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Tibetans divide Saussurea involucrata into male and female. It is said that the female can be eaten raw, which is sweet and the male is bitter. In plant taxonomy, Saussurea involucrata can be divided into Saussurea involucrata subgenus and Mountain hare subgenus. There are three species of Saussurea 13, Mountain hare subgenus 17 and 30 species of * * * in Tibet.

Saussurea involucrata is not only produced in Tibet, but also distributed in Xinjiang, Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan. The whole herb of Saussurea involucrata is used as medicine by people all over the country. It is mainly used to treat snow disease, toothache, rheumatoid arthritis, impotence, irregular menstruation, erythema and leucorrhea. Indian folks also come to Xuelian to treat many patients with chronic diseases. Such as gastric ulcer, hemorrhoids, bronchitis, heart disease, nosebleeds, snake bites, etc. Saussurea involucrata has a long history as a Tibetan medicine. It is recorded in Tibetan medical literature "Wang Yue Yao Zhen" and "Four Medical Codes".

Saussurea involucrata contains bioactive components. Among them, umbelliferone has obvious antibacterial, antihypertensive, sedative and spasmolytic effects; Scopolamine has the functions of expelling wind, diminishing inflammation, relieving pain, eliminating phlegm and resisting tumor. The clinical effective rate of traditional Chinese medicine in treating acute and chronic bronchitis is 96.6%. Apigenin has the effects of smooth muscle spasmolysis and anti-gastric ulcer. It has obvious cholagogic effect on antelope benzophenone. Of particular interest is colchicine contained in Saussurea involucrata, which is a typical representative of cell mitosis and can inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Clinically, it is used to treat cancer, especially breast cancer, and also has certain curative effect on skin cancer, leukemia and Hodgkin's disease. Has special effect on acute attack of gout. It can quickly diminish inflammation and relieve pain within 12-24 hours. Long-term use can reduce the number of attacks. In addition, it also has estrogen-like activity, which can prolong estrus and late estrus, but shorten estrus and early estrus. But colchicine is toxic, which can cause nausea, loss of appetite and abdominal distension. In severe cases, it will cause side effects such as intestinal paralysis, constipation and sore limbs. Because Saussurea involucrata contains colchicine with good curative effect and great toxicity, people should not take more when soaking Saussurea involucrata in wine to treat rheumatoid arthritis and gynecological diseases.