As recorded in the Compendium of Materia Medica, wild chrysanthemum clears heat and resolves toxicity, purges fire and brightens the eyes, benefits the throat, and soothes the liver. Modern research has found that the reason wild chrysanthemum can "open the orifices and promote the flow of stagnant qi" is mainly due to its volatile oils, which contain trace amounts of borneol, camphor, and chrysanthenone.
Method: Purchase dried wild chrysanthemum from a Chinese herbal medicine shop. Mix it with daylilies, stuff it into a pillowcase, and sew it shut. A pillow made from wild chrysanthemum will not only brighten your eyes upon waking but also lift your mood, making you feel cheerful and relaxed. You can also make a small medicinal pillow to keep in your car; it can help relieve driving fatigue and fill the car with the fresh fragrance of chrysanthemums.
For toothaches and bad breath, use osmanthus.
Fresh osmanthus not only has a rich, sweet fragrance but also possesses certain medicinal value. Osmanthus is used medicinally mainly because it has the effects of dispelling cold, resolving stagnation, transforming phlegm, and promoting the production of body fluids. Therefore, it is used for discomforts such as cough, phlegm accumulation, toothaches, and bad breath.
Wellness method: Place fresh osmanthus in a container, add some salt to marinate it to enhance its flavor. Then, "preserve" it with sugar overnight to make osmanthus paste for consumption. Use 3 grams of osmanthus seeds, decoct in water to make a mouthwash, three times a day, to help eliminate bad breath. Use 50 grams of osmanthus bark, add 20 grams of Eucommia, and decoct in water for oral administration. It can relieve a toothache in 10 minutes.
For stomach discomfort, use jasmine.
Jasmine has a pungent and sweet taste, and a warm nature. It can aid the stomach's digestion and absorption, alleviate stomach pain, and has a good therapeutic effect on diarrhea and abdominal pain. Therefore, jasmine tea is known as a stomach-protecting tea. In addition, jasmine has a calming effect on the mind, helping to stabilize emotions, relieve tension, and refresh the mood.
Wellness method: If you feel your digestive function is poor, you can infuse the flowers in hot milk to make jasmine milk tea, which has a subtle fragrance and good auxiliary therapeutic effects. Additionally, if your eyes are red and swollen, tearing in the wind, you can use an appropriate amount of jasmine flowers to decoct water for a fomentation and wash. Or, combine 9 grams of honeysuckle and 6 grams of chrysanthemum, decoct in water for oral administration. For pain after a bone-setting, you can crush jasmine root, stir-fry it with wine, and apply it to the affected area.
For a dull complexion, use peach blossoms.
According to pharmacological analysis, peach blossoms contain organic compounds such as naphthalene, coumarin, and trifolioside. These substances can unblock the meridians, improve blood circulation, promote the supply of nutrients and oxygen to the skin, and moisturize it. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that peach blossoms have the effects of promoting urination, loosening the bowels, and invigorating blood. Therefore, peach blossoms, whether used externally or internally, have excellent effects for nourishing the complexion.
Wellness method: Take 250 grams of peach blossoms and 30 grams of angelica, seal and soak them in 1000 ml of white liquor for 30 days. Drink 15-30 ml in the morning and evening each day. At the same time, take a small amount, pour it into your palm, rub your palms until they are warm, and then rub your face back and forth. This has a good effect on facial pigmentation such as chloasma, freckles, and a dull complexion.
For hyperplasia of mammary glands, use roses.
The rose, a symbol of love, has a fragrant aroma and the effects of regulating qi to relieve depression and dispelling blood stasis. It can help alleviate high blood lipids, stagnant liver qi, disharmony of qi and blood, hyperplasia of mammary glands, breast distension and pain, irregular menstruation, and low female hormone secretion.
Wellness method: Due to the strong volatility of rose fragrance, it is very suitable for hot baths. Fill a bathtub with water, sprinkle in rose petals, which has the effect of balancing and moisturizing tired skin and soothing tense emotions. If you want to lower lipids, lose weight, and moisturize your skin, you can try steeping 3-5 grams of processed buds in boiling water for 5 minutes, add sugar or honey, and then steep it together with any tea of your choice. There is also a folk secret recipe for making a paste with rose buds and brown sugar: add 100 grams of rose buds to about 500 grams of water, decoct for 20 minutes, filter out the flower dregs, decoct the liquid into a concentrated juice, then add 500-1000 grams of brown sugar and cook into a paste. This paste has the effect of nourishing blood and qi.
For activating blood and regulating menstruation, use Chinese rose.
Chinese rose has the effect of activating blood and regulating menstruation. It is mainly indicated for menstrual irregularity, chest and abdominal distension and pain, vexation, and vomiting caused by liver depression and qi stagnation or blood stasis obstruction. Fresh flowers can be used directly, or semi-open flowers can be picked in summer and autumn, sun-dried, air-dried, or oven-dried for later use.
Wellness method: Take 100 grams of fresh Chinese rose petals, 400 grams of flour, 3 eggs, 200 grams of milk, 100 grams of sugar, a pinch of fine salt, 50 grams of salad oil, and an appropriate amount of baking powder. Add sugar and milk to the eggs, mix well, then add flour, oil, salt, and baking powder to make a batter. Soak the petals in sugar for half an hour, mix them into the batter, and deep-fry in oil at medium heat until crispy. Long-term consumption can soothe the liver and relieve depression, activate blood and regulate menstruation, and is suitable for prolonged menstruation caused by blood stasis. In addition, decoct 9 grams each of Chinese rose and motherwort in water for oral administration to relieve menstrual cramps.