The museum on the campus of China Medical University (CMU) in Taichung is hosting an exhibition featuring pieces of paper that were handmade using the dregs of Chinese medicine and have a unique herbal aroma.
The exhibition, titled “Paper with Chinese Medicine Dregs in Cipher,” runs until Oct. 31 at the Lifu Museum of Chinese Medicine on CMU’s campus, the museum said in a statement yesterday.
Taiwan’s Chinese medicine-making industry produces about 1,500 tonnes of dregs from herbal medicine a year, the museum said, not specifying the source of that figure.
Photo courtesy of China Medical University
The dregs left over from the production of Chinese medicine are fiber-rich plant roots, stems and leaves, and the most common way of disposing of them is to turn them into compost or planting materials, it said.
Driven to find other ways to make use of the leftovers, the museum came up with the idea of working with Taiwan’s veteran Guang Xing Paper Mill to produce paper, museum director Kao Sheng-te (高尚德) was cited in the statement as saying.
The museum also collaborated with Japanese retailer MUJI to craft goods from the new type of paper, Kao said.
CMU president Hung Mien-chie (洪明奇) touted the success of making paper using herbal residue as a highlight in the quest to make sustainable goods, while Guang Xing CEO Huang Chi (黃琪) called the idea a breakthrough in sustainable production.
The exhibition is divided into three zones that focus on sustainability, fragrance and vision, the museum said.
Unsing a special production method, the unique aroma of the dregs from Chinese herbal medicine are preserved in the paper, it said, adding that it is also possible to see evidence of the plant substances used — such as flower petals — on the paper.
About 20 types of Chinese medicinal herbs were used to make the paper, including dried ginger, the root of membranous milk vetch, Chinese angelica and cinnamon bark, the museum said.
Some of the Chinese medicine materials used can replace 80 percent of virgin pulp and the paper can be used for writing and handicrafts, among other applications, it added.
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