bubble_chart Source

This product is the entire herb with flowers of the dicotyledonous plant small centipeda (Centipeda minima (L.) A. Br. et Aschers.) from the Asteraceae family. It is distributed in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Guangxi, and other regions. The herb is harvested when the flowers are in bloom, cleaned of mud and impurities, and then dried. The best quality is characterized by the presence of flower buds, a green color, dryness, absence of soil and other impurities, and a sneeze-inducing odor when smelled.

Cited from "Shi Xing Materia Medica"; "Pin Hui Jing Yao": "Small centipeda, sprouts and leaves grow in spring, with round and hollow stems that exude white sap when broken. Leaves grow between the nodes, green in color. Its flowers are small and white, forming clusters and blooming in summer, with leaves and seeds indistinguishable from coriander. This herb is not eaten by geese, hence the name small centipeda herb." Gangmu: "Small centipeda, grows in rock crevices and damp, shady places, a small grass. It grows two to three inches tall, with fine stems and small leaves, resembling young coriander in shape, with a pungent smell that makes it inedible, and even geese do not eat it. It blooms with small yellow flowers in summer, producing tiny seeds, and is highly prolific, covering the ground in secluded areas."

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Acrid, warm. Lyuchanyan Bencao: "warm, nontoxic." Yilin Zuanyao Tanyuan: "acrid and bitter, warm." Act on hand taiyin meridian Qi.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Dispelling wind, dispersing cold, overcoming dampness, removing nebula, unblocking nasal congestion, relieving cough, dispelling phlegm, and calming asthma.

bubble_chart Indications

Treats common cold, cold wheezing, pharyngitis, whooping cough, filthy-attack eruptive disease, abdominal pain, amoebic dysentery, malaria, infantile diarrhea, sinusitis, nasal polyps, eye nebula with dryness and itching, chronic shank ulcer, scabies, and traumatic injuries.

Clinical applications:

1. Rhinitis: 20% small centipeda herb decoction mixed with 0.25% chloramphenicol for nasal drops.
2. Allergic rhinitis: 30% small centipeda herb decoction 100ml, added with 0.1g diphenhydramine hydrochloride, 0.5g ephedrine hydrochloride, and 1g sodium chloride, for nasal drops.
3. Atrophic rhinitis: 5g small centipeda herb powder mixed with 100ml liquid paraffin, ground evenly for nasal drops.
4. Chronic bronchitis: small centipeda herb 6g, Pyrrosia Leaf 12g, Trichosanthis Fruit , loquat leaf , Platycodon Root , Milkwort Root each 9g, decocted with water for oral administration.
5. Whooping cough: small centipeda herb 6g, Asparagus Root , stemona root , Dried Tangerine Peel , Pineilia , Liquorice Root each 9g, decocted with water for oral administration.
6. Wind-warmth arthralgia, traumatic injuries, swelling and pain due to blood stasis: can be used in combination with wind-dispelling and dampness-removing, blood-activating and stasis-resolving medicinals.

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

For internal use: decoct in water, 1.5-3 qian; or pound to extract juice. For external use: pound and stuff into the nose, grind into powder and sniff, or pound and apply topically.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

The whole plant contains various triterpenoid components, including Dandelion alcohol (Taraxerol), Dandelion sterol (Taraxasterol), Arnidiol, and another unknown triterpenoid diol (C₃₀

H₅₀O₂, melting point 204～206℃). It also contains stigmasterol, sitosterol, flavonoids, volatile oils, organic acids, etc. The whole plant contains volatile oils, as well as Dandelion sterol (taraxasterol) in the form of its Windmill Palm acid ester and vinegar ester, Arnidiol, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, lupeol and its vinegar ester, and hexacosanol. It also contains a sesquiterpene lactone (6-O-senesioyl, plenolin), Arnidiolide C, Aurantiamide acetate, Quercetin 3,3'-dimethyl ether, Quercetrin 3-methylether, and Apigenin. Additionally, it contains triterpenoid saponins. Experimental studies have shown that it has antibacterial and antiviral effects, and it inhibits the growth of subcutaneous node bacteria.