Schizonepeta herb is good at treating colds and flu

What is schizonepeta herb(Jing Jie)?
Medicinally it mainly refers to two plants in the family Lamiaceae – Schizonepeta tenuifolia (Benth.) Briq. [Nepeta tenuifolia Bent.] and Schizonepeta multifida (L.) Briq. [Nepeta multifida L.]. The aerial parts are formerly used for medicinal purpose. And it has a few other names, such as keigai, Schizonepeta Stem, Cataire Japonaise, Herba Schizonepetae, fine leaf schizonepeta herb, Japanese Mint, Herb of Fineleaf Schizonepeta, Herba seu Flos Schizonepetae Tenuifoliae, hyonggae, Tenuifolia, and so on. It is mostly cultivated and mainly produced in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Henan, Hebei, Shandong and other places. The preferable harvesting time is in summer and autumn when flowers are fully blossoming and spike are turning green. After that, get rid of the impurities, dry in the sun, cut into section, and use raw or charred.

Schizonepeta tenuifolia Briq. is an annual herb, 60 to 100cm in height. It is with a strong aroma. Erect stems are, four-angled, and with branches on the upper part and brownish purple base. Whole plant is covered with off-white pubescence. Leaves are opposite. Flowers are verticillaster and multiple rings gather on the top of branch and form the 3 to 13cm spike. Flowers are small and with funnel-shaped calyx and reddish purple crown. Nutlets are 4, tan, oblong-prismatic, about 1.5mm long, about 0.7mm in diameter, and with smooth surface. Bloom time is from July to September and fruit time is from September to November. Habitats include hillside, roadside, and valley at the altitude between 540 to 2700m. Most are cultivated but some grows in the wild.

Schizonepeta benefits
As you can see now, it is good at treating colds and flu, in particular the common cold due to wind-cold. This pattern usually occurs in autumn and winter and is caused by wind and cold pathogens. Clinical manifestations include sensation of chill, fever, stuffy nose, headache, runny nose, body aches, coughing up phlegm, and so on. Compared to western medicine, schizonepeta tea has fewer side effects since it brings the cold symptoms to an end in a natural way. And the efficacy will be much better if combined with fresh ginger since ginger can dispel cold and induce perspiration by entering lung and spleen meridians.