The harvesting of Herba Cepacia is divided into spring and fall, the roots of Herba Cepacia still survive in the soil during the cold winter, and accumulate energy to germinate and grow in the spring. In the spring, the seedlings are harvested after they reach six to ten centimeters and are called "Mian Yin Chen"; in the fall, when the flower buds grow to the point of blooming, the medicinal effect is the strongest at this time.
Also as suitable for harvesting, called "Artemisia capillaris". In fact, the spring and fall harvested in the efficacy of the role of the above is not very obvious differences, its nature is slightly cold, taste bitter, generally choose six grams to fifteen grams of chenqian decoction soup fumigation. Unlike some herbs that can only be used partially, the whole body can be used as medicine, which can play a better role in the prevention of influenza.
Physiological Characteristics
Mian Yin Chen: more curled into a ball, gray-white or gray-green, all densely covered with white hairs, soft as velvet. The stem is small, 1.5-62.5px long, 0.1-5px in diameter, with obvious longitudinal stripes after removing the white hairs on the surface; the texture is brittle and easy to break. Leaves are petiolate; the leaf blade is one to three times pinnatifid after spreading, the leaf blade is 1～75px long, about 25px wide; the lobules are ovate or slightly oblanceolate, bar-shaped, with the apex acute. The odor is fresh and fragrant, and the taste is slightly bitter.
Flowering Inula: the stem is cylindrical, multi-branched, 30～2500px 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 are crowded, or much deciduous; lower leaves two to three times pinnately parted, segments striped or finely striped, both surfaces densely white pilose; cauline leaves one to two times pinnatisect, the base clasping the stem, segments finely filiform.
The above references? Baidu Encyclopedia-Inchidium