Witnessed by: TCM
Inula (Inula japonica), of the Asteraceae family. Hairy perennial of moist grassland bearing yellow daisy heads; native range: meadows and stream banks across China, Korea, and Japan. Globally recognized as xuan fu hua (旋覆花) in Chinese, and inula flower in English. The part used is flower head. Small golden flower heads, downy and light, salty and faintly bitter with an acrid edge.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
INULA
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- inula
- Scientific name
- Inula japonica Thunb.
- Family
- Asteraceae
Form
- Part used
- flower head
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- bitter · pungent · salty
Temperature
- TCM
- warm (slightly)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Lung · Spleen · Stomach · Large Intestine
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- directs qi downward, dissolves phlegm, stops vomiting and hiccup, calms wheezing
Cautions
- Contraindications
- caution in dry cough from yin deficiency and in loose stool from deficiency
- Toxicity
- the fine hairs may irritate the throat; decoct wrapped
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