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Alternate English names: daphne [flower] lilac daphne [flower]

Alternate Chinese names: 赤芫 chì yuán; 毒鱼 dú yú; 闷头花 mēn tóu huā; 闹鱼花 nào yú huā; 芫条花 yuán tiáo huā; 杜芫 dù yuán; 芫 yuán

Kingdom: Plant

Origin in PRC Pharmacopoeia: Daphne genkwa Sieb. et Zucc. (PRC Pharmacopoeia)

Origin in unofficial sources: Daphne genkwa Sieb. et Zucc.*; Wikstroemia chamaedaphne Meissn.

Use: Medicinal

Category: Draining-precipitation agents / Drastic water-expelling agents

Properties: Acrid, bitter; warm; toxic.

Channel entry: Lung, kidney, and large intestine channels.

Actions and indications:

• Drains water and expels rheum; dispels phlegm and relieves cough: Rheum collecting in the chest and rib-sides, water swelling, and drum distension.
• Kills worms and treats sores: Head sores, bald white scalp sores (tinea alba), stubborn lichen.
• Additional uses: A decoction of yuán huā with Gān cǎo (甘草 Glycyrrhizae Radix, licorice [root]) can be used as a wash to treat frostbite.

Dosage and method: Oral: 1.5–3gr in decoctions, 0.6g per dose in pills and powders; also used externally. When taken internally, it should be processed with vinegar to reduce its toxicity.

Warnings: Contraindicated in pregnancy and in vacuity patterns. Yuán huā is said to clash with gān cǎo (Glycyrrhizae Radix). However, the two are sometimes combined (as in the wash to treat frostbite mentioned above).

Product description: This product comprises 3–7 flowers on a short axis, with 1–2 bracts at the base, which are covered with dense yellow down. The calyx is contorted, about 1–1.7 cm long, yellowish brown, or less commonly pale purple, on the outside, with short dense down. The upper part, which accounts for about one third of the total length, is made up of four supple light-brown lobes.

Quality: Small fineXXX unopened flowers with a purple hue are best.

Production area: ānhuī, Jiāngsū, Zhèjiāng, Shāndōng, Sìchuān, Fújiàn, Húběi.

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