Compendium of Materia Medica, Vol. 8

White Chrysanthemum flowers, Grain-essence grassEriocaulon buergerianum, used for eye ailments, and Mung bean skins in equal parts. Grind into a fine powder. For each dose, take one qianapprox. 3.75 grams and boil it with one dried persimmon cake and one cup of millet-washings water. Boil until the liquid is absorbed, then eat the persimmon. Consume three per day. For mild cases, results appear in five to seven days; for chronic cases, half a month. Found in Renzhai’s Direct Guide to Formulas Post-illness Eye Film Refers to corneal opacities or cataracts: White Chrysanthemum and Cicada slough in equal parts, ground into a powder. For each dose, use two to three qian, add a little honey, and decoct in water. Suitable for both adults and children; frequently proven effective. From Formulas for Emergency Relief
Boils and Carbuncles: Take one handful of Chrysanthemums, crush to extract one shengapprox. 200ml of juice. Drinking this brings immediate recovery; this is a miraculous formula for those on the verge of death. In winter months, use the roots. From Formulas Behind the Elbow Swelling of the Female Genitalia: Crush the sprouts of Sweet Chrysanthemum and boil into a decoction. First steam the area with the vapors, then wash. From Wei’s Formulas of Proven Efficacy Drunkenness and Unconsciousness: On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, take true Chrysanthemum powder; take one square-inch spoonful with a drink. From Secret Essentials from the Outer Tribunal Blurred Vision: "Double Beauty Pills" use one jinapprox. 600g of Sweet Chrysanthemum and six liangapprox. 225g of Red Peppercorns (with seeds removed). Grind into powder and mix with fresh Rehmannia juice to form pills the size of a parasol tree seed. Take fifty pills before bed with clear tea. From Formulas of the Hall of Auspicious Bamboo

Dew from the Flowers

Daming

Wild Chrysanthemum

From the Supplement to the Materia Medica
Explanatory Names Bitter Yì Shizhen says: "Yì" refers to the heart of a lotus seed. This plant's taste is bitter like it, hence the shared name.
Collection Notes Su Song says: Bitter Yì grows by marshes. The stalks are like Aster, and the flowers like Chrysanthemum. The Chrysanthemum is sweet while the Yì is bitter; the saying "bitter as Yì" refers to this. Shizhen says: Bitter Yì is extremely common in fields and wilderness everywhere. It is no different from the Chrysanthemum, but the leaves are thinner, smaller, and more pointed. The flowers are small with many stamens, shaped like a honeycomb. The aroma and taste are bitter, pungent, and harsh.

Root, Leaf, Stalk, and Flower Flavor is bitter, pungent, and warm. Slightly toxic. Zhenheng says: Consuming Wild Chrysanthemum greatly damages the Stomach Qi.
Primary Treatments Regulates the center and stops diarrhea. Breaks up blood stasis; suitable for women with retained blood in the abdomen. Zangqi Treats carbuncles, swellings, "clove-sores" deep-rooted boils, scrofula swelling of the lymph nodes, and polyps in the eye.
Appended Formulas Four new ones

Carbuncles and Swellings: For all unnamed toxic swellings, Master Sun’s Collection of Effective Formulas uses Wild Chrysanthemum (including the stalks), crushed and decocted in hot wine. Drink to induce sweating and apply the dregs topically for an immediate cure. From Simple Formulas for Health Use one handful each of Wild Chrysanthemum stalks/leaves and Cocklebur grass. Crush together and add one bowl of wine. Squeeze out the juice to drink and apply the dregs. Inducing sweat brings recovery. Alternatively, harvest Cocklebur leaves on the 6th day of the 6th month and Wild Chrysanthemum on the 9th day of the 9th month; grind to powder and take three qian with wine.

Blistering Skin Sores: Boil Wild Chrysanthemum roots in water and wash the area. From Collected Medical Works Unbroken Scrofula: Decoct Wild Chrysanthemum in wine and drink; apply the dregs to the site. It will dissipate naturally; if not, it will break and drain on its own. From Proven Formulas of the Hall of Auspicious Bamboo

Anlü

Pronounced Yan-Lü Top Grade of the Divine Farmer's Classic
Explanatory Names Anlü Shizhen says: "An" means a thatched hut, and "Lü" means a village gate. This herb has old stalks like mugwort or rushes that can be used to thatch huts and gates, hence the name. The Zhenyuan Formulas call it Anlü-mugwort. Historical notes say "Anlü" refers to the temporary quarters of an army on the march, so "Lü" (gate) should perhaps be "Lu" (hut).
Collection Notes From the Miscellaneous Records: Anlü seeds grow in the valleys of Yongzhou, as well as in Shangdang and by roadsides. Harvest the fruit in the tenth month and dry in the shade.

Hongjing says: It looks like mugwort or wormwood. It is found everywhere near roads. It is occasionally used in Daoist alchemical texts. People plant it to ward off snakes. Su Song says: Today it is found in the Yangtze and Huai regions. In spring, it grows sprouts and leaves like mugwort, two to three feet high. Flowers in the seventh month, fruits in the eighth, and seeds are harvested in the ninth. Shizhen says: The leaves do not resemble mugwort but are like Chrysanthemum leaves, though thinner with many fine serrations. Both sides are green. It grows four to five feet high. The stalk is white like mugwort. The fruit contains tiny seeds and propagates very easily. Those who heat-dry it use it to graft Chrysanthemums.

Seeds

Aroma and Flavor Bitter, slightly cold, non-toxic. The Miscellaneous Records say: Slightly warm. In the past, Shennong, Leigong, Tongjun, and Qibo said it was bitter and slightly warm, non-toxic. Li Dangzhi said it was warm. Yaoyuan said it was pungent. Shizhen says: It has a descending nature. It is "minor Yang within Yin." It enters the Blood portion of the Foot Absolute Yin (Liver) Meridian. Cai says: Use Plum seeds as an assistant.
Primary Treatments Stagnant blood in the five internal organs, water retention in the abdomen, bloating of the skin, lingering heat, and numbness/pain from Wind, Cold, or Dampness.