When it comes to siegesbeckia herb, also known as Herba Siegesbeckiae in pharmaceutical Latin and Xi Xian Cao in Pinyin, very few people might know something about it since it is quite unattractive and unpleasant. Actually its Chinese name, literally "Pig Pungent Weed", says it all. According to Li Shizhen, it got a name like this due to its pig-like smell and pungent taste. However, this unlovely weed has long been found with amazing medicinal properties for rheumatalgia. In addition, today modern researchers also found that it improves immunity and lowers blood pressure. But the health benefits of siegesbeckia weed don't end here and apparently it is capable of more than what the world thinks it is not. 

It is a genus of Asteraceae and owns a few annual plants. When it is used as medicine, it actually means the dried aerial part of Siegesbeckia orientalis L., Siegesbeckia pubescens Makino, or Siegesbeckia glabrescens Makino. In China they are primarily produced in Hunan, Hubei, and Jiangsu. The best reaping time is summer and autumn before and during the blossom. Before used raw or steamed with Shaoxing wine, the impurities should be remove and they should be dried. And the high-quality one is with many leaves, thick gray-green stem, buds, and no roots and impurities.

Siegesbeckia

SIEGESBECKIA BENEFITS 
It is native to Southeast Asia and adapts to hot, humid environments. So, medicinally what is siegesbeckia used for? Actually its medicinal history can be dated back to the Tang Dynasty, about 1,000 years ago. Then it was formally recorded in Xin Xiu Ben Cao (Newly Compiled Materia Medica) as a medicine mainly for eliminating wind-damp. And long before a few hundreds of years, the sap secreted by siegesbeckia leaves has been used by the ancient Chinese people to treat rheumatism. In recent years, it was found with an active ingredient that has aspirin-like structure. Currently, its calming and soothing effect are being used by the field of beauty.

Clinically siegesbeckia plant and Chou Wu Tong (Folium Clerodendri Trichotomi) are capable of treating rheumatism, rubella, eczema, urticaria, and pruritus. As a result, they are commonly used in pair to treat many ailments. However, they have their own advantage respectively. Siegesbeckia is still good at treating physical challenges like paralysis that commonly occur after stroke since it can get rid of wind-damp between the bones and muscles; Folium Clerodendri Trichotomi also treats dizziness and headache since it tranquilizes liver Yang.