One of the traditional Chinese medicinal herbs is Artemisia argyi, also known as Bai Hua Yi Zhi Hao or Ma Hui Xiang. It is distributed in Yunnan, Sichuan, Hunan, and other areas. Although the whole plant is toxic, it has high medicinal value and can be used to treat various diseases.
Image of Artemisia argyi
【Medicinal Value of Artemisia argyi】
1. Treatment of bruises and injuries
Artemisia argyi is an excellent medicine for treating bruises and injuries. It is particularly effective for sprains, swelling, pain, and congestion. To use this herb, crush it with a suitable amount of ginger to make a paste. Then, mix it with white wine and heat it. Apply the paste directly to the affected area and change the dressing once a day. This will help the injury heal quickly.
2. Treatment of mastitis
Mastitis is a common disease among women, which can cause fever and breast pain. Artemisia argyi can be directly used to treat mastitis. Take three grams of Artemisia argyi, crush it, extract the juice, and mix it with hot water for consumption. The remaining residue can be applied directly to the swollen and painful area. The combination of internal and external use is particularly effective in treating mastitis.
【Identification of Artemisia argyi】
Artemisia argyi is a perennial herb, 30-100cm tall. It has a short rhizome. The stem is upright, with longitudinal furrows, densely covered with soft hairs above the middle, and branched. Infertile branches often appear in leaf axils.
The leaves are alternate, sessile, linear in shape, 4-6.5cm long, 1-2cm wide, pinnately lobed on both sides, with a leaf axis of about 1.5mm wide, entire or with 1-2 small teeth. The lobes are elliptical-lanceolate with cartilaginous tips, sparsely hairy on the upper side, and densely hairy with glandular dots on the lower side.
The inflorescence is in a head-like shape, with several compound umbels; the involucre is bell-shaped or hemispherical, 4-6mm in diameter; the involucral bracts are arranged in a tile-like manner, the outer layer is short, ovate-lanceolate, with a midrib, membranous edges, brown, fringed, and sparsely hairy. The receptacle is boat-shaped and has a thorn-like appearance.
The marginal flowers are pistillate, 6-16 in number, with white or pale pink petals and 3 shallow teeth at the apex. The central and tubular flowers are hermaphroditic, pale yellow or white, and flattened with glandular dots. The achene is oblong-wedge-shaped, 2.5mm long, winged, and without pappus. The flowering and fruiting period is from July to September.
