In Shaanxi, Sichuan and all over the water, hillside roadside, and shrubland in China, there is a herb of the Asteraceae family, which is called Artemisia annua, and its young stems and leaves are usually picked in the spring for consumption. Below I will introduce some of the situations of this plant.
First, botanical information about Artemisia vulgaris
1. Name and classification attributes
Artemisia vulgaris is the official Middle Name, which comes from the Flora of China; its scientific name is Crassocephalum crepidioides (Benth.) S. Moore, which was officially named and published in 1912; its scientific name is Gynura crepidioides Bentkh., which has been revised in the Flora of China and is no longer used as a scientific name; other names include grass life vegetables, Dongfeng vegetables, false artemisia, Showa grass, etc It should be noted that in some sources, the alias is also recorded as "revolutionary dish", and the provenance needs to be examined; in plant taxonomy, it belongs to the genus Artemisia vulgaris in the family Asteraceae (some books also record it as a genus of Gynura plants, which is the previous view, and now belongs to the genus Artemisia vulgaris).
2, distribution and growth environment
Artemisia annua is mainly distributed in southern Shaanxi, southern Gansu, Sichuan and the provinces and regions south of China; it usually grows in yin mountain ravines, under forests, beside water, hillsides, and shrublands, and is a widely distributed weed.
3, appearance characteristics
One is an annual herb with an upright stem, 20-120 cm in height, longitudinal stripes on the surface of the stem, unbranched or less branched.
The second is single-leaf alternate, leaf membranous, petiole length of about 2 cm, usually narrow wings; leaf shape ovate or oblong oval, near the base often have 1-2 pairs of irregular pinnate lobes, leaf edges have irregular sharp serrations or heavy serrations; the upper part of the stem leaves are small.
Third, most of the cephalic inflorescences are arranged in the upper part of the stem in an umbel-like inflorescence, with total bracts bell-shaped, small flowers all cylindrical, amphoteric, corolla pink, flowering in July-December;
The fruit is cylindrical, red, mostly crowned, white, and ripens after October.
Second, the main use of Artemisia vulgaris
First, in the distribution area, people usually eat its young stems and leaves as wild vegetables.
Its taste is crunchy and fragrant, and it is a high-quality wild vegetable. Eating methods include cold mixed wild artemisia, stir-fried wild artemisia,
Stir-fried shredded meat with wild artemisia, garlic and so on.
According to the measurement, Artemisia annua mainly contains water, protein, fat, crude fiber, calcium, phosphorus, carotene, vitamin C, vitamin B, niacin and other nutrients. Therefore, Artemisia annua is a good green ingredient.
Second, the whole herb of Artemisia vulgaris can be medicated, its taste is spicy, the sex is flat, and it has the effect of strengthening the spleen, reducing swelling, clearing heat and detoxification, qi and diuretic. Please follow your doctor's advice when using medicines.
Third, Artemisia annua can also be used as a green manure plant planting application.