金门特产之一是“一条根”，不过肯定不是这一根 :) Photo of my Taiwanese pal Xiao Kai taken at Juguang Tower 莒光樓, Kinmen. This pose was thought of by him. I gotta applaud him for his vivid imagination :)
One of the specialty products of Kinmen, Taiwan which I learnt from my recent visit to Kinmen, is a herb called “金門一條根 Jin Men Yi Tiao Gen”, loosely translated into a kinky-sounding “A Kinmen Root.”
Found in the Kinmen area, pharmaceutical books claim that the Yi Tiao Gen herb, or 阔叶大豆 (Glycine tomentella Hayata) can enhance blood circulation, build general health and is especially good for treating arthritis and body aches. I immediately dragged my aching body (yes, I over-shopped again, ha) in search of this remedy.
My sweet pal Xiao Kai brought us to 金門浯記一條根 conveniently located in the city centre Jin Cheng 金城 (just opposite the bus station). They are the first shop in Kinmen to promote products made from Yi Tiao Gen, and have worked with local TCM institutions to research on this herb.
It’s a full house! Definitely a good sign…
Say hello to Sister Xu! Can you imagine she used to serve in the army? (see the photo on the counter just in front of her) I bet she must have been the best tester for the herb lol.
Yi Tiao Gen can be ingested as a drink or made into a paste, oil or plaster for application on aching body parts. Its root is about 50cm long (hence its name) and can only be harvested after 2 to 10 years. The low production makes it precious and it has been likened to the Korean ginseng.
This is the paste to go for! Buy, buy ,buy!
Sister Xu helped to do “gua sha” with the Yi Tiao Gen paste, and look at my shoulder in 5 minutes – all red! Definitely overworked and too heaty!
From top left: Yi Tiao Gen tea bags, medicinal paste, oil and plaster (can cut into smaller pieces) And that’s only part of my stash. Bye bye pain :)
金門浯記一條根 Kinmen Wu Ji Yi Tiao Gen
Address: 金門縣金城鎮民生路9-18號(金城車站旁) – this would be a more convenient location
Tel: 082 322 285
Opening Hours: 7:30AM to 9:30PM
Email: [email protected]
金門浯記一條根(總店 Main store)
Address：金門縣金寧鄉后沙村3-1號
Tel：082 322 352 / 3231 493
Fax：082 323 312
Opening Hours：8:00AM to 6:00PM
Email：[email protected]
Website: http:// www.km5g.com.tw
