Artemisia capillaris - Artemisia capillaris

Japanese: カワラヨモギ - かわらよもぎ

It is a perennial plant of the Asteraceae family (APG classification: Asteraceae), but the lower part of the stem becomes woody and becomes a subshrub. Non-flowering stems are short, and the upper part is covered with clusters of leaves in a rosette shape. Flowering stems are 0.3-1 meter tall and well branched. All leaves are pinnately lobed once or twice. Some are densely covered with grayish-white silky hairs on both sides, while others are nearly hairless. In September and October, the large panicles bear many densely packed flower heads. The roots may be parasitized by broomrapes. It grows on the coasts and sandy riverbeds from Honshu to Okinawa, and is distributed in the Korean Peninsula, the Philippines, China, and Nepal.

[Hiroji Koyama February 18, 2022]

Medicinal

In traditional Chinese medicine, the tips of young shoots are called inchinkou or menchinko, and are used as a diuretic, cholesteatotic, and antipyretic to treat jaundice, hepatitis, food poisoning, urticaria, nephrosis, etc. The fruit heads are often used, but the young shoots have a stronger effect.

[Motoo Nagasawa February 18, 2022]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

キク科（APG分類：キク科）の多年草であるが、茎下部が木質化して亜低木となる。花をつけない茎は短く、上部に葉を叢生(そうせい)してロゼット状となる。花をつける茎は高さ0.3～1メートル、よく分枝する。いずれの葉も1、2回羽状に全裂する。両面に灰白色の絹毛が密生するものから無毛に近いものまである。9～10月、大きな円錐(えんすい)花序に多数の頭花をやや密につける。根にハマウツボが寄生することもある。本州から沖縄の海岸や河原の砂地に生え、朝鮮半島、フィリピン、中国からネパールに分布する。

［小山博滋　2022年2月18日］