zhangjiajie Cuisine Unique?
Zhangjiajie occupies a distinct culinary niche within Hunan. Unlike the river cities of Changsha and Yueyang, where fish and rice dominate, Zhangjiajie's cuisine is shaped by its mountain environment. The Wuling Mountains are steep, rocky, and often shrouded in mist — conditions that make rice cultivation difficult and limit agricultural diversity. In response, the Tujia and Miao peoples who inhabit this region developed a cuisine based on what the mountains provide: wild game, foraged vegetables, preserved foods, and hardy crops like corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.
What sets Zhangjiajie cuisine apart most dramatically is its reliance on curing and fermentation. In a mountain environment where fresh food was historically scarce during the long, cold winters, preserving the harvest was not optional — it was essential for survival. Smoked pork (腊肉, làròu) is the cornerstone of Zhangjiajie cooking, and every Tujia household maintains a smokehouse where pork is cured over wood and rice husks for weeks or even months. The result is a deeply flavorful, long-lasting meat that can be stored through the winter and used in countless dishes. But smoked pork is just the beginning — Zhangjiajie cooks also smoke sausage, duck, fish, and even tofu, creating an entire pantry of preserved ingredients.
The sour flavor profile is another defining characteristic of Zhangjiajie cuisine. Pickled and fermented vegetables — known collectively as suan cai (酸菜) — are used in almost every meal, providing the bright, tart notes that balance the richness of smoked meats. The Tujia and Miao peoples have elevated pickling to an art form, fermenting everything from radishes and cabbage to bamboo shoots and even fish. The sour-spicy (酸辣, suān là) combination that characterizes western Hunan cuisine reaches its purest expression in Zhangjiajie, where it has been refined by centuries of mountain living.
Ethnic identity is also central to Zhangjiajie's food culture. The city is home to large populations of Tujia (土家族, Tǔjiāzú) and Miao (苗族, Miáozú) people, each with their own distinct culinary traditions. Tujia cuisine is hearty and robust, emphasizing cured meats, glutinous rice dishes, and communal eating. Miao cuisine features more fermented foods, sour soups, and sticky rice preparations. In Zhangjiajie, these two traditions have merged and influenced each other over centuries, creating a hybrid cuisine that is greater than the sum of its parts. This ethnic diversity is reflected in everything from daily meals to festival foods, giving Zhangjiajie cuisine a depth and complexity that rewards exploration.
Finally, Zhangjiajie cuisine is notable for its use of wild mountain ingredients. The Wuling Mountains are home to an extraordinary variety of edible wild plants, mushrooms, and fungi, many of which are unknown outside the region. Wild vegetables like fern shoots (蕨菜, juécài), Chinese toon (香椿, xiāngchūn), and various types of mountain mushrooms are gathered seasonally and used in stir-fries, soups, and pickles. These wild ingredients add flavors and textures that cannot be replicated with cultivated produce, giving Zhangjiajie cuisine a wild, untamed quality that is deeply connected to the land.
Geography & Food Culture
Zhangjiajie is located in the northwest of Hunan province, deep in the Wuling Mountains. The region is famous for its dramatic karst landscape — thousands of towering sandstone pillars rising from a sea of green forest, a landscape that inspired the floating mountains of Avatar. This dramatic terrain has shaped every aspect of life in Zhangjiajie, including its food culture. The mountains are steep and the soil is thin, making large-scale agriculture impossible. Instead, farmers carve terraces into the hillsides, growing rice in the valleys and corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes on the slopes.
The Wuling Mountains have historically been remote and difficult to access, and this isolation has been both a challenge and a blessing for Zhangjiajie's food culture. On one hand, it meant that communities had to be self-sufficient, developing sophisticated preservation techniques and making use of every available wild resource. On the other hand, it allowed traditional foodways to survive unchanged, preserving culinary practices that have disappeared in more accessible parts of China. Many of the dishes eaten in Zhangjiajie today would be recognizable to a Tujia farmer from five hundred years ago — a remarkable degree of culinary continuity.
The climate of Zhangjiajie is subtropical but heavily modified by altitude. Summers are warm and humid, but winters can be surprisingly cold, with temperatures often dropping below freezing in the higher elevations. This seasonal variation is reflected in the food calendar. Spring is for gathering wild vegetables — tender fern shoots, bamboo shoots, and Chinese toon leaves that emerge as the snow melts. Summer is for planting and for fresh vegetables. Fall is the busy season — harvest time, when crops are gathered, animals are slaughtered, and the work of preserving begins in earnest. Winter is the season of cured meats and preserved vegetables, when families gather around the hearth and eat food that was prepared months earlier.
Zhangjiajie's transformation into a world-class tourist destination has also affected its food culture. Today, millions of visitors come each year to see the mountains, and many of them also come to eat. This has brought Zhangjiajie cuisine to a wider audience, but it has also created pressure to adapt to tourist tastes. The best Zhangjiajie food, however, is still found away from the main tourist areas — in family-run restaurants in the smaller towns, in village homes, and at street markets where locals shop. Visitors who venture beyond the main scenic area are rewarded with some of the most authentic and fascinating food in all of Hunan.
Signature Dishes of Zhangjiajie
Zhangjiajie's signature dishes reflect the region's mountain environment and its Tujia and Miao heritage. From smoked pork to sour soup, from kudzu noodles to blood tofu, each dish tells a story of survival, ingenuity, and cultural identity. Here are the dishes that define Zhangjiajie cuisine:
Tujia Smoked Pork (土家腊肉, Tǔjiā Làròu)
Tujia smoked pork is the cornerstone of Zhangjiajie cuisine and the most iconic food of the region. The tradition of smoking pork in Zhangjiajie goes back centuries, born of the need to preserve meat through the long mountain winters. The process begins in late autumn, when families slaughter pigs that have been raised all year on kitchen scraps and mountain forage. The pork is cut into large pieces, rubbed with salt, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and other spices, and left to cure for about two weeks. Then the real work begins: the cured pork is hung over the kitchen hearth, where it is slowly smoked by the fire that burns constantly for cooking and heating. The smoke — from pine branches, cypress wood, rice husks, and tea seed hulls — penetrates the meat slowly, giving it a deep, complex smoky flavor and a rich, dark color. The smoking process can last anywhere from a few weeks to several months, and the best Tujia smoked pork is aged for over a year, developing an intense, concentrated flavor that is unlike anything else. Smoked pork appears in countless Zhangjiajie dishes — it is stir-fried with wild vegetables, steamed with glutinous rice, cooked in hot pots, and served sliced thin as a cold appetizer. For the Tujia people, smoked pork is more than just food — it is a symbol of prosperity, hospitality, and the connection between past and present.
Three-Pot Hotpot (三下锅, Sān Xià Guō)
Three-pot hotpot, or sanxia guo (三下锅), is Zhangjiajie's most famous communal dish and a centerpiece of Tujia food culture. As the name suggests, the dish consists of three separate pots of food, each with a different ingredient and flavor, all simmering at the center of the table. The classic combination includes one pot of cured pork and radish, one pot of chicken or duck with mushrooms, and one pot of tofu with pickled vegetables, though the exact contents vary by restaurant and season. The three-pot format is said to have originated as a way for travelers and merchants to share a meal — each person would bring one ingredient, and everything would be cooked together in separate pots to accommodate different tastes and dietary restrictions. Today, it is a beloved social dish, eaten with friends and family around a steaming table. The meal proceeds slowly, with diners sampling from each pot, adding ingredients as they cook down, and washing everything down with rice wine or local herbal tea. The combination of flavors — smoky cured meat, savory chicken, tangy pickled vegetables — is endlessly varied and deeply satisfying. Three-pot hotpot is particularly popular during the cold Zhangjiajie winters, when the steaming pots provide both food and warmth.
Kudzu Starch Noodles (葛根粉, Gěgēn Fěn)
Kudzu starch noodles, made from the root of the kudzu vine (葛根, gěgēn), are one of Zhangjiajie's most distinctive foods and a product of the mountain environment. Kudzu grows wild throughout the Wuling Mountains, its thick, starchy roots buried deep in the mountain soil. For centuries, Tujia and Miao people have harvested these roots in late autumn, grinding them and washing them repeatedly to extract the fine white starch. The starch can be used in various ways — mixed with water as a beverage, made into cakes, or formed into translucent noodles. Kudzu starch noodles (葛根粉丝, gěgēn fěnsī) have a unique texture — slippery, slightly chewy, and almost gelatinous — and a mild, earthy flavor that absorbs the flavors of whatever they are cooked with. In Zhangjiajie, they are most commonly served in a spicy-sour broth, stir-fried with smoked pork and pickled vegetables, or used in hot pot. Kudzu is also valued in traditional Chinese medicine for its cooling properties and is believed to help with digestion and circulation. For visitors to Zhangjiajie, trying kudzu starch noodles is a must — it is a taste of the mountains that cannot be found anywhere else.
Wild Vegetable Stir-Fry (山野菜, Shān Yěcài)
Wild mountain vegetables are one of the great joys of Zhangjiajie cuisine and a reminder of how deeply connected the region's food culture is to the natural world. The Wuling Mountains are home to dozens of edible wild plants, each with its own season, flavor, and traditional use. Some of the most popular include fern shoots (蕨菜, juécài) — tender young fern fronds gathered in spring, with a slightly bitter, earthy flavor; Chinese toon (香椿, xiāngchūn) — the aromatic young leaves of the toon tree, prized for their distinctive onion-like fragrance; wild bamboo shoots (野竹笋, yě zhúsǔn) — crisp and sweet, gathered as they emerge from the ground in early spring; and various types of mountain mushrooms (山菌, shān jùn), which appear after summer rains. These wild vegetables are most commonly stir-fried with garlic, dried chilies, and often a bit of smoked pork for richness, though they also appear in soups, dumplings, and pickles. The exact selection of wild vegetables varies with the season — spring brings ferns and toon, summer brings mushrooms and wild spinach, fall brings wild yam and chestnuts. For locals, eating wild vegetables is not just a culinary pleasure — it is a way of connecting with the mountains and marking the turning of the seasons.
Blood Tofu (血豆腐, Xuè Dòufu)
Blood tofu is one of Zhangjiajie's most unusual and distinctive foods, a product of the mountain tradition of using every part of the animal. Also known as "blood cake" (血粑, xuè bā), it is made by mixing fresh pig's blood with glutinous rice flour, diced smoked pork, and various seasonings, then steaming the mixture until it solidifies into a dense, dark cake. The result is then sliced and can be stir-fried, steamed, or added to soups. Blood tofu has a rich, iron-forward flavor and a dense, slightly chewy texture that is unlike anything else. It is particularly popular during the winter months, when pigs are slaughtered and fresh blood is available. While it may sound intimidating to visitors, blood tofu is considered a delicacy in Zhangjiajie and is often served at festivals and special occasions. The Tujia people have been making blood tofu for centuries, and it reflects their practical, no-waste approach to food — a philosophy born of the harsh mountain environment where nothing can be wasted. When prepared well — stir-fried with smoked pork, dried chilies, and garlic — it is a deeply flavorful and surprisingly delicious dish that captures the essence of Zhangjiajie's mountain food culture.
He She Rice (社饭, Shè Fàn)
He she rice, or community rice (社饭, shè fàn), is a traditional Tujia festival dish that is as much a social event as it is a food. It is traditionally made during the She Festival (社日, shè rì), an ancient spring festival when communities gather to honor the earth god and pray for a good harvest. The dish is made by cooking glutinous rice with a variety of ingredients — typically smoked pork, dried shrimp, wild vegetables, chestnuts, and various herbs — all mixed together and steamed in bamboo steamers or wrapped in leaves. What makes she fan special is not just the flavor — which is complex, savory, and deeply satisfying — but the way it is made and eaten. Traditionally, the entire village participates in making she fan, with each household contributing ingredients and helping with the cooking. The finished rice is then shared communally, with everyone eating from the same large bamboo baskets. This communal aspect reflects the Tujia emphasis on community and mutual support — values that are particularly important in a harsh mountain environment where cooperation is essential for survival. Today, she fan can be found in Zhangjiajie restaurants year-round, but it is still most closely associated with the spring festival and the spirit of community that it represents.
Key Ingredients & Flavors
Zhangjiajie's pantry is built on three pillars: preserved meats, fermented vegetables, and wild mountain ingredients. The most important of all is Tujia smoked pork (土家腊肉, Tǔjiā làròu), which is used in more dishes than any other ingredient and is the foundation of the region's flavor profile. But smoked pork is just the beginning — Zhangjiajie cooks also smoke sausage (腊肠, làcháng), duck (腊鸭, lì yā), fish (腊鱼, là yú), and even tofu (腊豆腐, là dòufu), each with its own distinctive smoky flavor and texture.
Fermented and pickled vegetables are equally essential. The sour-spicy (酸辣, suān là) flavor profile that defines western Hunan cuisine is built on these ingredients. Pickled radish (酸萝卜, suān luóbo), pickled cabbage (酸菜, suāncài), pickled bamboo shoots (酸笋, suān sǔn), and pickled chili paste (剁椒, duòjiāo) all contribute the bright, tart notes that balance the richness of smoked meats. Many families maintain multiple earthenware pickle crocks, each with its own culture and flavor profile, some passed down through generations.
Wild mountain ingredients are what give Zhangjiajie cuisine its unique character. The Wuling Mountains provide an astonishing variety of edible wild plants and fungi, including fern shoots (蕨菜, juécài), Chinese toon (香椿, xiāngchūn), wild bamboo shoots (野竹笋, yě zhúsǔn), wild mushrooms (野菌子, yě jùnzi), wild yam (野山药, yě shānyào), and chestnuts (板栗, bǎnlì). These ingredients are gathered seasonally and used fresh, pickled, or dried for later use. They add flavors and textures that cannot be replicated with cultivated produce, giving Zhangjiajie cuisine a wild, earthy quality that is deeply connected to the land.
Kudzu (葛根, gěgēn) is another important ingredient, unique to the mountain regions of western Hunan. The starchy root of the kudzu vine is used to make noodles, cakes, and a refreshing beverage. Kudzu starch has a mild, slightly earthy flavor and a unique slippery texture that is unlike any other starch. It is valued both as food and as medicine, believed in traditional Chinese medicine to have cooling and detoxifying properties.
When it comes to flavor, Zhangjiajie cuisine is characterized by the sour-spicy (酸辣, suān là) profile that is the hallmark of western Hunan cooking. But Zhangjiajie's version has its own distinctive character — the smokiness of cured meats adds a deep, savory layer, and the wild mountain ingredients contribute earthy, bitter, and aromatic notes. The overall effect is complex, bold, and deeply satisfying — food that tastes of smoke, fermentation, and the wild mountain forest.
Cooking Techniques
Smoking is the most distinctive cooking technique in Zhangjiajie and the foundation of the region's cuisine. The Tujia method of smoking meat is a slow, labor-intensive process that produces results unlike any other smoked meat in China. The process begins with curing — the pork is rubbed with salt, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, and other spices and left to rest for ten to fifteen days, allowing the salt to penetrate the meat and draw out moisture. Then the pork is hung over the kitchen hearth, where it is smoked continuously by the cooking fire. The fuel — a mixture of pine branches, cypress wood, rice husks, and tea seed hulls — is carefully chosen to impart the right flavor. The smoking process lasts anywhere from a month to over a year, with the meat developing a deeper, more concentrated flavor over time. This ancient technique, developed to preserve meat through the long mountain winters, has become the defining flavor of Zhangjiajie cuisine.
Pickling and fermentation are also central to Zhangjiajie cooking, with techniques that have been refined over centuries. The most common method is brine pickling, where vegetables are submerged in a salted rice-water brine and allowed to ferment naturally. The key is the "mother brine" (老坛水, lǎo tán shuǐ) — a small amount of brine from a previous batch that is added to kick-start fermentation and ensure consistent flavor. Many Tujia families have pickle crocks that have been in use for generations, their brines developing complex, unique flavors that are a point of family pride. The pickled vegetables can be eaten straight as a side dish, stir-fried with meat, or used as a seasoning in soups and stews, adding a bright, tangy note that cuts through rich, smoky flavors.
Hot pot cooking, particularly the three-pot style (三下锅), is another important technique in Zhangjiajie. Unlike the Sichuan-style hot pot that is popular across China, Zhangjiajie's three-pot hot pot uses three separate pots with different broths and ingredients, all simmering simultaneously at the table. The technique allows diners to enjoy a variety of flavors and textures in one meal, and it is perfectly suited to the cold mountain winters. The broths are typically made from smoked pork bones, chicken, or pickled vegetables, and ingredients are added gradually as the meal progresses. The slow, communal nature of hot pot dining is an important part of Zhangjiajie's food culture — a meal is not just about eating, but about sitting together, sharing stories, and enjoying each other's company.
Steaming is another fundamental technique, used for everything from rice and dumplings to cured meats and fish. Bamboo steamers are the traditional tool, and many dishes are steamed directly in bamboo baskets or wrapped in bamboo leaves, which imparts a subtle woody aroma. The Tujia specialty she fan (社饭), for example, is traditionally steamed in bamboo, giving the rice a delicate, fragrant quality. Steaming is valued for its ability to preserve the natural flavors and textures of ingredients, and it is considered the healthiest cooking method in traditional Chinese dietary thought.
Food Customs & Dining Culture
Zhangjiajie's dining culture is shaped by its mountain environment and its Tujia and Miao heritage. Meals are hearty, substantial, and designed to provide the energy needed for physical labor in steep terrain. A typical Zhangjiajie family meal might include a smoked meat dish, a stir-fried wild vegetable, a pickled dish, and a soup, all served with steamed rice or sometimes cornmeal porridge. Portions are generous, and hospitality is taken very seriously — a guest in a Tujia home will be pressed to eat more, and refusing food is considered rude.
Communal eating is central to Zhangjiajie's food culture, and the three-pot hotpot (三下锅) is the ultimate expression of this. When eating three-pot, everyone sits around a steaming table, sharing from the same pots and eating at a leisurely pace. The meal can stretch for hours, with conversation flowing as freely as the rice wine. This communal style of eating reflects the Tujia emphasis on community and mutual support — values forged in the harsh mountain environment where cooperation was essential for survival.
Festivals are important occasions for food in Zhangjiajie, and each festival has its own traditional dishes. The Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) is the biggest food event of the year, with families preparing weeks in advance. Smoked pork and sausage are the centerpiece of the New Year's meal, along with glutinous rice cakes (糍粑, cíbā), blood tofu, and various preserved vegetables. The She Festival (社日) in spring is marked by the making of she fan (社饭), the communal rice dish that brings the whole village together. The Miao New Year, celebrated by the Miao population in late autumn or early winter, features its own special foods, including glutinous rice wine and various kinds of sticky rice cakes.
Zhangjiajie also has distinctive dining etiquette, particularly when eating in a Tujia home. Guests are always seated in the position of honor — usually facing the door — and the host will continually refill the guest's bowl and glass. It is considered polite to leave a little food in your bowl, as finishing everything suggests that you are still hungry and the host did not provide enough. Similarly, it is polite to protest when the host offers more food, even if you want more — a brief back-and-forth before accepting is the expected ritual.
One of the most charming aspects of Zhangjiajie's food culture is the tradition of "roadside restaurants" (路边店, lù biān diàn) — small, family-run eateries along the mountain roads that serve simple, hearty meals to travelers and locals alike. These restaurants, often little more than a few tables in someone's front room, serve some of the best food in Zhangjiajie, using home-smoked pork, wild vegetables gathered from the nearby mountains, and recipes passed down through generations. Stopping at a roadside restaurant for a meal of smoked pork and wild fern shoots, with a view of the mountains through the open door, is one of the great culinary experiences of Zhangjiajie.
Where to Eat Zhangjiajie Cuisine
The best place to experience Zhangjiajie cuisine is, not surprisingly, in Zhangjiajie itself, and the further you get from the main tourist areas, the better the food becomes. The city center has a good selection of restaurants, but for the most authentic experience, head to the smaller towns and villages outside the main scenic area. The area around Wulingyuan (武陵源), while touristy, has some excellent restaurants serving Zhangjiajie specialties, particularly along the main street near the scenic area entrance. Look for restaurants with large displays of smoked pork hanging in the window — that is always a good sign.
For three-pot hotpot (三下锅), head to the old town area of Zhangjiajie city, where several restaurants specialize in this classic dish. The best ones have been in business for decades and use family recipes. Ask for the "traditional" (传统, chuántǒng) version to get the authentic experience, with all three pots simmering at your table. Be prepared for a long, leisurely meal — three-pot hotpot is not something to rush.
If you want to try wild mountain vegetables and other foraged ingredients, visit one of the morning markets, where farmers and foragers sell their daily harvest. The main market in Zhangjiajie city is the Yongding Market (永定市场), where you can find an astonishing variety of wild vegetables, mushrooms, and herbs, as well as smoked meats, fresh tofu, and other local specialties. Many of the vendors are Tujia or Miao women from nearby villages, and they can tell you exactly where each ingredient comes from and how to cook it.
For the truly adventurous, consider hiring a local guide to take you to a village restaurant in the mountains. These family-run establishments, often reachable only by dirt road, serve the most authentic Zhangjiajie food you will find — home-smoked pork, wild vegetables gathered that morning, and dishes made with recipes that have been in the family for generations. The experience of eating a home-cooked Tujia meal while surrounded by the dramatic mountain landscape is unforgettable. For more dining tips, see our restaurant guides.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Zhangjiajie cuisine known for?
Zhangjiajie cuisine is known for its Tujia and Miao ethnic flavors, its heavy use of smoked and cured meats (especially Tujia smoked pork), its sour-spicy flavor profile, and its incorporation of wild mountain ingredients like fern shoots, wild mushrooms, and kudzu. The cuisine is deeply connected to the Wuling Mountain environment and reflects the region's history of isolation and self-sufficiency.
What is the most famous dish from Zhangjiajie?
Tujia smoked pork (土家腊肉, Tǔjiā làròu) is the most iconic Zhangjiajie food and the foundation of the region's cuisine. Three-pot hotpot (三下锅, sān xià guō) is the most famous dish — a communal meal of three simmering pots of different ingredients that is the centerpiece of Tujia dining culture. Kudzu starch noodles (葛根粉) are also uniquely Zhangjiajie and a must-try for visitors.
How is Zhangjiajie cuisine different from other Hunan cuisines?
Zhangjiajie cuisine differs from other Hunan regional cuisines in several ways. It relies much more heavily on smoked and cured meats, reflecting the mountain tradition of preserving food for winter. Its flavor profile leans more toward sour-spicy (酸辣, suān là) than the purely spicy profile of Changsha or Hengyang cuisine. It also incorporates more wild mountain ingredients and has a stronger ethnic (Tujia and Miao) character than the cuisines of Han Chinese-dominated regions like Changsha or Yueyang.
What is three-pot hotpot (三下锅)?
Three-pot hotpot (三下锅, sān xià guō) is Zhangjiajie's signature communal dish, consisting of three separate pots of food simmering simultaneously at the table. The classic combination includes one pot of cured pork and radish, one pot of chicken or duck with mushrooms, and one pot of tofu with pickled vegetables. The dish originated as a way for travelers to share meals and is now a beloved social tradition, particularly during the cold winter months.
Is Zhangjiajie food very spicy?
While Zhangjiajie cuisine is certainly spicy — it is, after all, Hunan cuisine — its heat is different from that of other Hunan regions. The spiciness is typically balanced by sourness from pickled vegetables and smokiness from cured meats, creating a more complex, layered heat rather than pure fiery intensity. The sour-spicy (酸辣, suān là) profile is characteristic of western Hunan cuisine generally and is particularly well-developed in Zhangjiajie.
What is kudzu starch and why is it special?
Kudzu starch (葛根粉, gěgēn fěn) is made from the starchy root of the kudzu vine, which grows wild in the Wuling Mountains. It is used to make noodles, cakes, and beverages, and has a unique slippery, slightly chewy texture and mild earthy flavor. Kudzu is special because it is a truly wild mountain ingredient — it is foraged rather than cultivated — and because it is valued both as food and as medicine in traditional Chinese medicine, believed to have cooling and detoxifying properties.
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