Mugwort Leaf (Ai Ye) (Gray-green, shrunken and fragmented with short petioles, soft in texture, fragrant and bitter in taste, pinnately divided, densely covered with grayish-white villi on the underside, soft in texture, fragrant and bitter in taste)
Vinegar-Processed Mugwort Leaf (Cu Ai Ye)
Moxa Wool (Ai Rong)
Vinegar-Stir-Fried Moxa Wool (Cu Chao Ai Rong)
【Naming】
【Source】
Recorded in 別錄 (Bielu) as a medium-grade herb
【Common Usage Level】
C
【Botanical Origin】
The dried leaves of Artemisia argyi Levl. et Vant. and related species in the same genus, belonging to the Asteraceae (Compositae) family.
【Characteristics】
The dried leaves are mostly wrinkled and fragmented, with short petioles. The leaves are slightly pinnately divided, with irregular coarse serrations on the edges of the lobes. The upper surface is gray-green, with glandular dots and sparse white hairs. The underside is densely covered with grayish-white villi and soft hairs. The texture is soft, the aroma is clear and fragrant, and the taste is slightly bitter and pungent.
Raw Mugwort Leaf (Ai Ye): Gray-green in color with white villi. Soft in texture. Clear and fragrant aroma, slightly pungent taste. Charred Mugwort Leaf (Jiao Ai Ye): Dark brown in color.
【Processing】
1. Raw Mugwort Leaf (Ai Ye) 2. Charred Mugwort Leaf (Jiao Ai Ye) 3. Moxa Wool (Ai Rong)
【Identification】
《Waìtái Mìyào》: “Mature mugwort harvested in the third month is good.”
《Waìtái Mìyào》: “Only mugwort harvested on the third day of the third month is considered the best.”
《Běncǎo Tújīng》: “The seedlings sprout on the ground in spring, and the shorter seedlings are the best.”
《Zhèng Lèi Běncǎo》: “The ones with multiple stems are considered the best,” “The shorter seedlings are considered the best.”
《Běncǎo Méngquán》: “Grows in fields, the ones resembling artemisia with multiple stems are the best.”
《Běncǎo Gāngmù》: “The shorter seedlings are considered the best.”
《Běncǎo Xīnbiān》: “People generally consider mugwort leaf from Qizhou to be the best.”
《Huìzhítáng Jīngyàn Fāng》: “Mugwort Leaf (Ai Ye) (the ones harvested on the third day of the third month are the best)”.
Mugwort Leaf (Ai Ye) is best when it is dry, green in color, has thick leaves, is soft and pliable, clean, and fragrant. If the color is grayish-yellow, it is old stock and of lower quality. Moxa wool (Ai Rong) is best when it is dry, greenish-gray in color, has fine fluff, is soft, and has no hard stems.
【Category】
Leaf Category