Fragrance from the land – Xiangyu Ma Xue ecology
There are many endemic plants in Taiwan, among which one of Taiwan’s endemic spice plants “Ma Gao” is the most representative, immediately associated with the flavor cuisine of Taiwan’s aborigines, Ma Gao’s spice is very important to be related to the traditional life habits of the aborigines, the fruit contains a lot of aroma components, which can be used in food, the Atayal people decoction roots to treat headaches, the fruits and leaves can be eaten directly to eliminate fatigue, the Bunun people go out hunting with Ma Gong rice balls, the use of Ma Gong antibacterial and fishy effect to pickle prey, seasoning and other use of Ma Gong spice culture.
In recent years, the consumer market has demanded more extensive use of Magao spices, such as Magao perfume, Magao beer, Magao coffee, Magao black tea, etc., which are widely loved and respected by the market, and have the potential to be used as a representative fragrance in Taiwan.
Ecology and characteristics
Fan Yibin, Wang Rumin and Pan Fujun (Min 95) point out that the term “Maqav” is derived from the Atayal language “Makeauy”, which is used in the Bunun language “Maqav”; Mountain pepper (scientific name: Litsea cubeba), also known as wood ginger, litsea cubeba, mountain pepper, is a plant of the family Lauraceae. It is mainly distributed in Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou through South China to East China, Central China, Taiwan and Southeast Asian countries; Among them, the Taiwan branch starts from Wulai and Hsinchu in the north, and goes to the Riyuetan District in the central part to the Fanping area in the south.
It is a small deciduous tree that is generally about 5 to 10 meters tall. The bark is yellowish-green when young and grayish-brown when old; lanceolate or oblong-elliptic single leaves alternate, branches, leaves, and fruits have obvious aromas, among which the aroma of green fruits is the most significant, and the title of “Taiwan Forest Emerald _ Ma Gao”; The inflorescence is born in the leaf axils, blooms pale yellow florets in February and March, and bears fruit in July to August.
| Horse Pepper (Mountain Pepper) | Month/Season | Plant ecology |
 | In November of the previous year | Flower bud formation |
| At the beginning of February of the following year | flowering | |
| It matures in June and July every year | The fruit is ripe and harvested |
(Photo by Chen Xuanliang)
The faster the growth rate in the sunny open land, after cutting in the wild or after thinning the land, it is common to see the seedlings planted naturally, and the fruit of the horse is from the female plant, and the monosexual flower, dioecious and male to female ratio is about 1:2. In view of the demand of the consumer market, the difficulty of collecting natural wild horses and the gradual decline of the population, one of them is that; Through the Community Forestry Programme, the Forestry Bureau counsels the indigenous people in the maintenance and proper collection of horseshoe plants. The Forestry Laboratory has started research on artificial reproduction and rehabilitation, and has successfully used asexual reproduction technology to achieve the goal of sustainable development of the industry.
The fresh and pleasant aroma of the tip of the nose and fresh macao seeds and lemon citrus was pointed out by Hong Kunyuan, Lin Guanying, Song Huijun and Wu Xinhui (Min 111) based on the propagation technology of female pepper plants, known as Oriental verbena, and its main components are “Citral”, “Limonene” and “Citronellal”; Among them, “citral” can be divided into geraniol (Geraniol) and nerolidol (Nerol), its extraction is to take fresh fruits and leaves, through distillation can obtain high-purity essential oils and hydrosols, with light yellow volatile oil liquid and lemon flavor, can be used in high-end perfumes and health care products.
In the fragrance industry, citral (Citral) sweet and sour fruity aroma and geraniol (Geraniol) fresh and slightly bitter, geranium aroma can be used to use the top and middle notes of the fragrance, and the overall aroma profile is classified as a fresh forest aroma, as if immersed in the forest atmosphere to make people relax.
| name of article | Citral | Geraniol |
| volatility | height | Moderate |
| Aroma characteristics | It has a lemon aroma, often used to blend citrus fragrance, and is present in lemongrass, verbena, lemon balm… and other essential oils | The main agent of rose flavor can be used for strawberry, peach, apple, orange, pineapple and other fruity flavors and ginger, cinnamon and other flavors |
| Sensual vibe | Sweet and sour fruity aroma | Fresh and slightly bitter, geranium aroma |
| Rational function | Insect repellent and antimicrobial | Insect repellent and antimicrobial |
The original incense on the tip of the nose
It is not easy to preserve the fresh fruit of Masu, the wild Masue green fruit is collected in July and August every year, and the green fruit turns dark after drying in the process of natural sunlight and sunshine, at this time the aroma of citrus and lemon has disappeared, leaving only the spicy smell when most of the food is cooked, in the use of fragrance is to distill the fresh fruit immediately after harvesting, and the shelf life of the extracted essential oil raw materials can be as long as several years or even indefinite.
In the preparation of perfume, to show the lemon aroma and the spicy taste of ginger, you can use the soaking method or distillation method to extract the charming aroma of Magao, Hsuan Ri Fen brand Maqi perfume MAQAV EDP is based on the original Magao of Taiwan’s turbid water Bunun tribe as the main raw material, the charming aroma of Magao and the warm and natural temperament of the Bunun people are perfectly matched, and the aroma obtained is amazing and fascinating!
Reference: A Study on Innovative Marketing in Taiwan’s Fragrance Industry from a Consumer Perspective Chen Xuanliang (2022)
