Pinyin: Menghua
Aliases
1
Source
It is a plant from the Thymelaeaceae family, Edgeworthia chrysantha.Edgeworthia chrysanthaLindl.The flower buds.
Botanical Description
Deciduous shrub, 1-2 m tall. Branches stout, often trichotomously branched, reddish-brown, with lenticels, covered with pale yellow or grayish silky villous hairs. Leaves alternate, clustered at branch tips; elliptic-oblong to oblong-obovate, 6-20 cm long, 2-5 cm wide, apex acute, base cuneate, decurrent, sparsely pubescent above, glaucous and with long stiff hairs beneath, margin entire. Capitulum; involucral bracts lanceolate, up to 3 cm long; peduncle stout, short; flowers yellow, fragrant; perianth tubular, 10-12 mm long, externally with silky villous hairs, lobes 4, petaloid, spreading; stamens 8, in 2 whorls; ovary ellipsoid, apex hairy; style slender. Drupe ovoid. Flowering period March-April, before leaves, fruiting period around August.
Habitat and Distribution
Born on slopes, valley forests, and shrublands. Distributed in Hebei, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Henan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, and other regions.
Harvesting and Processing
Harvest the inflorescence in late winter or early spring when the flowers are not yet open, dry in the sun, and store for later use.
Medicinal Properties
Multiple flower buds scattered or clustered into hemispherical capitula. Surface densely covered with pale greenish-yellow, glossy, silky hairs. Involucral bracts 6-8, pedicels rough, mostly curved and hooked. Individual flower buds short rod-shaped, monochlamydeous, tubular, apex 4-lobed. Texture brittle, easily broken. Odor: faint; Taste: bland. Those with fresh color and free from impurities are considered superior.
Chemical Constituents
Contains daphnoretin and ecdysterone.
Properties and Channel Entry
Sweet, neutral; non-toxic. Enters the Kidney and Liver channels
Functions and Indications
Nourishes the Liver and Kidney; brightens the eyes and eliminates corneal opacity
Dosage and Administration
Oral administration: decoction, 3-15 g; or ground into powder.
