Qizhou Rhaponticum

Qizhou Rhaponticum

Also known as "Monk's Head." Produced in Anguo, Hebei. Harvested in September–October; remove residual stems and rootlets, wash off soil, and dry in the sun to make the final product.

It tastes bitter and salty, with a cold nature. It has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, reducing swelling and discharging pus, promoting tissue regeneration, and stimulating lactation. It treats conditions such as carbuncles and abscesses on the back, boils and toxic swellings, scrofula, mastitis, and blocked lactation. The plant grows 30–60 cm tall, with a thick main root, an erect stem, no branching, and dense white downy hairs; basal leaves are large with long petioles, elliptical in shape, while stem leaves are smaller and alternate; the capitulum is solitary at the top of the stem, light reddish-purple; the achene is conical, dark brown. The root’s exterior is brownish-black, rough with distinct vertical grooves, lightweight, and easily broken, with an irregular fracture surface; the xylem is yellowish-white, mostly hollow in the center with a brown color. It has a distinctive odor and a slightly bitter taste. The best quality roots are thick, long, neat, unbroken, with brownish-black skin, firm texture, and contain volatile oil inside.