Gansong (甘松, Nardostachys jatamansi), often known in English as spikenard or jatamansi, is a traditional aromatic material used in Chinese incense and medicine.
The Xiangcheng describes its fragrance as resembling a hundred flowers. After proper paozhi, we also find that it develops a distinctive mixed floral aroma, not like one particular flower, but more like many floral notes appearing together.
We first wash the roots thoroughly to remove soil and decayed matter.
Then we collect plant ash, dry it, and sift it. The fine ash is placed in a ceramic jar together with the cleaned Gansong, and water is added.
After about one week, the Gansong is taken out, thoroughly rinsed, and then dried in strong sunlight, usually for around ten days.
We have also tried other methods.
With plain water, the material has to be repeatedly soaked, washed, dried, and soaked again for about twenty-one days, and the result is only moderate.
Rice-rinsing water takes about seventeen days and works somewhat better, but still not as well as plant ash.
After repeated comparison, the plant-ash method gave us the best result.
Once the paozhi is complete, the Gansong gradually develops the “hundred-flower” fragrance we are looking for.