Xichang Street - Green Grass Lane Introduction
Walking on Xichang Street near Taipei's Longshan Temple, you will smell a strong fragrance of herbal grass. The sweet and refreshing scent indicates that you are in Taipei's famous Herb Alley. In Lane 224, more than 10 herbal shops are gathered, offering a variety of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs. It is said that when Monga was first developed, there were many prevalent diseases, but licensed traditional Chinese medicine practitioners were scarce. Therefore, herbal medicine shops became the primary institutions for folk remedies, where people used herbal decoctions to treat illnesses. Many ancient traditional remedies are hidden within these shops, which were once referred to as "Lifeline Street." Later, with the cancellation of prescription medicine by Longshan Temple and the implementation of health insurance, herbal products transformed into natural health foods. There are over 100 types of herbs here, all locally sourced from Taiwan—transported from the south and processed through drying. The famous herbal tea is a refreshing remedy for the summer heat, and many people come to buy a few packets to brew at home. Under the planning of the Taipei City Government, live specimens of herbal plants such as aloe vera, red centella, saxifrage, and lavender have been planted in the adjoining Guangzhou Street Lane 209, establishing a medicinal plant garden, making it a wonderful location for outdoor education.
