Sweet
wormwood (Qinghao)
Pharmaceutical Name : Herba artemisiae annuae
Botanical Name : Artemisia annua L.
Common Name: Sweet wormwood
Source of Earliest Record : Shennong Bencao
Jing
Part Used & Method for Pharmaceutical
Preparations : The entire plant is gathered
in summer or autumn, dried in the shade and
cut into pieces.
Properties & Taste : Bitter, pungent
and cold
Meridians: Liver, gall bladder and kidney
Functions:
1. To reduce heat caused by deficient yin;
2. To cool blood and release summer heat;
3. To relieve malaria
Indications & Combinations:
1. Malaria. Sweet wormwood (Qinghao) is used
alone or with Scutellaria root (Huangqin)
and Pinellia tuber (Banxia) in the formula
Hao Qin Qingdan Tang.
2. Late stage of febrile disease, with pathogenic
heat damaging yin and body fluids, manifested
as fever, fever at night, and subsiding in
the morning without presence of sweating,
red tongue proper with scanty coating and
thready, rapid pulse. Sweet wormwood (Qinghao)
is used with Turtle shell (Biejia), Moutan
bark (Mudanpi) and Fresh rehmannia root (Shengdihuang)
in the formula Qinghao Biejia Tang.
3. Heat signs due to deficient yin manifested
as afternoon fever and night sweating. Sweet
wormwood (Qinghao) is used with Large-leaf
gentian root (Qinjiao), Turtle shell (Biejia)
and Anemarrhena rhizome (Zhimu).
4. Invasion by summer-heat manifested as
fever, dizziness and headache. Sweet wormwood
(Qinghao) is used with Mung bean (Ludou) and
Lotus leaf (Heye).
Dosage: 3-10 g
Cautions & Contraindications:
This herb should not be boiled for a long
time. |
