Before and after Qingming, the illness disturbs people, make good use of this "pure yang grass"

Since the beginning of spring, the weather in Lingnan has been mainly rainy and humid, and sometimes there is no sun for many days in a row, which is a big challenge for people with poor spleen and stomach function. At this time, the body is not only susceptible to dampness, but also the stretching of the qi will also be affected, and various germs are active during this season, which often causes physical discomfort. In response to this situation, you can flexibly use an herb that grows in season to help mobilize the body's yang energy and dissolve dampness, which is mugwort leaves.

There are many types of wormwood, but they can be roughly divided into two categories: edible and medicinal.

Generally, the choice of medicinal mugwort in the decoction is mostly after harvesting before and after the Dragon Boat Festival, and the mugwort leaves are dried and used, and the medicinal value is the greatest at this time. The moxa wool used in moxibustion is usually in December, when the moxa seeds are ripe and the moxa leaves are wilting, they become velvet with a pinch of the hand, which is a good material for moxibustion.

Edible mugwort is collected before and after Qingming, when the mugwort leaves are the most fresh and tender, the least bitter, can be eaten directly, or dried and stored. As the saying goes: "Qingming food wormwood, no disaster and no difficulty". Therefore, during the Qingming Dynasty, people added wormwood to food and became Qingtuan, mugwort, mugwort dumplings, etc., in order to achieve the purpose of health care and disease prevention.

The medicinal properties of mugwort leaves

Artemisia leaves, also known as mugwort, fragrant mugwort, mugwort, bitter taste, pungent, warm, into the spleen, liver, kidney meridian, has the effect of warming the meridian to stop bleeding, dissipate cold and relieve pain, aromatic defilement;

Artemisia leaves are spicy and fragrant, warm and cold, can warm blood and warm meridians, are important medicines for warm menstrual hemostasis, suitable for deficiency and cold bleeding diseases, especially good at treating scorching deficiency and cold, Chong Ren is not solid collapse and leakage of blood, menorrhagia, postpartum hemorrhage, etc., often used with angelica, peony, ejiao, etc., such as Jiao Ai Tang; Artemisia leaves can also warm the meridian to disperse cold and relieve pain, suitable for deficiency cold abdominal pain, often compatible with dry ginger, tangerine peel, etc.

In addition, mugwort leaves have a different fragrance, smoke can repel mosquitoes and flies, clear miasma, and have the function of antivirus and sterilization.

Records in the classics

"Famous Doctors" records mugwort leaves, bitter, slightly warm, and moxibustion for all diseases. It can be used for decoction, stop vomiting and blood is beneficial, the lower part hides sores, and the woman leaks blood.

The "Compendium of Materia Medica" records that mugwort leaves take the three yin, and chase away all dampness and cold, and turn the killing into fusion; moxibustion is through the scriptures to cure a hundred kinds of diseases and evils, and the person who is sick is healthy.

"Materia Medica" records that mugwort leaves go three yin, regulate qi and blood, chase cold and dampness, warm the uterus, stop all bleeding, open depression in warmth, regulate menstruation and stabilize the fetus.

Modern pharmacological research

Modern pharmacological studies have found that the main active ingredient of Artemisia artemisia leaves is volatile oil, in addition to tannins, flavonoids, sterols, polysaccharides, trace elements and other organic components. Artemisia leaf oil has a variety of pharmacological activities such as antiasthma, expectorant, antitussive, antibacterial, antiallergic, sedative, etc., and can clinically treat gynecological diseases, respiratory diseases, dermatology, rheumatism and pain.

How can wormwood be used?

Wormwood can be eaten, worn or used as medicine, and the efficacy of different combinations is also very different:

Wormwood for meals

Artemisia leaves are also known as "women's health grass", good at warmth, cold, dehumidification, where women's blood and qi are stagnant, the most suitable to use.

In addition, in spring, the human body's yang energy grows, mugwort leaves can also help the human body to rise to yang, resist external evils, and play a protective role in the spleen and stomach; wormwood also has a special fragrance, which can increase appetite.

Boiled eggs with mugwort ginger

Ingredients: 10 grams of mugwort leaves, 15 grams of dried ginger, 2 eggs, appropriate amount of brown sugar. (Artemisia leaves and dried ginger can be bought at a Chinese medicine hospital or Chinese medicine store)

Method: Slice the dried ginger, put it into the pot with the washed mugwort leaves and eggs, add an appropriate amount of water, and cook the eggs with a simmer first. Then, peel the hard-boiled eggs, put them in the pot and cook them for 10 minutes, add brown sugar, eat the eggs and drink the juice, which is delicious.

Efficacy: Artemisia leaves can warm the blood and warm the meridians, cure the stagnation of women's qi and blood, and dry ginger can remove the cold of the viscera and the cold pain of the stomach.

"Artemisia ginger boiled eggs" can not only treat common cold dysmenorrhea, but also improve many cold symptoms in women's bodies, such as frequent cold intolerance, cold hands and feet, blue lips and tongue, clear and long urine, loose and unformed stools, cold stomach pain, menstrual purple and dark blood clots, etc.

Soak your feet in wormwood

Soaking your feet in mugwort leaf water can effectively remove the deficiency fire in the body and relieve the dark circles caused by liver and kidney yin deficiency.

Method: Take a small handful of mugwort leaves, soak your feet in boiling water or take 1/4 of the mugwort strips made of pure mugwort leaves, tear them up and put them in the foot soaking bucket, brew them with boiling water for a while, and then soak them in some warm water after the mugwort leaves are boiled, and soak them until the whole body sweats slightly.

Pay attention to drink plenty of warm water, do not eat cold food, and rest more. After persisting for a period of time, the dark circles caused by the lack of fire in the body will improve significantly.

Wormwood bath

Wormwood bath is not only conducive to the prevention and treatment of colds, eczema, folliculitis also has a good adjuvant treatment effect; in addition, wormwood can promote the circulation of qi and blood, improve skin metabolism, has a certain beauty effect, but follow the doctor's instructions.

Method: Take 50~100 grams of fresh wormwood, brew it with boiling water in the bathtub for 5~10 minutes, then take out the wormwood and add water to adjust to the appropriate water temperature to take a bath.

Smoked mugwort

With the gradual increase of rain in spring, the humidity is getting worse day by day, and the probability of respiratory diseases is also increasing.

Method: Fumigation with moxa sticks for 30 minutes can play a role in disinfection and sterilization of the room, repel insect pests, clean the air, etc., and also have a preventive effect on respiratory infectious diseases, and the smell is fragrant, and has a certain preventive effect on infectious diseases such as chickenpox, mumps, and scarlet fever.

It should be reminded that patients with respiratory diseases such as asthma should be cautious about using mugwort leaf smoke, some sensitive patients may be intolerant to the smell of moxa sticks, and will feel that chest tightness is aggravated and coughing increases.

Artemisia leaf cushions

Fear of cold, fear of wind, like hot drinks, cold diarrhea, this may be a manifestation of cold physique, at this time, you may wish to make yourself a mugwort leaf cushion.

The cushion method was once praised by Wu Shangxian, a famous doctor in the Qing Dynasty, who once said in the "Li Han Piaowen": If the internal medicine can not be achieved or the stomach is afraid of hurting, it is better to sit.

Method: Take 500 grams of mugwort leaves, dry and knead them, and wrap them in gauze to make a cushion.

Sachet

The ancients believed that mugwort leaves have the effect of warding off evil spirits, in spring and summer, there are many mosquitoes, you can also make mugwort leaf pillows, mugwort leaf sachets, and the following will introduce you to a mosquito repellent formula.

Mosquito repellent sachet prescription

Composition: 5 grams each of mugwort leaves, perilla, cloves, herbs, peppermint and tangerine peel.

Method: Chop or grind into powder and put into a sachet or cloth bag. Put it indoors, expose it to the sun once every 2~4 weeks, and use it repeatedly.

moxibustion

The ancients called the sun the yang of the sky, and the wormwood the yang of the earth. In "Bian Que's Heart Book", there is "the method of saving life, burning Ai first, pill second, aconite third", "When people are disease-free, they will moxibustion Guan Yuan, Qi Hai, Life Gate, and Zhongguan." Although you can't live forever, you can get a hundred years of life".

Moxibustion therapy is one of the oldest medical techniques in China, lasting thousands of years. Li Shizhen said in the "Compendium of Materia Medica": "Artemisia leaves take the true fire of the sun, and you can return to the Yuanyang." It means: "The fire that ignites moxa is like sunshine, which can invigorate and awaken people's vitality and save people's lives." ”

However, although moxibustion is a good means of health preservation, the suitable people for moxibustion are particular, and spring is the season of fire, if it is not used properly, not only will it not be effective, but it will be counterproductive and cause fire.

Generally speaking, moxibustion is mainly suitable for cold constitution or pain caused by cold evil, which is manifested as lack of firepower, cold intolerance, cold hands and feet, easy fatigue, lack of energy, pain and stiffness in musculoskeletal joints, dysmenorrhea, delayed menstruation, etc.

For people with yin deficiency constitution, it is manifested as dry mouth and throat, short and red urine, dry stool, hot flashes, night sweats, five heart irritability, red tongue and less moss, etc., Shi Ai is equivalent to adding fuel to the fire and hurting the body.

Therefore, it is best to choose the appropriate acupuncture points for moxibustion under the guidance of a doctor.

Moxibustion tips

● Light the moxibustion strips, perform moxibustion at a distance of about 1 inch from the skin, adjust the distance of the moxibustion strips according to the heat sensation, keep them fixed above the acupuncture points, or draw a circle around the acupuncture points for 10-15 minutes;

● The heat is better to penetrate without hot feeling;

● Keep your attention to avoid moxa sticks from shifting the acupuncture points, affecting the curative effect, or getting too close and burning the skin;

● Pay attention to fire safety and avoid moxa sticks falling into the fire and igniting the surrounding items;

● If the local burn may cause blisters due to improper moxibustion, please do not deal with it by yourself, and you need to seek medical medication in time.

Precautions for use of mugwort leaves

Although wormwood is versatile, there are a few things to keep in mind:

It is not suitable for real heat physique

Wormwood is warm, and it is not recommended to use a large amount of wormwood for people with symptoms such as burning eyes, sores on the mouth and tongue, heavy breath, dry stools, stinking stools, and bad temper.

Do not overdose

Excessive use of wormwood will deplete the yang energy in the human body, aggravate the body weakness, not only can not play a role in health care, but will reduce immunity and bring diseases.

Not suitable for children and women during menstruation

Some children are prone to allergic symptoms when eating wormwood, so special attention should be paid to them, and women during menstruation are not recommended to eat wormwood, as excessive dosage may cause menstrual abnormalities.

In addition, because mugwort leaves are pure yang products, they are harmful to pain and blood caused by non-cold and dampness. Although moxibustion has the effect of warming the meridians and warming the blood, it does not replenish the blood, and it is a little warm and dry and hurts the blood, so if you only have blood deficiency and no cold and dampness, it is not suitable to use moxibustion. Many people are easy to "get angry" after moxibustion, because they lack yin blood and can't tolerate the "warmth" of moxibustion. This needs to be combined with blood nourishing drugs to regulate or reduce the frequency and frequency of moxibustion.

There are also some people who believe too much in the so-called "uterine cold infertility" statement, and a large number of moxibustion every day in order to get pregnant, in fact, such moxibustion methods are by no means suitable for everyone, and they still need to be treated dialectically.