Chinese herbal medicine Chuan Fang Feng has the functions of dispelling wind, overcoming dampness, and relieving pain. It is commonly used to treat wind-cold type of common cold. It is found in Sichuan, Hubei, and other regions. Chuan Fang Feng should not be taken by those who have deficiency heat or excessive sweating!
Picture of Chuan Fang Feng
Chuan Fang Feng is a perennial herb that grows to a height of 60-90cm. It has a thick and stout rootstock with numerous fibrous leaf sheaths. The lower part of the rootstock is cylindrical, measuring 6-10cm in length, and has a gray-brown surface with evident nodes.
The basal leaves have petioles that are 6-22cm long, solid, and have short ovate leaf sheaths at the base. The leaf blades are broadly triangular-ovate in outline, deeply divided into three pinnately lobed or entire lobed, measuring 10-30cm in length and 10-26cm in width, with the terminal lobes lanceolate in shape;
The base of the leaf blade gradually narrows and sometimes becomes elongated oval or linear, with irregular shallow teeth or deep lobes along the margins;
Picture of Chuan Fang Feng
The leaf blade has irregular shallow teeth or deep lobes along the margins, measuring 1-3cm in length and 0.5-1.5cm in width, slightly leathery, with a grooved leaf axis and sparsely short hairs; the stem leaves are similar in shape to the basal leaves but smaller.
The compound umbels are terminal or lateral, with a diameter of 4-8cm, and have 0-2 bracts which are linear in shape; there are 10-20 rays in the umbel; the involucel consists of 2-4 linear bractlets; the petals are elongate-ovate and white;
The calyx teeth are small and inconspicuous; the style base is conical. The fruit is elongated oval, approximately 6mm in length and 3mm in width, with dorsal and central ridges and broad wing-shaped lateral ridges;
There are oil canals within the ridges, 3mm in length, and the wing-shaped lateral ridges are relatively thick; there are 1-2 oil canals inside the ridges and 4-6 oil canals on the adaxial surface, with a slightly concave ventral side of the endosperm. The flowering period of Chuan Fang Feng is from July to August, and the fruiting period is from September to October.
