Half-month talk on Chinese medicine | Nepeta

· Interesting stories ·

Nepeta is also known as "West mustard". Because it is similar to a kind of coriander, it is also called fragrant nepeta or ginger mustard; because it is similar to perilla and white perilla, it has a very ancient name "false perilla". The other name of West mustard naturally means that it can also be found in foreign places.

In Fars Province in southern Iran, people have the habit of eating the leaves of Nepeta tenuifolia. There is a lunch menu that has been around for hundreds of years. Iranians use its green leaves to garnish barbecue, which reflects the strong Persian flavor. In Henan, the central plains of my country, there is also a custom of eating it. The leaves of this plant are also used to garnish the famous local snack, mutton stewed noodles. They are the same species of Nepeta tenuifolia.

Schizonepeta has long been regarded by the Chinese as both a medicine and food. The name "mustard" highlights its distinct taste, and fresh schizonepeta has a fresh and refreshing taste. According to historical records, the Sichuan Shuzhong area was the first to taste its taste. For example, Wu Pu, a disciple of the famous doctor Hua Tuo, was proficient in herbal medicine. In "Wu Pu's Herbal Medicine", it was recorded that it was also called ginger mustard, "the leaves are like fallen quinoa but thin, and people in Shu eat it raw." And Sichuan people have been eating it for thousands of years. Wang Qi of the Ming Dynasty said in "Sancai Tuhui": Schizonepeta "grows in Hanchuan and marshes, and is now everywhere. It is edible when it first grows, and people take it as raw vegetables." Later, the people of Henan in the Central Plains also liked it. It was very popular in the Northern Song Dynasty, and it was planted as a vegetable. In this regard, Wu Qijun of the Qing Dynasty recorded in "Plant Names and Realities Picture Records": "(Henan) has always planted it as a vegetable."

Henan people have a saying for those who have seen the world and have insight: "They have eaten a large plate of nepeta." This saying naturally has its origins.

Today's Kaifeng was the capital of Bianjing in the Northern Song Dynasty. The prosperous capital of the Song Dynasty was a gathering place for all kinds of people, including politicians and businessmen, to come and go in an endless stream. For the locals of Bianjing, eating nepeta in restaurants and food stalls was a daily occurrence, but for outsiders, they could not enjoy such "treatment" unless they went to the capital. Therefore, eating nepeta in Bianjing became a landmark event and something to show off. Gradually, it became a saying, and people who praised people who had been to Bianjing said that they had "eaten a large plate of nepeta." Over time, this became a synonym for the people of Henan. "Seeing nepeta in Henan" is nothing strange.

All vegetables have their seasons. Nepeta is a common flavor on Henan people's summer tables. There are many ways to eat Nepeta, such as mixing it with cucumbers, making Nepeta pancakes, or using it as a base for large meat dishes. It can also be added to fish and shrimp to season and remove the fishy smell.

Fresh schizonepeta in season is a Chinese medicinal material when it is picked when its branches and leaves are lush. It should be harvested and dried in summer and autumn when the flowers of schizonepeta are in full bloom and the spikes are still green. Schizonepeta has a typical pungent and dispersing property, so it is classified as a traditional Chinese medicine for dispelling wind and cold. The effect of charring schizonepeta spikes to stop bleeding is remarkable. Schizonepeta is included in the Shennong's Herbal Classic under the name of fake Su and is listed as a medium-grade medicine. The herbal classics first listed it in the grass section, and later in the vegetable section, and when recording its efficacy, it is always remembered that it is edible. The Newly Revised Materia Medica says: "Fake Su: This medicine is the schizonepeta in the vegetable section... It was first in the grass section, but now people eat it and it is recorded in the vegetable section." Su Song of the Song Dynasty wrote in the Materia Medica Illustrated Classic: "It is spicy and fragrant and can be eaten. People take it as raw vegetables." The Yuan Dynasty's Yinshi Zhengyao has a therapeutic schizonepeta porridge. Ji Xianlin, a contemporary master of Chinese studies, restored the Nepeta candy in his History of Sugar.

· Source of medicinal materials ·

The dried aerial part of the plant Nepeta tenuifolia of the Lamiaceae family. The medicinal material slices are subdivided into Nepeta tenuifolia and Nepeta tenuifolia spicate, and can also be processed into Nepeta tenuifolia charcoal and Nepeta tenuifolia spicate charcoal.

· Nature and flavor ·

Pungent in taste, slightly warm in nature, enters the lung and liver meridians.

· Efficacy and indications·

Relieve exterior symptoms, dispel wind, and clear rash.

It is suitable for colds, headaches, measles, rubella, and the initial stage of sores. Stir-fried charcoal can treat blood in the stool, metrorrhagia, and postpartum blood loss.

· Usage and Dosage·

For internal use: decoction, 5-10 grams.

· Diet therapy recommendation ·

Nepeta lemon tea

Ingredients: 5 grams of fresh schizonepeta, 20 grams of fresh lemon, 10 grams of honey, 200 milliliters of green tea, and appropriate amount of ice cubes.

Preparation method: Mash fresh nepeta and fresh lemon for a few times, add 200 ml of room temperature green tea, add honey according to personal preference, add ice cubes if you like cold drinks, shake well and drink.

Effects: Lemon is sour and sweet and cool in nature, and has the effects of promoting body fluids, quenching thirst, and promoting digestion. Fresh nepeta is spicy and slightly warm in nature, and has the effects of dispelling wind and relieving exterior symptoms. When used together, the spicy fragrance of nepeta and the coolness of lemon blend together, creating a layered taste experience, which is cool, appetizing, and relieves greasiness, and has a good therapeutic effect on summer loss of appetite.