Dragon Boat Festival is coming, besides zongzi, another common thing is mugwort leaves. Do you know the benefits and effects of mugwort leaves? Why is the frequency of using mugwort leaves high during this time of the year? Let me introduce the benefits and effects of mugwort leaves and how to consume them in a healthier way.
Mugwort leaves are often used in traditional Chinese medicine for their therapeutic and health values. Chinese medicine believes that mugwort leaves have a bitter taste and warm nature, with the effects of dispelling dampness, dispersing cold, promoting blood circulation, and stopping bleeding. Modern pharmacological studies have proven that mugwort leaves have different degrees of inhibitory effects on various bacteria, viruses, and fungi, such as pneumococcus, hemolytic streptococcus, and influenza virus.
In the humid and rainy summer, catching a cold is very easy if being caught in the rain. This is the season when mugwort leaves grow vigorously. If mugwort leaves are used properly, they can not only help you stay away from the troubles of dampness but also effectively prevent and treat colds.
First, drink mugwort leaf soup or consume food made from mugwort leaves
If you accidentally catch a cold during the humid season, you can take 5 grams of fresh mugwort leaves, add an appropriate amount of water, boil and drink it, then cover yourself with a blanket and have a good sleep. After sweating, nasal congestion, headache, and other discomforts will be reduced or disappear.
In the humid season, regularly consuming food made from mugwort leaves can prevent various diseases caused by cold and dampness, such as colds. You can wash fresh mugwort leaves, sprinkle them with an appropriate amount of flour, and mix them well. Make sure the mugwort leaves are fully covered in flour, then steam them in a steamer for about 30 minutes. After cooking, put them in a bowl, add sesame oil, green onions, garlic, etc. to taste, and you will have delicious steamed pancakes. In addition, cooking mugwort leaves in soup or stir-frying them are also good choices.
Second, use mugwort leaves for bathing
In some places, it is popular to take a mugwort leaf bath on Dragon Boat Festival. If you accidentally catch a cold or get wet, you can immediately take a mugwort leaf bath when you return home, which can help regulate blood circulation, dispel cold and dampness, and prevent colds.
The specific method is to take 50-100 grams of fresh mugwort leaves, brew them in hot water in a bathtub for 5-10 minutes, and then remove the mugwort leaves. Adjust the water temperature to a suitable level and take a bath.
Mugwort leaf baths are not only beneficial for preventing and treating colds but also have a good therapeutic effect on eczema, folliculitis, and other skin conditions. In addition, regular mugwort leaf baths have good cosmetic effects because mugwort leaves can promote blood circulation and improve skin metabolism. Mugwort leaves were even used in Cixi's whitening bath.
Third, use mugwort leaves for smoking the room
Modern research has shown that the smoke produced by burning mugwort leaves has a significant inhibitory effect on various pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and viruses that cause infectious diseases.
Therefore, during seasons when contagious diseases such as colds are prevalent, you can dry mugwort leaves, ignite them, and smoke the room. This can create a natural disinfection barrier in the surrounding air and kill bacteria and viruses accumulated in the nasal sinuses and throat, thus preventing influenza.
Although mugwort leaves are beneficial, they should not be consumed for a long time. Due to their spicy and warm nature, people with a cold and fever should avoid consuming them to prevent exacerbating the symptoms.
Benefits and effects of mugwort leaves
Mugwort leaves have been widely used as internal medicine in China for a long time, and modern technology has opened up broader prospects for their application.
Various products have been developed, such as mugwort leaf toothpaste, mugwort leaf bath products, mugwort leaf essential oil, mugwort pillows, health belts, mugwort mosquito repellent, etc. There is also ongoing research on using mugwort leaves as the main ingredient in cigarettes that do not contain nicotine, which can serve as an alternative to traditional cigarettes.
Pharmacological effects of mugwort leaves
Chemical analysis of mugwort leaves has found that besides volatile oil, they also contain tannins, flavonoids, alcohols, polysaccharides, trace elements, and other organic components. These elements can effectively regulate the body's needs.
Pharmacological studies have discovered that mugwort leaves have antibacterial, antiviral, anti-asthmatic, antitussive, expectorant, anti-allergic, hemostatic, anticoagulant, and immune-enhancing effects.
Benefits of soaking feet with mugwort leaves
Soaking feet in mugwort leaf water can effectively dispel virtual fire and cold fire. It can treat diseases related to virtual fire and cold fire that repeatedly occur in the head and face, such as oral ulcers, sore throat, periodontitis, gingivitis, and otitis media.
When experiencing the above-mentioned diseases, you can take a small handful of mugwort leaves and boil them in water to make a foot soak. Alternatively, you can use pure mugwort sticks, tear them into pieces, and put them in the foot soak. After soaking in boiling water for a while, pour some warm water and soak until your whole body feels slightly warm, but avoid sweating excessively. Drink more warm water and rest well. Generally, after soaking for 2-3 days, the discomfort caused by virtual fire and cold fire in the head, face, and throat will significantly improve or disappear.
However, foot soaks with mugwort leaves should not be done too frequently. This is because mugwort leaf foot soaks can draw virtual fire and cold fire down, which can cause insufficient blood supply to the head and face, leading to dizziness, headache, and mood changes.
For patients with a heavy cold and dampness constitution, they can soak their feet in mugwort leaf water once a week, and while soaking their feet, they can drink a cup of ginger and red date water to dispel cold without inducing diarrhea.
However, for people with very weak constitutions who experience toothaches or oral ulcers after consuming nourishing foods, it is better to use mugwort leaf foot soaks when the virtual fire or cold fire subsides. During periods without symptoms, they can continue with nourishing foods and soak their feet in warm water daily. They should avoid consuming cold foods to prevent the invasion of cold and dampness. Gradually, they will find that their bodies are less prone to virtual fire, and their physical condition will gradually improve.
