Pinyin: Hehuanhua
Aliases
Yehehua, Wurong.
Source
Fabaceae plant *Albizia julibrissin*Albizia julibrissinDried inflorescence or flower buds of *Durazz*.
Botanical Description
Deciduous tree, up to 16 m tall. Crown spreading; trunk gray-black; young branches, inflorescences, and leaf rachises pubescent or tomentose. Stipules linear-lanceolate, smaller than leaflets, early deciduous; leaves bipinnate, alternate; petiole 3-5 cm long, with a gland near the base and at the insertion of the uppermost pair of pinnae; pinnae 4-12 pairs, sometimes up to 20 pairs in cultivated plants; leaflets 10-30 pairs, linear to oblong, 6-12 mm long, 1-4 mm wide, apex mucronate, oblique, ciliate, sometimes pubescent beneath or on the midrib; midrib close to the upper margin. Capitula arranged in terminal panicles; flowers pink; calyx tubular, 3 mm long; corolla 8 mm long, lobes triangular, 1.5 mm long, both calyx and corolla externally pubescent; stamens numerous, fused at base, filaments slender; ovary superior, style nearly as long as filaments, stigma cylindrical. Legume strap-shaped, 9-15 cm long, 1.5-2.5 cm wide, young pods pubescent, glabrous when mature. Flowering June-July; fruiting August-October.
Habitat and Distribution
It grows on hillsides or is cultivated. Distributed throughout Northeast, East, Central, South, and Southwest China.
Harvesting and Processing
Harvest in sunny weather when the flowers bloom in summer or when flower buds form, promptly dry in the sun. The former is commonly known as "Hehuanhua" and the latter as "Hehuanmi."
Medicinal Properties
1. Albizia julibrissin flower: Capitulum, crumpled into a mass. Peduncle 3-4 cm long, sometimes detached from the capitulum, yellowish-green, with longitudinal striations, sparsely hairy. Flowers densely hairy throughout, slender and curved, 0.7-1 cm long, pale yellow or yellowish-brown, sessile or nearly sessile. Calyx tubular, with 5 small teeth at the apex; corolla tube approximately twice as long as the calyx tube, 5-lobed at the apex, lobes lanceolate; stamens numerous, filaments slender, yellowish-brown to yellowish-brown, fused at the base, free and extending beyond the corolla tube. Odor: faintly fragrant; Taste: bland.
2. Hehuan Mi (Albizia flower buds): Stick-like in shape, 2-6 mm long, the enlarged part approximately 2 mm in diameter, pale yellow to yellowish-brown, entirely covered with fine hairs, pedicel very short or absent. Calyx tubular with 5 small teeth at the apex; corolla unopened; stamens numerous, slender and curved, fused at the base, enclosed within the corolla. Odor: faintly fragrant; Taste: bland.
Chemical Constituents
This product mainly contains trans-linalool oxide, linalool, isoamyl alcohol, cyanidin-3-glucoside and other components.
Pharmacology
Inhibits the central nervous system.
Properties and Channel Entry
Sweet, neutral. Enters the Heart and Liver channels.
Functions and Indications
Relieves depression and calms the Spirit. Used for restlessness of the Heart-Mind, melancholy, and insomnia.
Dosage and Administration
Internal: decoct in water, 3-9 g; or made into pills or powder.
Prescriptions
1. For mental restlessness, insomnia, and depression: Hehuanhua (Albizia julibrissin flower) and Baiziren (Platycladus orientalis seed) 9 g each, Baishao (Paeonia lactiflora root) 6 g, Longchi (fossilized dragon bone) 15 g, Hupofen (amber powder) 3 g (taken in 2 divided doses with water), decoct and take orally. (From Anhui Chinese Herbal Medicine) 2. For dampness-turbidity obstructing the Middle Burner with poor appetite: Hehuanhua (Albizia julibrissin flower), Biandouhua (Lablab purpureus flower), and Houpohua (Magnolia officinalis flower) 6 g each. Decoct and take orally. (From Anhui Chinese Herbal Medicine) 3. For chronic unhealed pain in the lower back and feet: Hehuanhua (Albizia julibrissin flower) 120 g, Niuxi (Achyranthes bidentata root, without sprouts) 30 g, Honglanhua (Carthamus tinctorius flower) 30 g, Shiyan (rock salt) 30 g, Xingren (Prunus armeniaca seed, skin removed with boiling water, stir-fried with bran until slightly yellow) 15 g, Guixin (Cinnamomum cassia heartwood) 30 g. Grind the above ingredients into a fine powder, mix with refined honey and pound about 100 times, then form into pills the size of Chinese parasol tree seeds. Take 30 pills on an empty stomach daily with warm wine, and take another dose before the evening meal. (From Sheng Hui Fang: Yehehua Pills)
