1, what is Bai Meihua?
Plum blossoms used in Chinese medicine prescriptions are edible, medicinal and ornamental plum blossoms in Rosaceae, belonging to the family Qiaomuke, and not referring to Chimonanthus praecox for our appreciation. In the general formula, we call it green sepal plum or Bai Meihua, and green sepal plum and Bai Meihua are two names of the same thing, because the root of plum blossom is green and the flower is white. The colder the plum blossoms, the more they bloom. This is the spirit of plum blossom.
2. The efficacy of Bai Meihua.
"Baihua Jing" records plum blossoms: appetizing and eliminating evil spirits, helping Qing Yang's qi to rise, steaming dew-point tea, promoting fluid production and quenching thirst, and relieving boredom. Therefore, plum blossom can nourish the stomach and regulate qi without damaging essence, which is the biggest one-person characteristic of plum blossom. Drugs for regulating qi used in our medicine, such as Rhizoma Cyperi, Radix Aucklandiae, Radix Bupleuri, etc., are often mentioned by doctors when they are used, because the drugs for regulating qi are relatively dry and easy to damage yin. Plum can regulate qi without hurting yin, which is why we can use it for diet therapy. Plum blossoms basically enter the liver and stomach, so they have an impact on our liver and blood.
efficacy
Green plum (green sepal plum or Bai Meihua) is fragrant, sour and flat, and has the functions of soothing the liver and regulating the stomach, resolving phlegm and detoxicating, soothing the liver and strengthening the spleen. The biggest feature of plum blossom is to regulate the spleen and stomach, regulate qi and blood, and not hurt yin.
3. How to eat in Bai Meihua?
Plum blossom porridge
Practice: Clean the plum blossom, use 5g fresh plum blossom (2.5g dried plum blossom) to boil water first, and then take the cooked rice or put it into a slice to cook.
Note: We generally use japonica rice now. If you have some signs of getting angry, you can use millet instead.
Plum blossom porridge-old age
Take 5~7 white plum blossoms, break off the petals and wash them for later use. Wash 100g japonica rice and put it in a pot to cook until the porridge is cooked. Add Bai Meihua and proper amount of sugar, and serve after a slight increase. The use of sugar, brown sugar, rock sugar and honey in porridge can be decided according to everyone's situation. Use white sugar if it is hot, brown sugar if it is cold, honey if the stool is dry, and rock sugar if the lungs are a little hot and cough.
This plum porridge is very suitable for the elderly who can afford it, can't put it down, and are very worry-free. These elderly people will have this kind of spleen and stomach discomfort, just drink it once a week.
Shuxincha
Ingredients: 3g of Bai Meihua, 3g of magnolia officinalis flower, 3g of rose, 6g of white peony root and 3g of licorice.
Practice: drink tea every day.
Efficacy: Relieve emptiness syndrome.
4. The difference between Rosaceae and Chimonanthaceae
Chimonanthus praecox and Prunus mume are similar, they both bloom first and then spread their leaves, and the flowering period is in winter and spring. Difference: ① The colors of flowers are different. Chimonanthus praecox is mainly waxy yellow, while plum blossom is mainly white, pink and purple. ② The flowering period of Chimonanthus praecox is 2 months earlier than that of Prunus mume. (3) Chimonanthus praecox has straight branches, while Prunus mume has straight branches and straight branches. (4) Chimonanthus praecox is a shrub with branches 2-4m high, while Prunus mume is a tree with trunk 4- 10m high. ⑤ Chimonanthus praecox leaves are opposite, and Prunus mume leaves are alternate.
5. Plum blossoms of Chimonanthaceae
Chimonanthus belongs to Chimonanthus of Chimonanthaceae and Prunus of Rosaceae, both of which belong to different families and different genera. Because both of them have the word "plum", they both bloom first and then grow leaves, and both of them are fragrant and bloom in winter and spring, so many people often mistake them for the same species.
In fact, the difference between the two is very big, mainly including the following six points.
1, different colors: Chimonanthus praecox is mainly sallow, while plum blossom has white, pink, deep river, purple and other colors.
2. Different flowering periods: Generally, Chimonanthus praecox blooms around the twelfth lunar month (for example, Chimonanthus praecox in Shanghai Xinzhuang Hongyuan recently opened), about two months earlier than Plum Blossom.
3. The crown is different: Chimonanthus praecox is a shrub with clustered branches, upright branches and a well-developed root neck, while Prunus mume is a tree with a trunk, which is as high as 10 m and often has thorns. In addition to straight branches, there are vertical branches with irregular crown and round head.
4. Different leaves: Chimonanthus praecox leaves are opposite, nearly leathery, rectangular, entire, with rough upper surface and green, smooth and gray back; However, the leaves of Prunus mume are alternate, Ye Guang is ovoid to ovoid, with a length of 4- 10 cm, a tapering tip or tail tip, thin and sharp serrated edges, and a wide wedge-shaped or nearly round base. There was a time when both sides were in adolescence, and then more leaves fell off. The growing new leaves only have hairs on the veins on the back of the leaves, but most of them are in the axils of the leaves.
5. Plum blossom and wintersweet are two different plant families. Chimonanthus praecox belongs to Chimonanthus of Chimonanthaceae and Prunus of Rosaceae, which belong to different families and genera.
There are many kinds of plum blossoms, among which Jiangnan produces the best. Japanese cherry blossom is a close relative of plum blossom, and red plum is a kind of plum blossom. Red plums in Sichuan are hardly fragrant, and neither is Bai Mei. There is a kind of pale green plum blossom (green calyx) which is very precious. Chimonanthus praecox is just another plant. Plum blossoms bloom about a month later than wintersweet.
6. Plum blossoms are fragrant, some are almost odorless, and wintersweet is much stronger. Plum blossoms and wintersweet are actually very delicate. They don't like warmth or heat, but they also like humidity. The famous meteorologist Zhu Kezhen studied plum blossom (Chimonanthus praecox? ), it is concluded that the temperature in ancient China became cold from the Tang Dynasty. Now plum and wintersweet only bloom in the Yangtze River valley.
Chimonanthus praecox and Prunus mume grow on the branches in the dead of winter, but the fragrance of Chimonanthus praecox is much stronger. Therefore, Lin Hejing's "wife of Chimonanthus praecox"-"faint fragrance and thin shadow" should refer to Prunus praecox, not Chimonanthus praecox, as if all the plants on the lonely mountain in Hangzhou are plum blossoms.
6. Types of scented tea
1, honeysuckle
Has the effects of clearing away heat and toxic materials, moistening lung, resolving phlegm, enriching blood and nourishing blood, relaxing muscles and tendons, activating collaterals, relieving cough and resisting virus. Can be used for treating habitual constipation. Flos Lonicerae and Radix et Rhizoma Rhei make tea and drink together according to the dosage of 3: 1, and season with appropriate amount of honey, which has the effects of clearing away heat and purging water, moistening intestines and relaxing bowels, and slimming the lower abdomen.
2.jasmine
It can improve drowsiness and anxiety, and also has effects on chronic stomach diseases and menstrual disorders. The combination of jasmine and pink rose has slimming effect.
3.luoshenhua
It can detoxify, induce diuresis, remove edema, promote bile secretion and decompose excess fat in the body. The researchers also found that when drinking rose tea, 95% patients lost 1 to 3 kg, and the taste was sour. The color after soaking is red, very beautiful, and it is good for both hot and cold drinking.
4. tortoise shell flower
Slightly bitter, but rich in aroma, with green tea. Moisturize skin and reduce abdominal fat. It is an excellent beauty and weight loss drink.
5.rosemary
Resist computer radiation, refresh the mind, treat headaches and enhance memory; Help digestion, flatulence and abdominal pain; Promote scalp blood circulation, improve alopecia and baldness, and reduce dandruff; Lose weight, eliminate edema, and resist aging. It can promote blood circulation, lower cholesterol and inhibit obesity. It has many functions and is a good herbal tea.
6.evergreen trees
It is a very special variety of herbal tea. If you choose the best variety, you can see the flowers slowly open when brewing, like flowers in water. Its effects include skin care and beauty, as well as diuretic effect. It also has the effects of clearing away liver-fire, improving eyesight, relieving cough, lowering blood pressure, removing toxic substances, resisting fatigue and caring skin.
7.jade butterfly
The well-known Jade Butterfly scented tea has the functions of clearing lung-heat, benefiting throat, whitening skin, lowering blood pressure, reducing weight and promoting body metabolism. It has the effects of moistening throat, reducing blood pressure, reducing weight, whitening skin, improving immunity, preventing cancer, expelling toxin, quenching thirst and relieving alcoholism.
8. Lily
It has a miraculous effect on chronic cough due to yin deficiency, moistening lung and resolving phlegm, blood in phlegm, anxiety and fright, insomnia and dreaminess, and mental trance. It can clear stomach and detoxify, treat constipation, and soak with rose and lemon verbena is better.
9. Forget me
Clearing away heat and toxic materials, clearing away heart fire, improving eyesight, nourishing yin and kidney, caring skin, enriching blood and nourishing blood, promoting menstrual metabolism, delaying cell aging and improving immunity.
10, carnation
Nourish skin, tranquilize mind, quench thirst, clear heart, improve eyesight, diminish inflammation, relieve vexation, promote salivation, moisten throat, strengthen stomach and promote digestion. Has obvious curative effect on treating headache and toothache.
1 1, rose tea
Beautify the skin and soothe the nerves. Rose: It has the functions of nourishing and caring skin, promoting blood circulation, protecting liver, eliminating fatigue and promoting blood circulation. Can be used for treating chronic gastritis and hepatitis. Suitable for women and children.