Herba Artemisiae Scopariae

(English) Capillary Wormwood Herb

Alias Sheep Artemisia capillaris, Artemisia capillaris alba, Artemisia tomentosa, Artemisia loosestrife.

Origin Seedlings of Artemisia capillaris Thunb.

Plant Form Perennial herb or semi-shrubby. Stem erect, 0.5-1m high, base woody, surface yellowish brown, with longitudinal stripes, much branched; all with brown filiform hairs when young, nearly glabrous after growing. Leaves 1 to 3 times pinnae y divided, lower lobes are broader and shorter, often covered with short sericeous hairs; middle leaf lobes are slender as hairs, about 1mm wide; upper leaf pinnae divided, 3-lobed or unlobed, nearly glabrous. Heads small and numerous, crowded into compound racemes; involucral bracts 3 to 4-layered, glabrous, outer ovate, inner elliptic, central green, margin membranous; flowers yellow, tubular, outer flowers 3 to 5, female, fertile, inner flowers bisexual 5 to 7, sterile. Achenes oblong, ca. 0.8 mm, glabrous. Flowering period September to October, fruiting period October to December.

Born on mountain slopes and roadsides. Distributed throughout the country.

Harvesting Seedlings are harvested in spring when they are 6-10cm tall, old stems and impurities are removed, and dried in the sun.

Chemical composition Contains 6,7-dimethylsculetin and volatile oil, the oil is mainly a-pinene, capillin, capillene, capillanol, capillarisin, chlorogenic acid, etc. The main components are: a-pinene, capillin, capillanol, capillarisin, capillarisin, capillarisin, capillarisin, capillarisin, capillarisin, capillarisin, capillarisin, capillarisin, capillarisin, capillarisin, capillarisin, capillanol and capillanol. acid, and so on.

Taste and odor Slightly cold, pungent and bitter.

Functions and Indications It is used for clearing dampness and heat, and relieving jaundice. It is used for jaundice, itching wet sores, infectious jaundice hepatitis.

Note The seedlings of the same genus Artemisia scoparia Wadldst. et Kit. are used in medicine as Yin Chen.

Source The dried above-ground parts of Artemisia capillaris Thunb. Seedlings are harvested in spring when they are 6~10cm high or cut in fall when the flower buds are mature, impurities and old stems are removed, and dried in the sun. The spring harvested is called "Mian Yin Chen", and the fall harvested is called "Yin Chen Artemisia".

Method of production remove the residual roots and impurities, rubbed or chopped. Sieve off the ash.

Traits

Mian yin chen: more curled into clusters, gray-white or gray-green, all densely covered with white hairs, soft as velvet. The stem is small, 1.5~2.5cm long, 0.1~0.2cm in diameter, with obvious longitudinal lines after removing the white hairs on the surface; the texture is brittle and easy to break. Leaves are petiolate; after spreading the leaf blade is one to three times pinnatifid, leaf blade length 1~3cm, width about 1cm; lobules ovate or slightly oblanceolate, bar-shaped, apex sharp. It is fragrant and slightly bitter in flavor.

Artemisia capillaris: the stem is cylindrical, multi-branched, 30-100cm long, 2-8mm in diameter; the surface is mauve or purple, with longitudinal stripes, and is pubescent; the body is light, brittle, and the cross-section is whitish. Leaves crowded, or much deciduous; lower leaves two to three times pinnately parted, segments striped or thinly striped, both surfaces densely white pilose; cauline leaves one to two times pinnatisect, base clasping, segments finely filiform; heads ovate, mostly paniculate, 1.2-1.5mm long, 1-1.2mm in diameter, shortly pedicellate; involucral bracts 3-4-layered, ovate, bracts 3-lobed; outer layer of 6-10 pistillate flowers, up to 15, inner layer bisexual, up to 3.5mm long, 1-1.2mm in diameter, short-stemmed; involucral bracts 3-4-layered, ovate, bracts 3-lobed; outer layer of 6-10 female flowers, may be as many as 15, inner layer of 2 female flowers. up to 15, inner bisexual flowers 2-10. Achenes oblong, yellowish brown. Aromatic, slightly bitter flavor.

These are bitter, pungent and slightly cold. Attributes to the spleen, stomach, liver and gallbladder meridians.

Use and dosage 6～15g. Appropriate amount for external use, decoction and fumigation.

Store in a cool and dry place, protected from moisture.

Remarks (1) used for damp-heat fumigation and jaundice disease, can use a single flavor, large dose of decoction of soup for internal use; Can also be used with rhubarb, gardenia and so on. If the urine is unfavorable and significant, it can be used with ze diarrhea, pig ling and so on. This product retires jaundice effect is very good, so in addition to use for damp-heat jaundice, for suffer from cold and damp or vegetarian body yang deficiency occurs in yin yellowness disease, can also apply. However, it should be used together with warming products to dispel cold, such as Radix et Rhizoma Polygonati Odorati, Radix et Rhizoma Drynariae, etc., in order to remove yin cold and reduce jaundice.

Excerpts from Chinese Pharmacopoeia

Therapeutic soup with Herba Artemisiae scopariae, decocted quail, boiled with fierce fire for one hour to drink, can be put on the liver, clear liver heat, is commonly used by the Cantonese people in the therapeutic soup

[Medicinal materials and production and marketing] Herba Artemisiae scopariae is mainly produced in Shaanxi, Hebei, Shanxi and other provinces. Commodity commonly known as Mian Yin Chen, Shaanxi producers called West Yin Chen, the best quality. In addition to supplying the province, it is also exported to the southern provinces. Other kinds of provinces, districts produced, more self-production and self-marketing.