Chrysanthemum Morifolium, a herb specific for Headache

What's Chrysanthemum Morifolium (Ju Hua)?
Medicinally it means the dried flower head of Dendranthema morifolium (Ramat.) Tzvel. (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.), which is a plant in the family compositae. Other names of this plant include Chrysanthemum indicum (Ye Ju Hua herb), Hardy garden mum, Crisantemo, Florist’s daisy, Hang Bai Ju, and more. In China it is mainly produced in Zhejiang, Anhui, Henan, Sichuan, Hebei, Shandong and other provinces. Most of them are cultivated but there are some from the wild. And it is collected in batches between September and November, especially when flowers bloom. Next, it should be dried in the shade or by a fire or dried after it is smoked or steamed. Usually it is used raw. According to the places of origin and different processing methods, it is classified into Haoju, Chuju, Gongju, and Hangju. In addition, according color difference it is divided into yellow chrysanthemums and white chrysanthemums.

It is a perennial herb, 60 to 150cm high. Erect stems are pubescent and branched or unbranched. Alternate leaves are with a short handle; leaf blade is from ovate to lanceolate, 5 to 15cm long, pinnatilobate or pinnatifid, and with cuneate base. Capitulum is 2.5 to 20cm in diameter and in various sizes. Single or a few capitulums gather on the top of the stems. Bracts have multiple layers. The bar-type outer layer is green, pubescent outside, and with membranous margin. And ligulate flowers come in white, red, purple or yellow. Achenes are not developed. Flowering time is from September to November.

Chrysanthemum morifolium benefits
This flower is an edible medicinal herb. Its consumption history can be even dated back to as early as the Warring States period (about 475 BCE to 221 BCE). Records show that in Tang and Song dynasties some people took this aromatic flower for the sake of making the body send forth pleasant fragrance like chrysanthemum does. And in the "Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic", it is classified as the top grade medicine that can activate qi and blood, lose weight, stay young, and prolong life if used in a daily basis. Medicinally it has a remarkable medicinal effect on Headache, dizziness, red eyes, sore throat, common cold, cough, and other symptoms. Besides, it often combines with Sophora Japonica (Huai Hua Mi) to replace tea for lowering high blood pressure and with sugar to clear heat and remove toxicity. Thanks to the above-mentioned medicinal uses and health benefits, now it has been developed into many a popular products, like chrysanthemum morifolium supplement, tea, extract, etc.