The efficacy and function of water sunflower

Water sunflower is a medicinal material and is quite common in life. We can eat water sunflower appropriately. Since many people don’t know much about water sunflower, let’s take a look at it below.

[Other names] Inula flower, water Inula, water sunflower, golden Buddha flower

[Source] Medicinal material source: The flower of the water-resurrection plant of the Asteraceae family.

[Original form] Water lily is a perennial herb. The rhizome is long, often with fine branches with scale-like leaves and terminal buds, and adventitious roots are often present at the lower part of the stem. The stem is erect, 30-80cm high, branched at the top, green with purple spots. Simple leaves are alternate; leaf blades are ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, 4-10cm long, 1.4-4cm wide, the lower leaves gradually narrow into petiole-shaped, withering during flowering; leaves above the lobate part are sessile, with rounded or wedge-shaped base, semi-amplexicaul, glabrous above, with yellow glandular dots below, and short soft hairs on the veins. The capitula grows at the end of the stem or right end, with a diameter of 2.5-4.5cm; the involucre is hemispherical; the involucre bracts are multi-layered, the outer layer is linear, and the inner layer is linear-lanceolate; the ligulate flowers are 2-3 times larger than the involucre bracts, the ligules are yellow, linear, and about 1.5cm long; the corolla of the tubular flowers is about 3mm long, with lanceolate lobes, and the lobes have glandular dots; the pappus is dirty white. Achenes are cylindrical, with 10 deep grooves, and are glabrous. The flowering period is from June to October, and the fruiting period is from September to October.

[Properties] Identification of properties: The inflorescence is oblate, with a diameter of 1-2 cm. The involucre is hemispherical; the involucre is multi-layered, the outer layer is linear, about 9mm long, covered with short soft hairs, the inner layer is linear-lanceolate, 6-6.5mm long, with broad membranous edges and ciliate. The ligulate flowers are 2-3 times larger than the bracts, the ligules are yellow, linear, and about 1.5 cm long; the tubular flowers are yellow, with a corolla about 3 mm long, and the pappus are dirty white, slightly shorter than the tubular flowers, with 10 or slightly more rough hairs. It has a slight chrysanthemum aroma and a slightly bitter taste.

【Chemical composition】 Contains a new lactone ingredient (neoplasm inhibitor lactone) with tumor inhibitory effect.

[Pharmacological action] Antitussive and anti-inflammatory effects: The sulfur dioxide-induced cough method showed that intraperitoneal injection of 1.5 g/kg of Shui Chaoyang decoction had a significant antitussive effect on mice. Intraperitoneal injection of 1.5g/kg and 1.0g/kg of Shui Chaoyang decoction showed a strong inhibitory effect on ear inflammation in mice induced by croton oil application; however, there was no inhibitory effect when 20g/kg and 15g/kg of the decoction were administered orally.

【Nature and flavor】 Bitter; salty; slightly warm

【Functions and indications】 Expel wind and lower qi; eliminate phlegm and promote diuresis; detoxify. It is mainly used for cold and headache; uterine congestion, cough and asthma; ascites; sudden red eyes; toothache caused by wind and fire; mastitis.

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoction (wrapped decoction), 3-12g.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

In the above article, we analyzed the water sunflower and know that the functions and effects of the water sunflower are very wide. As long as we know more about the medicinal properties of traditional Chinese medicine, we will not panic when encountering diseases.