Spring day, talk about apricot blossom as medicine

According to traditional medicine, apricot blossoms are often used to treat diseases such as high fever, thirst, chest tightness, cough, sore throat, burns, tuberculosis, loss of appetite, and dizziness.

When talking about spring flowers, we cannot help but mention apricot blossoms. When Tet comes, spring comes, even though the weather is cold, apricot blossoms still bloom white as snow. In the highlands, apricot blossoms grow in forests, so when the apricot blossoms bloom, patches of white interspersed with the green of the mountains and forests create a truly lyrical scene. Poets love apricot blossoms, and doctors also love this flower.

The apricot blossom mentioned here is the white apricot blossom (bach mai hoa), in our country it is the flower of the apricot tree, the scientific name is Prunus armeniaca L., also known as lap mai, bach mai, lap moc, huong mai, hoang lap, tuyet ly hoa... It is necessary to distinguish it from the yellow apricot tree (Ochna integerrima Lour) which is often grown as an ornamental plant. Like peach and plum, apricot originates from China and Japan. The apricot tree is small, about 4-5 m high, the flowers grow alone in the axils of fallen leaves, have short stalks, are white and fragrant, the calyx is shaped like a wheel, has 5 small teeth, the corolla has 5 thin petals, many stamens arranged in 2 circles, the ovary is superior, one cell.

In chemical composition, apricot blossom contains many essential oils such as cineole, borneol, linalool, benzyl alcohol, farnesol, terpineol, indole... and some other substances such as meratin, calycanthine, carotene... Modern research shows that apricot blossom has the effect of promoting bile secretion, inhibiting some types of bacteria such as coli, dysentery bacilli, typhoid bacilli, cholera bacilli, tuberculosis bacilli...

According to traditional medicine, apricot blossoms are sweet and slightly bitter, warm in nature, non-toxic, and have the effect of dispelling heat and producing body fluids, stimulating appetite, dispelling depression, and dissolving phlegm. They are often used to treat diseases such as high fever, thirst, chest tightness, cough, sore throat, burns, tuberculosis, loss of appetite, dizziness, etc. Ancient medical books such as Compendium of Materia Medica, Compendium of Materia Medica, Compendium of Medicinal Herbs, Compendium of Materia Medica, Compendium of Medicinal Herbs, and Misunderstandings of Plants... have all recorded many medicinal recipes using apricot blossoms with quite profound insights. Some specific examples can be cited as follows:

- Poisoning causes mental disturbance, headache, dizziness: (1) Boil 9g of apricot blossoms to drink or combine apricot blossoms with sea bean flowers and fresh lotus leaves in sufficient quantity, boil and drink. (2) Steep 15g of apricot blossoms, 15g of white chrysanthemums, 15g of roses to drink instead of tea.

- High blood pressure, angina: 3g apricot blossom, 10g cassia seed, steep with boiling water in a sealed container, after 15 minutes it can be used, drink instead of tea during the day.

- Mai gangrene, stomach ache, hepatitis and mild cirrhosis: Cook 5g of mai flower with 100g of rice into porridge, add white sugar, divide into several meals a day. Mai gangrene is a condition that feels like there is something in the throat causing obstruction, unable to cough up, unable to swallow but does not hinder eating and drinking. For this disease, people also use 12g of mai flower, 3g of cinnamon flower, 20g of tea, mix all three ingredients well, divide into 3 times to brew and drink instead of tea.

- Bloating, flatulence: Apricot blossom 10 g, magnolia 10 g, cyperus rotundus 15 g, decoct and drink.

- Stomachache due to cold: equal amounts of plum blossom and cinnabar, dried, ground into powder, drink 3 - 6 g each time with light wine.

- Hiccups: 5g apricot blossoms, 5 red ears (thrush), 3 slices of fresh ginger, 100g of rice. Boil fresh ginger and thrush to get the water, discard the residue, then add rice and cook into porridge. When cooked, add apricot blossoms, boil for a few times, and eat several times a day.

- Vomiting: 5g apricot blossom, 5ml fresh ginger juice. Steep apricot blossom with boiling water in a sealed container, after about 20 minutes it is ready to use, strain and add fresh ginger juice and drink, use 2 doses per day.

- Acute pharyngitis and tonsillitis: (1) Apricot blossom 6 g, Scrophularia 9 g, Indigo root 9 g, decoct to drink. (2) Apricot blossom 15 g, Honeysuckle 15 g, Gypsum 15 g, Scrophularia 9 g, decoct to drink. (3) Apricot blossom 9 g, steep with boiling water in a sealed container, drink instead of tea during the day.

- Chronic pharyngitis: (1) 6g apricot blossom, 5g gardenia flower, 20g tea. Mix the three ingredients and divide into 2 doses, steep with boiling water and drink instead of tea, 1 dose per day. (2) Cook apricot blossom and cymbidium flower in appropriate amounts with 60g of rice into porridge, divide into several doses per day, 1 dose per day.

- Persistent cough: (1) Steep 9g of apricot blossoms and drink as tea during the day. (2) 10g of apricot blossoms, 10g of fritillary flowers, 60g of rice, simmer all into porridge, add a little honey, divide into several servings during the day.

- Severe dehydration due to heatstroke causing thirst and chest pain: Apricot blossom 10 g, ginseng leaves 10 g, licorice 10 g, ophiopogon 15 g, patchouli 6 g, decoct and drink.

- Anorexia due to heat: 10g apricot blossom, 50g lotus leaf, steep in boiling water and drink as tea during the day.

- Chest tightness, difficulty breathing: Apricot blossom 10g, red salvia 10g, qua lau 15g, decoct and drink during the day.

- Rheumatism-induced joint pain: 9g apricot blossom, 9g heather vine, 9g rhubarb, soaked in 200ml of alcohol, drink 30 - 50ml each time.

- Acute conjunctivitis: 6g apricot blossom, 9g chrysanthemum, boil well then add a little honey and drink.

- Injury due to dislocation: 9g apricot blossom, 9g willow leaves, 9g Chinese clematis root, soak in 250ml white wine, drink 2 times a day, 50ml each time.

- Bleeding wound: 10g of apricot blossoms, roasted until the properties are preserved, then ground into powder and sprinkled on the wound.

- Ulcers of the lips and oral mucosa: Crush a sufficient amount of fresh apricot blossoms with white sugar, squeeze out the juice and apply to the lesion.

- Lymph nodes: Adequate amount of apricot blossoms, 1 chicken egg. Use a sharp knife to poke a small hole in the egg, then stuff the apricot blossoms inside, steam until cooked and eat, once a day, 7 times is a course of treatment.

- Ulcerative dermatitis: Soak 6g of apricot blossom in peanut oil or sesame oil. After 2 weeks, it can be used. Apply to the lesion twice a day.

- Burns: Soak a sufficient amount of apricot blossoms in tea tree oil and apply to the burned area.

In addition, in traditional cuisine, apricot blossoms are also used by the ancients as a food to make nutritious and body-strengthening dishes along with other foods such as pork, goat meat, sea cucumber, chicken eggs, carp, shiitake mushrooms... Thus, with its elegant beauty and pure fragrance, apricot blossoms not only have profound aesthetic value but are also a good medicine and a unique food.

According to Zing.vn