Pinyin: Yuanhua
Aliases
Chiyuan, Toutonghua, Yuanhuatiao.
Source
Plant of the Thymelaeaceae family, *Wikstroemia indica*Daphne genkwaDried flower buds of Sieb.et Zucc.
Botanical Description
Erect deciduous shrub, up to 1 m tall. Roots can reach up to 10 cm in length, main root diameter 0.6-1.5 cm, branched, outer bark yellow-brown to yellow-brown; root bark tough and pliable. Stem diameter up to 1 cm, dark brown; branches slender, brownish-purple, densely covered with silky short hairs when young. Leaves opposite, occasionally alternate; short petiole, about 1 mm long, covered with short hairs; leaf blade elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 2.5-5 cm long, 0.8-2 cm wide, slightly leathery, apex acute, entire margin, both surfaces sparsely covered with silky short hairs when young, denser along veins, gradually glabrescent with age. Flowers pale purple, axillary, opening before leaves, usually 3-7 on short pedicels in leaf axils, mostly at branch tips; flowers bisexual, apetalous; perianth tube slender, about 1 cm long, densely covered with silky short hairs, apex 4-lobed, lobes ovate, less than 1 cm long; stamens 8, in 2 whorls, inserted on perianth tube, filaments absent; pistil 1, ovary superior, 1-locular, style very short or absent, stigma capitate. Drupe leathery, white. Seed 1, black. Flowering period March to April, fruiting period May.
Habitat and Distribution
Growing along roadsides, on hillsides, or cultivated in gardens. Distributed in East China as well as Hebei, Shaanxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Guizhou, and other regions.
Harvesting and Processing
Harvested in spring before the flowers open, remove impurities, and dry.
Medicinal Properties
Usually 3-7 flowers clustered on a short inflorescence axis, with 1-2 bracts at the base, mostly shed as single flowers. Each single flower is stick-shaped, mostly curved, 1-1.7 cm long, about 1.5 mm in diameter; the perianth tube surface is pale purple or grayish-green, densely covered with short pubescence, apex 4-lobed, lobes pale purple or yellowish-brown. Texture soft. Odor: faint; Taste: sweet and slightly pungent.
Chemical Constituents
This product contains components such as yuanhuacine, yuanhuanol, yuanhuain, daphnetin, and lariciresinol.
Pharmacology
Has the effect of terminating pregnancy, contracting uterine tension, resisting tumors, promoting diuresis, increasing intestinal peristalsis, relieving cough, expelling phlegm, dilating mammary blood vessels, and exerting antibacterial activity.
Properties and Channel Entry
Bitter, acrid, warm; toxic. Enters the Lung, Spleen, and Kidney channels.
Functions and Indications
Expels water and drives out retained fluids; externally used to kill parasites and treat sores. Used for edema and abdominal distension, pleural and abdominal fluid accumulation, phlegm-rheum accumulation, reversed Qi flow with cough and dyspnea, and difficulty with urination and defecation; externally used to treat scabies, tinea, alopecia, abscesses, swelling, and chilblains.
Dosage and Administration
Take orally: decoct in water, 1.5-3 g; or grind into powder and take 0.6-1 g once daily. For external use: grind into powder and mix for application or decoct for washing.
Precautions and Contraindications
Contraindicated for individuals with weak constitution, severe heart disease, ulcer disease, or gastrointestinal bleeding, as well as for pregnant women; incompatible with Gancao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma); dosage should be light initially, gradually increased, discontinued once the condition is resolved, and not taken for prolonged periods.
Prescriptions
1. For sudden onset of cough: Yuanhua (Flos Genkwa) 1 sheng, water 3 sheng, decoct until reduced to 1 sheng, remove the residue, add 14 red dates, and cook until the liquid is fully absorbed. Take once daily for three days. (From Zhouhou Fang) 2. For cough with phlegm: Yuanhua 60 g. Decoct in water, remove the residue, mix with maltose, and simmer into a paste. Take a date-sized amount each dose. (From Huatuo Shenyi Miji) 3. For excess-type asthma: Yuanhua (any amount, soak in rice vinegar overnight, discard the vinegar, stir-fry until scorched black, and grind into fine powder) and barley malt, equal parts. Mix thoroughly and take with thickly decocted willow branch wine for immediate relief. (From Baiyi Xuanfang) 4. For women with qi and blood rushing to the heart causing imminent death: Yuanhua 9 g, Wuzhuyu (Fructus Evodiae) 150 g. Grind the above into powder, take with ginger-fried wine. (From Puji Fang) 5. For postpartum lochioschesis: Yuanhua 30 g (stir-fried with vinegar until black), stove soot 30 g. Grind both ingredients together into fine powder, mix with vinegar-cooked barley malt powder to form pills the size of mung beans. Take five pills with warm wine at any time. (From Shenghui Fang) 6. For carbuncles: Grind Yuanhua into powder, mix with glue to form a paste, and apply topically. (From Qianjin Yaofang) 7. For pediatric tinea capitis: Mix Yuanhua with lard from the twelfth lunar month into a paste, wash off the scabs, apply the paste, and change once daily. (From Qianjin Yaofang)
