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    Yemama Apothecary

    Bencao Gangmu Reference Library

    Deficiency-Heat Clearing, Antimalarial Endoperoxide & Summer-Heat Sovereign (清透虚热 / 退虚热截疟退热清暑利湿凉血除蒸解毒杀虫治疟疾寒热往来阴虚发热骨蒸潮热暑邪发热红斑狼疮 — 诺贝尔生理学奖划时代抗疟神草青蒿素之母 / 屠呦呦肘后备急方发掘第一仙草 / 历代退虚热与截疟君药 / 菊科抗疟药王)

    黄花蒿 / 青蒿 / 青蒿素原植物 / 臭蒿 / 草蒿 / 苦蒿 — Artemisia annua L. (syn. Artemisia chamomilla)

    Pinyin: Huánghuāhāo / Qīnghāo / Qīnghāosù Yuánzhíwù · Malay: Qing Hao / Hempedu Bumi Padang / Sweet Wormwood / Annual Mugwort · Family: Asteraceae (菊科 / 蒿属)

    Botanical Illustration

    Energetics

    Cold (寒 / 苦辛寒)

    Flavor

    Bitter, acrid, intensely aromatic (苦、辛、寒、芳香浓烈、气清烈)

    Meridians

    Liver (肝), Gallbladder (胆), Kidney (肾)

    Traditional Edict

    Sweet Wormwood (Qing Hao / Huang Hua Hao). Finely dissected leaves with yellow flower heads. Source of Nobel-Prize-Winning Artemisinin: cleaves endoperoxide free radicals to destroy Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites in 24h, clears Yin-deficiency bone-steaming fevers, calms lupus.

    Cautions & Contraindications

    • MANDATORY SHORT-BOILING (Hou Xia 5 min preserves artemisinin). High clinical and parasitological safety profile. Use standard WHO-approved ACT combinations in pregnancy under supervision.

    Clinical Applications

    • Multidrug-resistant malaria (rapid intraerythrocytic schizontocidal clearance via Artemisinin >= 0.80% and ACT regimens), Yin-deficiency bone-steaming fevers and night sweats, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), and tumor ferroptosis.

    Quality Markers

    Artemisinin (青蒿素) >= 0.80%-1.50% & Essential Oil >= 1.20% (HPLC Chinese Pharmacopoeia standard)

    Mechanism & Phytochemistry

    1. Ferrous iron (Fe2+) cleaves artemisinin's endoperoxide 1,2,4-trioxane bridge, unleashing high-energy carbon radicals that alkylate PfATP6 to lyse parasites. 2. Induces ferroptosis in iron-rich cancer cells.

    Preparation & Dosage

    CRITICAL PAOZHI MANDATE: SHORT-BOIL (Hou Xia 5-10 Min) OR COLD-WATER SOAK: Add crushed Qing Hao during the final 5 min of boiling only (prolonged boiling destroys the thermolabile peroxide bridge). Decoction: 6-15 g. Ge Hong cold-water soak: 30-50 g fresh leaves wrung in water.

    Appended Prescriptions

    • 1. Classical Qing Hao Bie Jia Tang (Master Yin-Deficiency Fever Formula) with Bie Jia and Sheng Di Huang. 2. Summer-Heat Dampness Tisane with Talcum (Hua Shi) and Huo Xiang.

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    Yemama Apothecary · Petaling Jaya, Malaysia · For educational and clinical reference only