Immortal by Default: A brief history of humans and the ginkgo tree

Vomit is the unmistakable and most notorious scent of campus dormitories.

>Although it is the seed that features most prominently in the Chinese materia medica, both oral tradition and written sources indicate that the medicinal properties of the gingko’s leaves have been utilized just as early and extensively. One indication is the fact that before the seeds were discovered by the imperial kitchen, the gingko’s main name–Duck Feet Tree–was fashioned after the leaves. Furthermore, regional herb usage in Sichuan, Zhejiang, Guangxi, Hebei, Henan, Liaoning and other gingko rich provinces documents that the gingko leaf has been used as a folk herb for a long time. And most importantly, the gingko leaf received a formal entry in the official materia medica commissioned by the Imperial Academy of Medicine almost 500 years ago.

from https://classicalchinesemedicine.org/ginkgo-cultural-backgro...

They taste and smell nothing like the vomit seedcoats, they’re kinda like pistachios but a bit rubbery and chewy. I’m still surprised they’re not more popular and that more people don’t know, but perhaps it’s because most municipalities avoid the smelly males. I didn’t realize the toxicity until checking wiki, either.

What is bloody revolting, though, is the smell of the rotting fruit, which bears a disturbing resemblance to semen that's been sitting around for a while.

1. Heal a cavity. 2. Re-attach a nail. 3. Force hair growth. 4. Fix cartilage.