Production: Jingbo (Liaoning Corps, China Building Materials Industry Geological Exploration Center)
Producer: Computer Network Information Center
When did humans start to soak in hot springs? Probably no one can answer clearly. The only certainty is that this kind of high-quality heat source will not be missed as long as human beings encounter it. After all, even monkeys know how to soak in hot springs.
Japanese macaques in Hell Valley Hot Springs (Source: pixabay.com, CC0)
The ancient way of soaking in hot springs is wilder than you think.
Not counting the story of Nu Wa's mending the sky by refining stones, the famous hot spring that was first recorded and verified is probably "Lishan Hot Spring". At the end of the Western Zhou Dynasty, that is, in the 7th century BC, the Li Palace was built on this basis, and the hot spring was called "Star Soup". In the Tang monument, hot springs are known as "sulfur in the ground and many diseases in the spring". Perhaps because of this "official" certification, people began to associate hot springs with "treating diseases".
In the case of poor medical and health conditions in ancient times, hot springs and hot water have certain sterilization, anti-inflammatory and wound healing effects, which have been promoted and passed down through various channels, and even exaggerated to the extent of deification.
Many medical books in later generations recorded the efficacy of hot springs, such as Compendium of Materia Medica and Notes on Materia Medica, and their principles and classification were also discussed in Compendium of Materia Medica and Edible Materia Medica. Even among many myths and ambitions, soaking in hot springs is an important procedure before washing away all dust and feathers. Even the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan Huangdi was bathed in the soup spring for 7 days before he soared with Rong and Fu.
China has a long history of using hot springs, but in fact, China is not rich in hot spring resources. There are few recognized and utilized hot springs in history. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, there were about 40 hot springs in Li Daoyuan's Notes on Water Classics. Hot springs, as a rare natural resource, were originally just an exclusive pastime of the aristocratic class.
The distribution of hot springs recorded in documents from Qin Dynasty to Southern and Northern Dynasties (Source: Reference 2)
In the Tang Dynasty, Lishan Hot Spring was also valued by the rulers of past dynasties. In this place, the size of the palace has been expanded many times, and it has been renamed many times until the well-known name Huaqing Palace. After the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, he carefully managed it. This detached palace and the woman who loves to soak in hot springs have become his favorites. During the 40 years from the second year of Kaiyuan (7 14) to the fourteenth year of Tianbao (755), he went to Huaqing Palace 36 times, and almost every October he would "visit here and return to Chang 'an at the end of his life", which was equivalent to moving the government agencies in Chang 'an. Over time, a new city centered on Huaqing Palace was formed. "Eighty-one cars must be ridden, and there is a feast early and a courtesy late" is a true portrayal of his situation.
Huaqing Palace (Source: Gan's Lintong County Records)
Japan has learned not only culture, but also hot springs as a pastime.
As the saying goes, there are good people in the world and bad people in the world. The upper class's love for hot springs has evolved into the pursuit of the whole people, deeply affecting the Japanese who are studying abroad.
With its unique advantages, Japan has developed rapidly in the hot spring industry. Today, Japan has become one of the countries with the most developed hot springs in the world. Although the use of hot springs has a long history, the only thing that really appears in the text is the book of longevity compiled for the Heian period. Some people in Japan think that the use of hot springs can be traced back to Nara period or earlier, but there is a lack of written records, which happened to be less than one hundred years after Xuanzong ascended the throne.
Japan is located at the edge of continental ocean plate shell, behind island arc, with active geological structure and many volcanic earthquakes. At the same time, it is close to the largest ocean in the world, affected by the monsoon, with abundant precipitation and groundwater resources. These reasons have created Japan's extremely rich natural hot spring resources.
In addition, the admiration for hot springs in the prosperous Tang culture was also well absorbed by Japan. Because it attaches great importance to tourism, which is known as a green industry, it attaches great importance to the development and standardization of hot spring industry, and the research on hot springs alone is also very complete. It even promulgated a special law "Hot Springs Law" to protect and make rational use of hot springs, thus promoting the development of public welfare undertakings.
However, the Japanese people's research and exploration of hot springs are more about the cultivation and utilization of hot springs, and they are very cautious about their therapeutic effects, which is very similar to the current research situation in China.
Hot spring skin care? Actually, taking a hot bath is not bad.
Yang Guifei likes to soak in hot springs. When she saw the beauty after bathing, Xuanzong Li Longji couldn't help admiring: "Wonderful! Soft as a chicken's head. " An Lushan did not forget to echo him and praised him together: "It's as smooth as a stuffed pastry." So, do hot springs really have the legendary effect of beauty beauty?
A large number of cases have proved that hot springs have a positive effect on skin care, but the effect is different from what you think. The solubility of most substances is directly proportional to temperature. Compared with cold water, hot spring water has a better effect of cleaning skin. In addition, when the body is immersed in hot springs, the skin will be subjected to both the temperature and static pressure of water. Temperature promotes blood circulation to a certain extent and increases the metabolism of skin and subdermal capillaries. This is the reason why the skin is younger. Under the static pressure of water, skin can act on superficial blood vessels and lymphatic vessels of the whole body, promote the return of blood and lymph, and enhance the metabolism of local tissues. Do both, as long as it is not scalded by overheated hot spring water or allergic to some substances in hot springs, the skin will naturally get better. Only the physical therapy of hot springs has played a role, not the trace elements contained in hot springs. So as long as you insist on taking a hot bath, you can also achieve the effect of beauty beauty.
Cao Jin Hot Springs (picture from pixabay.com, CC0)
However, in the use of hot springs, many hot spring service industries exaggerate their efficacy, confuse culture, legends and scientific research, blur their horizons, and even use some western health marketing methods.
However, if the effect of hot springs is equivalent to a hot bath, hot springs are still quite wronged. Trace elements in hot springs can change the pH of water and help improve the acid-base balance of skin. But apart from the physical therapy function of hot springs, it is probably not other elements in hot springs, but microorganisms that we rarely see at ordinary times.
The research group of Computational Biology and Medical Ecology of Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, based on the macro-gene data of more than 60 hot springs around the world, predicts that the number of archaea in hot springs around the world can reach 8,400 and the number of bacteria can reach more than 55,000, among which thermophilic bacteria and thermotolerant bacteria account for a considerable number. The microorganisms in these hot springs can affect the proportion of flora on human skin and have a good effect on dermatoses caused by fungi.
Of course, in reality, there will also be some hot spring service places to restrict the entry of patients with skin diseases. There are generally two considerations. First, not all skin diseases are suitable for spa treatment, and some will have a worsening effect, but how to classify them will be more difficult, and simple treatment will be uniform. Second, in some places, the hot spring resources and facilities are relatively short, so people who struggle to improve the utilization rate of hot spring water and worry about skin diseases will make such a decision, more because of the adjustment of their own services and operations than for scientific reasons.
Hot springs are good, but pay attention to temperature and time.
When enjoying the physical pleasure brought by hot springs, there will be some precautions, such as excessive temperature or acidity, which will cause harm to the skin. Soaking in hot springs for a long time will consume a lot of energy, resulting in insufficient energy supply for the body, and some special groups will be in danger. In addition, it should be noted that hot springs exceeding body temperature will lead to the decline of sperm quality and reduce the chance of pregnancy.
Sperm will lose vitality in overheated hot springs (self-made by the author of the picture)
Bai Juyi wrote in his poem: "It was early spring. They let her bathe in the pure flower pond to warm and smooth her creamy crystal skin. " . Because she was tired, a maid lifted her up, when the emperor noticed her for the first time and chose her as his bride. "I may have accidentally written the truth that Yang Guifei spoiled the crown harem but had no children. Although the hazy temperament and relaxed environment of hot springs can increase interest and desire for love, overheating and dilution of hot spring water will lead to the decline of sperm quality. At the same time, the hot spring water environment may destroy the normal acidic environment of female genitals and increase the risk of illness. Therefore, although "driving" in the water is fun, it will also affect the arrival of the next generation, which is not a good idea. Pregnant friends must pay attention.
refer to
Zhang Hong. The distribution of hot springs in China [J]. Journal of Geography,1935,2 (3).
He [1, 2], Gong Shengsheng [3]. Distribution and spatial evolution of ancient hot spring resources in China [J]. Tropical Geography, 2013,33 (4): 407-413.
[3] Kikukawa Seiji. Identification of Hot Springs (にづく Hot Springs Method) [J]. Geological Survey, 20 18.
Hao, Wang Xiaojun, Xiang, et al. A Brief History of Hot Spring Bath Therapy in China [J]. Chinese Journal of Medical History, 201,4 1 (4): 235-239.
[5] The global microbial diversity in hot springs is measured by DAR (Diversity-Area Relationship) profile. Microorganism. ，20 19，DOI:doi.org/ 10.3389/fmicb.20 19.00 1 18
Wang You, Bai, et al. Research progress of physical therapy mechanism of sulfate hot springs [J]. chinese journal of convalescent medicine Journal, 2015 (12):1251-1254.
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