In the West little is known of the Chinese pharmacopia other than Tiger balm, in its tiny circular tin. But any Taiwanese home medicine chest will boast a whole host of immutably packaged unguents, oils and capsules.
Green Oil, which Hsin Wan Jen has been selling since 1967 is a shining example of this resistance to fashion and foreign invasion.
Ubiquitous in ladies’ handbags, the 4 cm high plain bottle contains a mix of menthol and camphor, eucalyptus and clove oils. A dab on the temples is enough to revive flagging spirits.
Such was the power of “Japanese camphor,” as it was known at the beginning of the 19th century when Formosa was Japanese and the precious wood was exported by the shipload.
Taiwan’s response to Malaysia’s White Flower Oil and Hong Kong’s Red Oil, both camphor-based, it owed some of its fame to its advertising ditty which spoke to Taiwanese of an epoch when everything was simpler. Its fans watch it on a loop on YouTube in its latest rock’n’roll reincarnation… (SDH)
(This article first appeared in Taiwan aujourd’hui.)