Detoxifying and Swelling-Reducing Sea Hibiscus

Legend has it that during the Qing Dynasty, the minister Sheng Xuanhuai made pills from sea hibiscus and cured Empress Dowager Cixi's rheumatism. Sea hibiscus, also known as wu hibiscus, only grows on the grassy rocks of the northern coast, Penghu, Green Island, Orchid Island, and the coral reefs of Diaoyu Island. People have long enjoyed picking it to make medicinal wine, but due to the dangers of climbing to obtain it, there is also a nickname "death-enticing hibiscus."

Origin of the Species

【Plant Name】: Crossostephium chinense (L.) Makino

【Family】: Compositae

【Other Names】: Qian Nian Ai (as recorded in the Compendium of Materia Medica), Yu Fu Rong, Xiang Ju (as recorded in "Lingnan Medicinal Herb Collection"), Bai Ai, Bai Xiang Ju (as recorded in "Fujian Medicinal Herbs"), Feng Cao, Bai Fu Rong (as recorded in "National Compendium of Chinese Herbal Medicine"), Hai Fu Rong, Yan Tou Bai, Fu Rong Tou, Fu Rong Ju

Distribution and Characteristics

【Distribution】: China (Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangxi, Guangdong, Yunnan) and Taiwan, also found in Japan.

【Characteristics】: Herbaceous plant, 10-40 (~60) cm tall. The stem is erect with many branches, covered in grayish-green color due to dense white pubescence. The leaves are opposite, narrowly spatulate or narrowly ovate, 5-8 cm long, 2-3 cm wide, with 3-5 toothed or lobed apex, gradually narrowing at the base, entire margin, and covered with grayish-white short pubescence on both surfaces. The head-like inflorescences are yellowish-green, about 4-5 mm in diameter, arranged in a corymbose manner at the branch ends; each has a peduncle; the involucre is nearly globose, 2-3 layers, outer involucre bracts leathery, covered in grayish-white short pubescence; the florets are tubular, with the outer ones being female and having 2-3 short lobes, while the central ones are hermaphroditic with 5 short lobes. The fruits have 5-angled ridges with corona-like scales. The flowering period is from spring to summer.

Functions and Indications

The entire plant of sea hibiscus can be used as medicine and has various applications. It can promote blood circulation, expel wind, eliminate dampness, reduce swelling, detoxify, suppress cough, and dispel phlegm. In medical practice, it is mainly used to treat rheumatic joint pain, long-term headache, menstrual disorders, wind-cold colds, pertussis, bronchitis, mastitis, carbuncles, swelling, kidney deficiency, stomach pain, pediatric fetal toxins, poor childhood growth, bruises, skin inflammation, and gonorrhea.

[Source: Illustrated Handbook of Common Medicinal Plants in Taiwan "III"]