The efficacy and function of wild sesame flowers

For many Chinese people, traditional Chinese medicine is very trustworthy because it has a long history and few side effects. Wild sesame flower is a common Chinese medicinal material. It has many benefits for human health. So how can we eat wild sesame flower? Let’s learn about it below.

[Source] Medicinal material source: the flower of wild sesame of the Lamiaceae family.

[Original form] Perennial herb. The rhizome has long underground runners. The stem is up to 1m tall, solitary, erect, quadrangular, with shallow grooves, hollow, and almost hairless. The leaves produced at the bottom of the stem are ovate or cordate, 4.5-8.5cm long, 3.5-5cm wide, with a caudate-acuminate tip and a cordate base; the leaves on the upper part of the stem are ovate-lanceolate, narrower and longer than the leaves on the lower part of the stem, with a long caudate-acuminate tip, slightly inward-curved tooth-like serrations on the edges, and the tips of the teeth have small calloused protrusions, herbaceous, and covered with short stiff hairs on both sides; the petioles are up to 7cm long, gradually shortening those on the upper part of the stem; the bracts are usually petiolate. The cyme has 4-14 flowers, borne at the end of the stem, and the bracts are narrowly linear or filamentous, 2-3mm long, acute, and ciliate. The calyx is bell-shaped, about 1.5cm long and 4mm wide, sparsely covered with hairs on the outside, the calyx teeth are lanceolate-subulate, 7-10mm long, and ciliate; the corolla is white or light yellow, about 2cm long, the tube is cystic and swollen slightly above, the tube mouth is up to 6mm wide, the outside is covered with sparse stiff hairs or nearly velvety hairs in the upper part, and the rest is almost glabrous, the inner corolla tube has a hair ring near the base, the corolla brim is two-lipped, the upper lip is erect, obovate or oblong, about 1.2cm long, the apex is rounded or slightly emarginate, the margin has ciliate and long prepubescent hairs, the lower lip is about 6mm long and 3-lobed, the middle lobe is obovate, the apex is deeply concave, the base is sharply contracted, and the lateral lobes are wide; the stamen filaments are flat, covered with fine hairs, adhered to each other, the anthers are dark woody and covered with soft hairs; the style is filiform, with 2 nearly equal shallow apex; the disk is cup-shaped; the ovary lobes are oblong and glabrous. The nutlets are obovate and light brown. The flowering period is from April to June, and the fruiting period is from July to August.

[Habitat distribution] Ecological environment: grows on roadsides, stream sides, ridges and barren slopes.

【Nature and flavor】 Sweet; spicy; neutral

【Functions and indications】Promote blood circulation and regulate menstruation; cool blood and clear heat. Mainly used for irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, vaginal discharge, hemoptysis due to lung heat, and painful urination

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoction, 10-25g.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

Through the detailed introduction of wild sesame flowers in this article, we can learn about the related functions and eating methods of wild sesame flowers. The value of wild sesame flowers can be seen from their efficacy, which fully reflects the importance of wild sesame flowers.