The Chaste Tree’s Many Uses - Man and Trees Ep.3

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The Chinese chaste tree has been an integral part of Hakka culture for centuries. Come along as we discover the wide variety of ways this resilient tree is still used in Taiwan and China today! In Baoli Village in Pingtung, Taiwan, Hakka residents once relied on the Chinese chaste tree for firewood, stacking massive wood piles in front of their homes. Hakka people in today’s Taiwan and China still take advantage of the flexibility of chaste tree wood to create handicrafts, using the wood for basket making and broom making. The strong scent of the wood is said to ward off insects, making it a great addition in between the bricks of newly-built houses. It is also one of many medicinal plants, as it can help treat headaches and relieve foot pain. Due to its resilience, the chaste tree is abundant on Taiwan’s Hengchun Peninsula and has been burned there for charcoal for over 300 years. Charcoal makers have created a unique rice dish using chaste tree charcoal: charcoal rice. The rice has a delicate, smokey flavor that reminds them of their childhood. Hakka villagers in Guangdong Province, China also use the tree in cooking, making rice cakes for their families for the holidays. In Taiwan, it is not only the Hakka people who rely on this tree in their daily lives. Taiwan’s Indigenous peoples use it as well. The Austronesian Paiwan people have historically used the tree’s sap for teeth blackening, a beautifying and cleansing practice that dates back hundreds of years. The Makatao people, on the other hand, use the tree’s leaves and flowers to contact ancestral spirits. The flexible chaste tree branches also come in handy when creating leaf crowns for worshippers, a practice that was once reserved only for the community’s high priest. While many of these ancient practices have fallen out of use with the passage of time, Hakka and Indigenous elders today hope to continue educating younger generations about the Chinese chaste tree’s many practical uses.

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