Aster flower is a kind of Chinese herbal medicine. Its main function is to relieve cough and asthma. Aster is included in Zhike Powder. Aster flowers grow in wastelands or roadsides. It is a very common herb. In addition to relieving coughs, it also has some other effects. So, what diseases can aster flowers treat? What are the benefits of eating aster flowers?
1. Effects of aster flowers
(1) Expectorant effect
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that aster has the functions of warming the lungs, lowering Qi, eliminating phlegm and relieving coughs. Experiments have shown that the water decoction has an expectorant effect but has no antitussive or antiasthmatic effect. Benzene and methanol extracts also have an expectorant effect.
Clinical prescription: 9 grams of Aster, 4.5 grams of Scutellaria baicalensis, 9 grams of Asparagus Asparagus, 9 grams of Morus alba, 6 grams of almonds, 6 grams of Platycodon, 6 grams of donkey-hide gelatin, 6 grams of Sichuan Fritillaria, . 6 grams of ginseng, 6 grams of yellow ginseng, 12 pieces of Schisandra chinensis, 1.5 grams of licorice, decoction in water.
(2) Antibacterial effect
Aster has antibacterial effects in vitro on 7 types of bacteria including Escherichia coli, Shigella dysenteriae, Proteus, Typhimurium, Paratyphoid, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Vibrio cholerae. It has a certain inhibitory effect on Langerhans-negative intestinal pathogenic bacteria and has an effect against pathogenic fungi. It can be used as topical and internal medicine for fungal infections.
(3) Antiviral effect
The water decoction in chicken embryo allantois has obvious inhibitory effect on influenza virus, and aster also has anti-tuberculosis effect, which is effective against tuberculosis and other diseases. It also has a strong inhibitory effect on Mycobacterium tuberculosis and can prevent tuberculosis.
(4) Tumor-suppressing effect
It is reported that epiderpenol isolated from Aster has a tumor-suppressing effect on Ehrlich ascites cancer in mice.
It has also been reported that cyclic peptide compounds isolated from the n-butanol extracted part of aster root have anti-tumor activity against S180.
(5) Diuresis
Aster contains a certain amount of aster saponin and quercetin, both of which have strong diuretic effects. Therefore, when Chinese medicine contains aster, you need to pay attention to replenishing water.
2. Precautions
1. The saponins contained in aster have a certain hemolytic effect. Therefore, aster drugs should not be injected directly intravenously to avoid massive hemolysis.
2. Aster tastes bitter and is warm in nature. Therefore, it should not be used by people with excessive heat.
3. How to eat it
(1) Aster soup
Source: Volume 93 of "Sheng Ji Zong Lu".
Alias: Dipsacus Powder ("Pu Ji Fang" Volume 237 cited in "Health Family Treasures")
Composition: Aster (remove seedling soil) 1 tael, Platycodon (file, Stir-fried) 1 tael, coltsfoot flower (stem removed) 1 tael, Citrus aurantium husk (pulp removed, bran fried) 1 tael, orange peel (white removed, roasted) half a tael, red poria (black skin removed) 1 tael, red 1 and 2 halves of peony, 1 and 2 halves of lily, and 2 halves of cauliflower (file).
Usage: Add eight flavors, pound and sieve coarsely. Take 15 grams each time, add 220 ml of water, add 6 grams of green bamboo root, fry until it reaches 150 ml, remove the water, take it warmly after eating, and take it again after a long time.
Modifications and subtractions: If the heat is severe, add 30 grams of asparagus (heart removed) and 45 grams of gypsum.
Indications: Insufficient lung Qi, rusty cough, blocked throat, shortness of breath and fatigue, continuous spitting, coldness coming from the back, mouth as if there is frost and snow, no sound when speaking, bloody saliva, retching Those who are upset, hear the sound of wind and rain, have haggard fur, and have a pale complexion.
(2) Aster Pills
Composition: 3 points of aster (remove the seedling soil), 1 tael of Pediculus (remove the reed heads), 1 tael of Ophiopogon japonicus (remove the heart, roasted), half a liang of Platycodon (remove the reed heads), 1 and a half turtle shells (coat with vinegar, broil until yellow, remove skirt), 3 points of white peony, half a liang of Fritillaria (simmered until slightly yellow), 3 points of lily, licorice Half a liang (slightly red when roasted, file).
Usage: The upper part is the powder, and the honey is refined into pills, as big as sycamore seeds. Take 20 pills each time with ginger soup at any time.
Indications: Cough due to fatigue, unfavorable chest and diaphragm, joint pain, and tasteless food.
Taboo: avoid amaranth.
Source: Volume 27 of "Sheng Hui".
(3) Aster antler soup
Synonym: Aster soup (Volume 7 of "Chishui Xuanzhu").
Composition: Aster antler (washed), frosted mulberry leaves, coltsfoot flowers, lilies (steamed, roasted), almonds (peeled and sharpened), donkey-hide gelatin (stir-fried with clam powder), Fritillaria (remove the heart) ), 30 grams each of Puhuang (fried), Pinellia ternata (soaked seven times), 15 grams each of rhinoceros horn (pound), licorice (broiled), and ginseng
Usage: Apply the medicine and sigh.
Take 12 grams per serving, add 220 ml of water, add 5 slices of ginger, fry to 180 ml, drain, and take warm after eating.
Function: Clear the lungs and replenish qi, relieve cough and reduce phlegm.
Indications: Overeating, shouting loudly, or fried food, evil heat damaging the lungs, coughing and itchy throat, excessive phlegm and bloody saliva, rapid breathing, chest fullness and hypochondriac pain, and inability to lie down.
Source: "Re-editing Yan's Jisheng Prescription".
(4) Aster decoction
Composition: 3 taels of aster (remove soil), 3 taels of donkey-hide gelatin (mashed, stir-fried until yellow and dry), 3 taels of Shegan, 1 asarum 2. 1 liang of dried ginger (cracked, file), 1 liang of bamboo juice, half a liang of Daphne root (removed of soil), 3 liang of white bark of mulberry root (file), 2 liang of coltsfoot, and half a liang of aconite (cracked, file) Peel navel), half a liang of licorice (slightly red when roasted, file), and 1 cup of white honey.
Usage: Take half a spoon each time, mix it with warm porridge, 3-4 times a day.
Preparation method: To prepare the powder, first add 2 buckets of water and fry it in a silver pot until it reaches 1 bucket, remove the dregs, add honey and bamboo drain, and boil over low heat to make a paste.
Indications: Prolonged cough with shortness of breath, thick mucus and saliva, and swelling of the head and face.
Source: Volume 46 of "Shenghui".
(5) Coltsfoot flower and aster tea
Composition: 6 grams of tea leaves, 3 grams each of coltsfoot flower and aster.
Preparation method: Put the above three herbs into a thermos bottle, brew with boiling water until more than half of the bottle is filled, cover and simmer for more than 10 minutes, then drink it as tea. Drink it several times within a day and discard the sediment. .
Function: Relieving cough and reducing phlegm.
Indications: Cough with excessive phlegm, wheezing, shortness of breath, aversion to cold and fever caused by exogenous wind-cold.
Note: Wind-cold is felt upward, and internally combines with the lungs, causing the lungs to fail to spread and descend, so coughing and shortness of breath are seen. Cold is a yin evil, and liquid condenses into phlegm, so coughing and phlegm are excessive. When cold stagnates on the surface of the muscles, Wei Yang is suppressed, so symptoms of aversion to cold and fever are seen. Aster is warm, moist and bitter in nature, and has a good effect of resolving phlegm and relieving cough. "Herbal Classic": "It is mainly used for coughing and rising qi, and cold and heat in the chest." Butterbur can moisten the lungs and lower qi, relieve cough and reduce phlegm. Tea is bitter, sweet, and cool. It can clear the head and eyes, eliminate polydipsia, resolve phlegm, eliminate food, and be a diuretic. "Compendium of Materia Medica" states that tea: "Densely fried, it can cause vomiting of wind, heat and phlegm." The combination of the three medicines has the effect of relieving cough and reducing phlegm. According to pharmacological research: the aster saponin in aster can increase respiratory secretions in animals and has an expectorant effect. A colorless needle-shaped crystal was isolated from the alcohol extract of the aster root, which has an antitussive effect on experimental cough in mice. It has inhibitory effects on a variety of pathogens and has anti-cancer effects on Ehrlich ascites cancer. Theophylline contained in tea can relax smooth muscles, so it is used to treat bronchial asthma.
Source: "Herbal Tea Cure All Diseases"