The identification of charred plant leaves unearthed from a Western Han Dynasty tomb

Archaeological plant remains are important evidence for the study of the diet and living habits of ancient people. In 2019, archeologists excavated a Western Han Dynasty Tomb (Haihunhou tomb) in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province of China, where an amount of charred plant leaves were found in a wooden box, in order to identify the origin of the charred plant leaves, scientific investigations were carried out by using thermally assisted hydrolysis - methylation Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (THM-Py-GC/MS), and epidermal anatomy (cuticle study) techniques. The detection of the unique chemical components-3-pentadecylphenol ME (m/z = 348) and 3-pentadecenylcatechol 2ME (m/z = 346) in the sample indicates that the charred plant leaves belongs to the subfamily Anacardioideae of the Anacardiaceae. In addition, the cuticle structures characteristics of the charred plant leaves were compared with reference samples, indicating that the charred plant leaves in the wooden box were the leaves (leaflets) of Rhus. It's the first discovery of lacquer tree (including Rhus) leaves in Chinese archaeological history, most likely used as medicine, which is of great significance in the history of traditional Chinese medicine.