Nickname: Blue ysanthemum
Harvesting and processing: Harvested in spring and summer, cut into sections and dried in the sun.
Medicinal parts: aboveground parts
Origin: Guizhou, Yunnan, Xizang, etc
Family: Asteraceae
Original plant: Chicory
Plant condition: Perennial herb, grows under sparse forests on mountain slopes, in grasslands, or under cultivation.
Height 20-150cm. Root hypertrophy. The stem is upright, angular, hollow, branches are skewed, and the tip is thick and sparse with coarse or silky hairs, rarely hairless.
The basal leaves tilt towards the feather and divide until they do not divide, but have teeth, measuring 6-20cm in length. The apex lobes are larger, the lateral lobes are triangular, and the base gradually narrows into winged petioles; The stems and leaves gradually become smaller, with a few being needle shaped ovate to lanceolate in shape. The upper leaves are small and entire, and the underside of all leaves is sparsely covered with coarse or silky hairs.
The inflorescence has a solitary stem and branch tip, or 2-3 clusters in the upper and middle axils; The bracts are cylindrical in shape, measuring 8-14mm in length; The outer bracts vary in length and shape, with soft leather at the lower part and eyelashes, and are hairless or hairy on the outside; All flowers are tongue shaped, with a blue corolla
The apex of the achene is truncated, with short coronal hairs ranging from 0.2 to 0.8 in length, scaly, and finely toothed at the tip. Flowering period in summer.
Characteristics of chicory herb: Smooth stem. The stem has few or degenerated leaves, and is oblong lanceolate in shape. Few head shaped inflorescences, clustered; Two layers of bracts, short on the outside and long on the inside, hairless.
Chicory properties:
[Processing] Remove impurities and cut into sections.
[Taste] Slightly bitter, salty, and cool.
【 Indications and Functions 】 Clearing the liver and promoting bile flow, strengthening the stomach and promoting digestion, diuresis and reducing swelling. Used for damp heat jaundice, stomach pain, less appetite, edema, and less urine.
【 Usage and Dosage 】 9-18g.
【 Storage 】 Store in a cool and dry place.
【 Various Discussions 】 "Handbook of Chinese Herbal Medicine in Xinjiang": Clearing the Liver and Promoting Gallbladder. Treat jaundice hepatitis. Boil chicory three qian in water and take it, then wash yourself with an appropriate amount of boiling water