Dongshan Motherwort

Dongshan Motherwort

　　During the Dragon Boat Festival, households in Miancheng love to crush peanuts into crumbs and boil them together with motherwort. This motherwort soup is rich in color, aroma, and taste—deliciously refreshing and uniquely flavorful. Yet, this unassuming little herb, standing over a foot tall with square stems, purple (or white) flowers, and mugwort-like leaves, is edible for all ages. So why is it called “motherwort,” and why is it so renowned?

It turns out that motherwort can invigorate blood circulation, regulate menstruation, eliminate stasis, and relieve blockages. It also enhances the contraction and tension of the uterine muscles, reducing postpartum abdominal pain caused by stagnant blood and helping the uterus return to its normal state. It offers relief for married and unmarried women suffering from irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, excessive menstrual flow, premenstrual abdominal distension and pain, as well as complications during childbirth such as difficult labor, stillbirth, retained placenta, or postpartum lochia affecting the heart. Hence, people affectionately call it motherwort. In addition, it has diuretic and anti-swelling properties, helps lower blood pressure, and promotes blood circulation to remove stasis. When cooked with peanuts—known as the “plant meat”—it aids digestion, soothes the stomach, moistens the lungs, resolves phlegm, and nourishes qi. From this perspective, the tradition of eating motherwort during the Dragon Boat Festival in Chaoyang does have some scientific merit after all.

Motherwort originally comes from Huaxia, and the Chinese people have long known and utilized it. As early as the 6th century BC, the *Book of Songs* mentions “zhonggu you tui” (中谷有推), where “tui” is the elegant name for motherwort. It thrives in warm, humid climates and prefers sandy soil rich in humus and with good drainage. The soil in Dongshan, Miancheng, happens to suit its “tastes,” allowing it to take root here. Coupled with careful cultivation by local farmers, Dongshan motherwort has become a renowned specialty celebrated both at home and abroad.