✵The article records the herb Elsholtzia Herb—its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, property and flavor, and its botanical sources: two plant species, (1) Mosla chinensis Maxim. cv. Jiangxi-angru. and (2) Mosla chinensis Maxim.—with a detailed introduction to the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environments of these two plants; the characteristics of the herb Elsholtzia Herb; its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Herba Elshotziae (Elsholtzia Herb)
Pinyin Name: Xiāng Rú.
English Name: Elsholtzia Herb
Latin Name: Herba Elsholtziae
Property and Flavor: Lightly warm, pungent
Brief Introduction:Herba Elshotziae is the dried aerial part of Mosla chinensis Maxim. cv. Jiangxi-angru. It is used (1) to induce sweating and resolve dampness in summer cold and (2) to promote diuresis and alleviate edema. The herb is commonly known as Herba Elsholtziae, Elsholtzia Herb, or Xiāng Rú.
Botanical Source:Herba Elsholtziae (Elsholtzia Herb) is the dried aerial part of the Elshnoltzia splendens Nakai ex F.Maekawa, a plant of the genus Mosla, family Lamiaceae (Labiatae, mint family), order Lamiales. It is also known as Chinese Mosla Herb or Haichow Elsholtzia Herb.
Classical herbal book define Herba Elsholtziae (Elsholtzia Herb, Xiang Ru) as the dried aerial part of (1) Mosla chinensis Maxim. cv. Jiangxi-angru. Other renowned herbal classics identify it as the dried aerial part of species within the same family: (1) Mosla chinensis Maxim. cv. Jiangxi-angru and (2) Mosla chinensis Maxim. Both belong to the genus Mosla, family Lamiaceae (Labiatae), order Lamiales. These two commonly used species are described below:
(1) Mosla chinensis Maxim. cv. Jiangxi-angru
Botanical Description: Mosla chinensis Maxim. cv. Jiangxi-angru is also known as Jiang Xiang Ru. It is a cultivated variety of Mosla chinensis Maxim. Plants are erect, with stems 55–65 cm tall. The basal branches are longer, while upper branches gradually shorten. Stems are quadrangular, quasi-circular (nearly circular) at the base; the middle-to-upper stem bears several thin, shallow longitudinal grooves. Sparse pilose hairs occur along the four edges, and curly pilose hairs line the grooves. Leaves are opposite; petioles measure 0.7–1 cm and are covered with minute cilia; leaf blades are lanceolate, 3–6 cm long and 0.6–1 cm wide, with an acuminate apex and tapering (acuminate) base; margins are shallowly serrate with 5–9 teeth; lateral veins are conspicuous; the upper surface is yellowish-green, pubescent (occasionally tomentose); the lower surface is paler, with pilose hairs along the main veins and pubescence elsewhere; both surfaces bear concave glandular points.
Racemes are dense, spicate racemes, 2–3.5 cm long. Bracts are imbricate, obovate-ovate or obovate, 5–6 mm long and 4–4.5 mm wide, mucronate at the apex and entire; the upper half of the upper surface is sparsely pilose, the lower half glabrate; the lower surface is densely white-pilose, with densely sunken glandular points on the upper half and long ciliate margins; 7–9 palmately radiating veins arise from the base. Pedicels are 1–1.5 mm long and pubescent. The calyx is campanulate, 4 mm long and 2–2.5 mm wide; the out surface is covered with white pilose hairs and sunken glandular points; the inner surface is is woolly-pilose above the throat and glabrous below; the calyx has five subulate (awl-shaped) or lanceolate teeth, nearly equal in length and about two-thirds the total calyx length; the base enlarges during fruiting. The corolla is mauve (lilac) or rarely white, 0.6–0.8 cm long, exceeding the bracts; the out surface is puberulent; the inner surface bears tufted pilose hairs on the corolla tube below the lower lip; a ring of long hairs encircles the base of the corolla tube; remaining veins are sparsely covered with short, soft fluff; the lower lip of the middle lobe is irregularly crenate or sharply serrate, with a concave apex. Stamens and pistil are enclosed within the corolla; two staminodes, developed, 2 anther cells are nearly equal; filaments are very short and glabrous, inserted inside the corolla tube; the stigma is bilobed and reflexed; the anterior portion of the floral disc is finger-like dilated.
Nutlets are oblate, 0.9–1.4 mm in diameter, sparsely reticulate on the surface, flat internally, and bear warty protuberances. Flowering occurs in June; fruiting occurs in July.
Ecological Environment: The plant grows wild on grassy slopes or in forests, up to 1,400 meters above sea level.
Growth Characteristics: The plant exhibits strong adaptability and prefers warm environments. It has no strict soil requirements, but thrives best in well-drained, loose, fertile soil. Low-lying, waterlogged land and alkaline soils are unsuitable for cultivation. Continuous cropping should be avoided.
Characteristics of the Herb: The herb is 14–30 cm long and densely covered with white pubescence. The stem is branched and tetragonal in cross-section; the basal portion is nearly circular, with a diameter of 0.5–5 mm. The surface is yellowish-brown, often reddish-brown near the base; nodes are prominent, internodes measure 2–5 cm in length, the texture is brittle and easily broken, and the fracture surface is pale yellow. Leaves are opposite, mostly deflexed (cernuous), frequently shriveled or fragmented; intact flattened leaves are narrowly lanceolate, 0.7–2.5 cm long and approximately 4 mm wide, with sparsely serrate margins and yellowish-green to dark green coloration. The herb is fragile and easily broken. Flowers are arranged in dense, capitate whorls; bracts are white-pilose; the calyx is campanulate (bell-shaped) and 5-lobed at the apex; the corolla is wrinkled or deciduous. Four nutlets are enclosed within the persistent calyx; the herb has a strong fragrance and tastes pungent and cooling. The cultivated variety is about 35–60 cm long and sparsely covered with long pilose hairs; stems are relatively thick, and internodes measure 4–7 cm.
The herb is harvested when foliage is lush and flowers are just beginning to bloom—typically during summer and autumn—then dried in the shade or in sunlight and bundled into bundles.
Medicinal efficacy: Diaphoresis, relief of summer-heat syndrome, promotion of water metabolism and resolution of dampness, warming the stomach and regulating the middle energizer, diuresis and reduction of edema. It is indicated for summer-cold (wind-cold-damp invasion in summer), headache and fever, aversion to cold without sweating, chest oppression and abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, edema, and beriberi.
Administration of Herba Elsholtziae (Xiāng Rú):
Reference:
Administration Guide of Herba Elsholtziae (Xiāng Rú)
TCM Books:
(1) Internally: 3–9 grams, usually as a water decoction; (2) Water decoction: 1–3 qián (≈3–9 grams); alternatively, powdered herb may be administered. (3) Water decoction: 3–9 grams, alternatively, powdered herb may be administered, or mouthwash with water decoction. External use: Apply an appropriate amount—fresh herb crushed and applied topically, or 5–10 g decocted for washing or soaking; finely ground herb may also be formulated into pills or powders for external use.
(2) Mosla chinensis Maxim.
Botanical description: The plant is also known as Orthodon chinensis (Maxim.) Kudo or Hua Ji Ning. The herb derived from this source is commonly termed Shi Xiang Ru. Morphologically, it resembles Mosla chinensis Maxim. cv. Jiangxi-angru, but its leaves are linear-lanceolate, 1.8–2.6 cm long and 0.3–0.4 cm wide, with 3–4 sparse serrations on the margin; bracts typically bear five veins; the inner base of the corolla tube exhibits two to three rows of papillate or short rod-like fuzz (trichomes), staminodes are rudimentary or absent; the two anther cells are markedly unequal in size—one large and one small. Nutlets bear deep pits or punctiform depressions, each containing glandular points.
Ecological environment: The plant grows wild on grassy slopes or in forests at elevations up to 1,400 meters above sea level.
✵The article records the herb Elsholtzia Herb—its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, property and flavor, and its botanical sources: two plant species, (1) Mosla chinensis Maxim. cv. Jiangxi-angru. and (2) Mosla chinensis Maxim.—with a detailed introduction to the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environments of these two plants; the characteristics of the herb Elsholtzia Herb; its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Pinyin Name: Xiāng Rú.
Botanical Description: Mosla chinensis Maxim. cv. Jiangxi-angru is also known as Jiang Xiang Ru. It is a cultivated variety of Mosla chinensis Maxim. Plants are erect, with stems 55–65 cm tall. The basal branches are longer, while upper branches gradually shorten. Stems are quadrangular, quasi-circular (nearly circular) at the base; the middle-to-upper stem bears several thin, shallow longitudinal grooves. Sparse pilose hairs occur along the four edges, and curly pilose hairs line the grooves. Leaves are opposite; petioles measure 0.7–1 cm and are covered with minute cilia; leaf blades are lanceolate, 3–6 cm long and 0.6–1 cm wide, with an acuminate apex and tapering (acuminate) base; margins are shallowly serrate with 5–9 teeth; lateral veins are conspicuous; the upper surface is yellowish-green, pubescent (occasionally tomentose); the lower surface is paler, with pilose hairs along the main veins and pubescence elsewhere; both surfaces bear concave glandular points.
Racemes are dense, spicate racemes, 2–3.5 cm long. Bracts are imbricate, obovate-ovate or obovate, 5–6 mm long and 4–4.5 mm wide, mucronate at the apex and entire; the upper half of the upper surface is sparsely pilose, the lower half glabrate; the lower surface is densely white-pilose, with densely sunken glandular points on the upper half and long ciliate margins; 7–9 palmately radiating veins arise from the base. Pedicels are 1–1.5 mm long and pubescent. The calyx is campanulate, 4 mm long and 2–2.5 mm wide; the out surface is covered with white pilose hairs and sunken glandular points; the inner surface is is woolly-pilose above the throat and glabrous below; the calyx has five subulate (awl-shaped) or lanceolate teeth, nearly equal in length and about two-thirds the total calyx length; the base enlarges during fruiting. The corolla is mauve (lilac) or rarely white, 0.6–0.8 cm long, exceeding the bracts; the out surface is puberulent; the inner surface bears tufted pilose hairs on the corolla tube below the lower lip; a ring of long hairs encircles the base of the corolla tube; remaining veins are sparsely covered with short, soft fluff; the lower lip of the middle lobe is irregularly crenate or sharply serrate, with a concave apex. Stamens and pistil are enclosed within the corolla; two staminodes, developed, 2 anther cells are nearly equal; filaments are very short and glabrous, inserted inside the corolla tube; the stigma is bilobed and reflexed; the anterior portion of the floral disc is finger-like dilated.
Characteristics of the Herb: The herb is 14–30 cm long and densely covered with white pubescence. The stem is branched and tetragonal in cross-section; the basal portion is nearly circular, with a diameter of 0.5–5 mm. The surface is yellowish-brown, often reddish-brown near the base; nodes are prominent, internodes measure 2–5 cm in length, the texture is brittle and easily broken, and the fracture surface is pale yellow. Leaves are opposite, mostly deflexed (cernuous), frequently shriveled or fragmented; intact flattened leaves are narrowly lanceolate, 0.7–2.5 cm long and approximately 4 mm wide, with sparsely serrate margins and yellowish-green to dark green coloration. The herb is fragile and easily broken. Flowers are arranged in dense, capitate whorls; bracts are white-pilose; the calyx is campanulate (bell-shaped) and 5-lobed at the apex; the corolla is wrinkled or deciduous. Four nutlets are enclosed within the persistent calyx; the herb has a strong fragrance and tastes pungent and cooling. The cultivated variety is about 35–60 cm long and sparsely covered with long pilose hairs; stems are relatively thick, and internodes measure 4–7 cm.
Botanical description: The plant is also known as Orthodon chinensis (Maxim.) Kudo or Hua Ji Ning. The herb derived from this source is commonly termed Shi Xiang Ru. Morphologically, it resembles Mosla chinensis Maxim. cv. Jiangxi-angru, but its leaves are linear-lanceolate, 1.8–2.6 cm long and 0.3–0.4 cm wide, with 3–4 sparse serrations on the margin; bracts typically bear five veins; the inner base of the corolla tube exhibits two to three rows of papillate or short rod-like fuzz (trichomes), staminodes are rudimentary or absent; the two anther cells are markedly unequal in size—one large and one small. Nutlets bear deep pits or punctiform depressions, each containing glandular points.
Ecological environment: The plant grows wild on grassy slopes or in forests at elevations up to 1,400 meters above sea level.
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