Introduction of e Bu Shi Cao: Small Centipeda Herb
✵This article documents the herb Small Centipeda Herb, including its English name, Latin name, Pinyin Name, properties and flavor, botanical source—namely, a single plant species: (1) Centipeda minima (L.) A. Braun et Ascherson—and provides a detailed introduction to the botanical characteristics, growth habits, ecological environment, characteristics of the herb, pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Herba Centipedae (Small Centipeda Herb)
Pinyin Name: É Bù Shí Cǎo
English Name: Small Centipeda Herb
Latin Name: Herba Centipedae.
Properties and Flavor: Warm; pungent.
Brief Introduction:Herba Centipedae is the dried whole plant of Centipeda minima (L.) A. Braun et Ascherson. It is used (1) to dispel wind-cold and relieve nasal obstruction in the treatment of common colds accompanied by acute rhinitis, and (2) to stop coughing. It is commonly known as Small Centipeda Herb, Herba Centipedae, or É Bù Shí Cǎo.
Botanical Source:Herba Centipedae (Small Centipeda Herb) is the dried whole plant of Centipeda minima (L.) A. Braun et Ascherson, a species belonging to the genus Centipeda Lour., family Asteraceae (Compositae, daisy family), order Asterales (order Campanulales in past).
Classical herbal books define Herba Centipedae (Small Centipeda Herb or É Bù Shí Cǎo) as the dried whole plant of: (1) Centipeda minima (L.) A. Braun et Ascherson. This is the primary species in medicinal use and is described below:
Centipeda minima (L.) A. Braun et Ascherson
Botanical Description: Centipeda minima (L.) A. Braun et Ascherson is also known as Centipeda minima (L.) A. Br. et Ascher., Shí Hú Suī (Centipeda minima), or Qiú Zī Cǎo. The plant is commonly called Small Centipeda. It is an annual herbaceous plant, growing 5–20 cm tall. The stem is slender and much-branched; the base is decumbent and readily roots upon contact with moist soil; it is glabrous or sparsely covered with fine trichomes (woolly hairs). Leaves are alternate and sessile; the leaf blade is sphenoid oblanceolate, 7–20 mm long and 3–5 mm wide; the apex is obtuse; the margin is sparsely and irregularly serrated; both surfaces are glabrous, though the lower surface may bear sparse fine hairs.
The capitulum (flower head) is small and flattened, oblate, ~3 mm in diameter, grows solitarily in leaf axils, impedicellate (sessile) or nearly so (almost no peduncle); the involucre is hemispherical; involucral bracts are arranged in two layers—elliptic-lanceolate, green, with membranous margins—lobes in the outer layer broader than the inner; the receptacle is flat and ebracteate; all florets are tubular (fistuliform) and hermaphroditic, light yellow or yellowish-green; peripheral female florets are multilayered, with thin corollas bearing inconspicuous lobes; central hermaphroditic florets have distinctly 4-lobed corollas.
Achenes are elliptic, ~1 mm long, 4-ribbed, with long pilose margins; no pappus is present. Flowering occurs from September to November.
Ecological Environment: The plant grows wild along roadsides, in fallow fields, on field ridges, and in damp grasslands.
Growth Characteristics: The plant is an annual herb thriving in open, moist, disturbed habitats—including roadsides, fallow fields, field margins, and wet grasslands.
Characteristics of the Herb: The herb appears as tangled, aggregated masses. Fibrous roots are slender and pale yellow; stems are thin and highly branched; the herb is brittle and fractures easily, revealing a yellowish-white fracture surface. Leaves are small and subsessile; most are shriveled or fragmented; intact leaves, when flattened, are spatulate (spoon-shaped), with a gray-green or brown upper surface and 3–5 coarse serrations along the margin. Capitula are yellow or yellowish-brown. The herb has a faintly aromatic odor that becomes irritating upon prolonged inhalation; the taste is bitter and slightly pungent.
Harvesting: The herb is collected between September and November, during peak flowering. It may be used fresh or sun-dried for processing.
Pharmacological Actions: (1) Antitussive, expectorant, and antiasthmatic effects; (2) Inhibitory activity against Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Staphylococcus aureus, and other experimental bacterial strains, as well as Mycobacterium tuberculosis; (3) Inhibitory effect against influenza virus.
Medicinal Efficacy: Expels wind, dispels cold, eliminates dampness, clears visual obstruction (leucoma), unblocks nasal passages. Indicated for wind-cold exterior syndrome (common cold), pharyngitis (sore throat), pertussis (whooping cough), abdominal pain associated with eruptive diseases, malaria, chancroid diarrhea, rhinopolyp (nasal polyp), leucoma (diminished vision), pruritus, ecthyma(chronic ulcerative skin lesions, especially on the lower limbs), scabies, and traumatic injuries.
Administration of Herba Centipedae (É Bù Shí Cǎo):
Reference:
Administration Guide of Herba Centipedae (É Bù Shí Cǎo)
TCM Books:
(1) Internally: 6–9 grams; Externally: appropriate amount. (2) Water decoction: 1.5–3 qián (≈ 4.5–9 grams), or fresh juice extracted. Externally: mashed herb applied topically or inserted into the nostrils; finely ground powder prepared into powders and applied topically or inserted into the nostrils. (3) 5–9 grams, as water decoction; or fresh juice extracted and drink. Externally: appropriate amount, mashed herb applied topically or inserted into the nostrils.
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1.Introduction of e Bu Shi Cao: Small Centipeda Herb
✵This article documents the herb Small Centipeda Herb, including its English name, Latin name, Pinyin Name, properties and flavor, botanical source—namely, a single plant species: (1) Centipeda minima (L.) A. Braun et Ascherson—and provides a detailed introduction to the botanical characteristics, growth habits, ecological environment, characteristics of the herb, pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Pinyin Name: É Bù Shí Cǎo
Botanical Description: Centipeda minima (L.) A. Braun et Ascherson is also known as Centipeda minima (L.) A. Br. et Ascher., Shí Hú Suī (Centipeda minima), or Qiú Zī Cǎo. The plant is commonly called Small Centipeda. It is an annual herbaceous plant, growing 5–20 cm tall. The stem is slender and much-branched; the base is decumbent and readily roots upon contact with moist soil; it is glabrous or sparsely covered with fine trichomes (woolly hairs). Leaves are alternate and sessile; the leaf blade is sphenoid oblanceolate, 7–20 mm long and 3–5 mm wide; the apex is obtuse; the margin is sparsely and irregularly serrated; both surfaces are glabrous, though the lower surface may bear sparse fine hairs.
The capitulum (flower head) is small and flattened, oblate, ~3 mm in diameter, grows solitarily in leaf axils, impedicellate (sessile) or nearly so (almost no peduncle); the involucre is hemispherical; involucral bracts are arranged in two layers—elliptic-lanceolate, green, with membranous margins—lobes in the outer layer broader than the inner; the receptacle is flat and ebracteate; all florets are tubular (fistuliform) and hermaphroditic, light yellow or yellowish-green; peripheral female florets are multilayered, with thin corollas bearing inconspicuous lobes; central hermaphroditic florets have distinctly 4-lobed corollas.
Ecological Environment: The plant grows wild along roadsides, in fallow fields, on field ridges, and in damp grasslands.
Characteristics of the Herb: The herb appears as tangled, aggregated masses. Fibrous roots are slender and pale yellow; stems are thin and highly branched; the herb is brittle and fractures easily, revealing a yellowish-white fracture surface. Leaves are small and subsessile; most are shriveled or fragmented; intact leaves, when flattened, are spatulate (spoon-shaped), with a gray-green or brown upper surface and 3–5 coarse serrations along the margin. Capitula are yellow or yellowish-brown. The herb has a faintly aromatic odor that becomes irritating upon prolonged inhalation; the taste is bitter and slightly pungent.
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