The Chinese medicinal herb, Ji Min, is a perennial herbaceous plant. It is also known as Apricot Leaf Sand Ginseng, Citrus Bellflower, Sweet Bellflower, and White-faced Root. In the Northeast region of China, it is called Apricot Leaf Vegetable. The tender leaves can be used as a delicious spring wild vegetable for consumption.
【Distribution】
Ji Min belongs to the subfamily Chrysanthemum, family Campanulaceae, and genus Adenophora. It is found in various regions such as Guizhou (Kaili), Guangxi (Yangshuo, Xing'an), Guangdong (Liannan, Ruyuan, Renhua), southern Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan (Chengkou, Wuxi, Fengjie, Xiushan), Shaanxi (south of Tongchuan), western Henan, southern Shanxi, and southern Hebei.
It grows in mountainous grasslands, and its roots are used for medicinal purposes, with similar effects as Round Leaf Sand Ginseng. It is generally harvested from spring to late autumn. The roots that have been dug up are washed with water, peeled, and dried in the sun. When fresh, the roots are stored in soil with a moderate temperature indoors and can be taken as needed. It can also be propagated by seeds, but because the main root grows straight, it is not suitable for dividing. It prefers loose and fertile soil.
【Functions and Indications】
1. Strengthens the body, relieves thirst (when a man ejaculates but the penis remains erect, it is called "strengthens the body"; if there is also excessive drinking and urination, it is called "relieves thirst", and can lead to the formation of abscesses). Take one pig kidney, one liter of black soybeans, and one and a half liters of water, and boil until reduced by half. Remove the residue and retain the juice, then add three taels of Ji Min, gypsum, two taels each of ginseng, poria, magnetite, anemarrhena, kudzu root, scutellaria, adenophora root, and licorice, and cook until reduced to three liters. Take in three doses. This formula is called "Shi Zi Ji Tang".
Another formula: Ji Min, soybeans, poria, magnetite, adenophora root, cooked rehmannia, cortex eucommiae, scrophularia, dendrobium, and deer antler, one tael each, ginseng and agarwood, half a tael each, grind them into a fine powder, and mix with mashed pig stomach that has been cooked until soft, then mix well to form pills the size of a Wu Zi. Take seventy pills per dose, take on an empty stomach, and swallow with saltwater. This formula is called "Ji Wan".
2. For furuncles and abscesses. Crush fresh Ji Min roots to extract the juice for oral consumption, and use the residue as a poultice for external application; repeat three times for a complete recovery.
3. For dark spots on the face. Grind one tael each of Ji Min and cinnamon into a fine powder. Take one teaspoon per dose and swallow with vinegar soup.
4. For poisoning from Hooke's hemlock (the leaves of Hooke's hemlock resemble a type of celery and can be life-threatening if mistakenly consumed). Take eight taels of Ji Min, six liters of water, and boil until reduced to three liters. Take five he of the decoction, five times a day.
