Pharmacist Wang said that celery, a herbal medicine, is actually a medicine.

The vast majority of TCM drugs come from plants, mostly roots and rhizomes, stems and branches, flowers, fruit seeds, whole grass and leaves. Among these medicinal materials, Umbelliferae, Compositae, Leguminosae, Rutaceae and Labiatae are the main sources. The reason is that most of the plants in these families and genera contain volatile oil, flavonoids, coumarins, alkaloids and other active components that can affect human physiological functions.

The celery introduced in this issue comes from Umbelliferae. The most important feature of Umbelliferae plants is that they contain a high proportion of volatile oil and coumarin, so they often have a strong aroma. Named for its umbrella-shaped inflorescence. More than 230 species of Umbelliferae are known to be used as medicines. Angelica sinensis, Radix Bupleuri, Radix Angelicae Pubescentis, Notopterygii Rhizoma, Radix Angelicae Dahuricae, Radix Peucedani, and Rhizoma Chuanxiong, which are commonly used in clinical practice of traditional Chinese medicine, all come from Umbelliferae. Celery is not only a vegetable, but also a medicine.

There are three kinds of celery, namely celery, cress and celery. Medicine mainly refers to celery, also known as celery. Oenanthe javanica has been recorded in the Book of Songs. Originated in China, celery was introduced to China in modern times. However, there are different opinions on whether the origin of Oenanthe javanica is China. However, according to ancient records, the celery recorded in ancient books is mainly Oenanthe javanica, and after the Han Dynasty, it was said that Oenanthe javanica was brought to China by Zhang Qian from the Mediterranean region in the Han Dynasty, or was introduced through a caravan. Exotic plants in China were introduced to the Southern and Northern Dynasties from the Han Dynasty, with Hu characters in front, model characters in the Tang, Song and Ming Dynasties and exotic characters in the Qing Dynasty. Such as carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, taro and so on.

Among the three kinds of celery, Oenanthe javanica is also called wild Oenanthe javanica, which mainly grows in swamps or humid environments. However, because of the large market demand, it is widely cultivated. Cultivated water dropwort is tender and taller than wild water dropwort, but its fragrance is not as good as wild water dropwort. The stem of celery is slightly thicker than celery, not as tender as celery, and the taste is slightly worse, but it is rich in flavor, so it is also called celery; Celery stems are relatively fat, and they are mainly taken from the stems when eaten. It is worth mentioning that celery leaves contain more carotene and vitamin C than stems, so don't choose stems to remove leaves when eating. In order to remove the bitter taste of celery leaves, you can scald them with boiling water before use.

Celery is sweet, pungent, slightly bitter and cool. When taking medicine, juice is often taken, which has the effects of calming the liver and clearing away heat, expelling wind and diuresis, stopping bleeding and detoxifying; Commonly used for dizziness due to liver yang, wind-heat headache, cough, jaundice, urinary stranguria, hematuria, metrorrhagia, leucorrhea, sores and swelling.

Author: Jiangnan pharmacist Wang