Five Spice Herb, the whole herb of the plant Lepidium apetalum, is mainly distributed in Suzhou, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, and eastern Jiangxi. Five Spice Herb has the effects of relieving exterior, dissipating heat, regulating Qi, and relieving pain. It is used for colds, heatstroke, tetanus, gastric pain, sore throat, boils, and centipede bites, among other conditions.
Five Spice Herb is an annual aromatic herb, 30-40 cm tall, with many branches. The stem is square, sparsely covered with short, soft hairs.
The leaves are opposite, lanceolate, 2-3 cm long, 5-8 mm wide, gradually pointed at the tip, wedge-shaped at the base, with sparse serrations, smooth, and densely covered with glandular dots; the petiole is 5 mm long.
The sparsely arranged cymose inflorescence is terminal; the bracts are very small, nearly circular, with short pointed tips; the flowers are about 6 mm long; the calyx is bell-shaped, 5-lobed, and covered with short hairs; the corolla is light red, twice as long as the calyx, with an upright upper lip with a concave notch and a 3-lobed lower lip, with the central lobe being the largest.
There are 4 stamens, with the posterior ones or the upper ones developed and slightly protruding from the corolla, with 2 anthers, widely divergent, and the anterior ones or the lower ones degenerated; there is 1 pistil, with a deeply 4-lobed ovary, a slightly protruding style, and 2 lobes of unequal length.
The small achene is brown, round, reticulate, with tiny glandular dots, and a conspicuous hilum at the base. The flowering period is from September to October, and the fruiting period is from October to November.
Five Spice Herb prefers to grow in fertile soil on rural slopes or under shade trees, and is most widely distributed in Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, and eastern Jiangxi provinces in China.
Five Spice Herb has a natural fragrance and a strong flavor, making it a unique seasoning in rural cuisine. Five Spice Herb can remove the gamey taste of meat, so when cooking some meat dishes, you can pick two or three leaves of Five Spice Herb, cut them into long sections, and stir-fry or simmer them with the dish. Its rich aroma will whet your appetite.
Five Spice Herb is also a traditional Chinese medicine with the effects of relieving exterior, dissipating heat, regulating Qi, and relieving pain. Modern pharmacological studies have confirmed that the decoction of Five Spice Herb has antibacterial effects and can promote lymphocyte transformation in healthy individuals and patients with acute nephritis, with immunomodulatory effects.
Therefore, Five Spice Herb is a good medicine for treating heatstroke, colds, and stomach pain. For internal use, it can be decocted and taken orally, with a recommended dosage of less than 45 grams. For external use, fresh herb can be crushed and applied directly.
