Ophiopogon japonicus is recorded as an excellent medicinal material for health preservation in compendium of materia medica, and its tuber is the main part of Ophiopogon japonicus. In Henan, people habitually call Ophiopogon japonicus "Yu Yu Liang", "Yu Jiu" and "Yu Xia", which is related to the historical legends of Ophiopogon japonicus.
Historical legends of Ophiopogon japonicus
Legend has it that the ancient sage Dayu wasted a lot of effort to control the scourge of the flood, rummaged through his house for three times, and finally ended the flood. People finally lived and worked in peace and contentment, and no longer suffered from the flood. Now that the flood has passed, people can work normally. There was no flood, crops and plants in the field grew well, and people got a bumper harvest. However, this bumper harvest has also brought troubles. Because there is so much food, most people can't finish it. Seeing this situation, Dayu ordered everyone to pour the leftover food into the river. After a while, people found that a grass actually grew in the river where food was poured, so people called it Liang. And this plant called "Yu Yu Liang" is what we call Ophiopogon japonicus. Later, because this plant grows in Yuzhou, Ophiopogon japonicus has very long and narrow leaves and looks very like leeks, so people call this plant "Yujiu".