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Latin pharmacognostic name: Artemisiae Annuae Herba

Kingdom: Plant

Origin in PRC Pharmacopoeia: Artemisia annua L. (PRC Pharmacopoeia)

Origin (other sources): Artemisia apiacea Hance; Artemisia annua L.*; Artemisia capillaris Thunb.; Artemisia scoparia Waldst. et Kitaib.; Artemisia japonica Thunb.

Use: Medicinal

Category: Heat-clearing agents / Vacuity-heat–clearing agents

Properties: Bitter, acrid; cold.

Channel entry: Liver, gallbladder, and kidney channels.

Indications:

• Clears vacuity heat: Damage to yīn from warm evil with nighttime heat effusion that abates by the morning.
• Eliminates steaming bone: Steaming bone taxation heat effusion; yīn vacuity heat effusion.
• Resolves summerheat: Contraction of summerheat evil with heat effusion, headache, and thirst.
• Interrupts malaria: malarial disease heat effusion with aversion to cold.
• Modern applications: Artemisinin, a constituent of qīng hāo, is an effective drug for the treatment of malarial disease. However, it is not suitable for use as a prophylactic agent to protect against malarial disease.

Dosage & Method: Oral: 3–10g in decoctions, added at the end. The fresh herb may also be crushed to extract the juice for internal use; this produces the best effect when used to interrupt malaria.

Warnings: Do not boil for long. Qīng hāo should be used with care in spleen-stomach weakness as well as in summerheat with copious sweating.

Quality: Should be green (A. annua is yellowish green) and have a fresh aroma.

Product Area: ānhuī, Qīnghǎi, and Guǎngdōng.

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