Nature: bitter, acrid, cold

Enters: Liver, Gallbladder, Kidney

Actions: Clears summer-heat; cools the blood, stops bleeding; treats malaria; clears Yin deficiency heat; guides interior heat out to the exterior.

Indications:
• Summer-heat: fever, headache, dizziness, stifling sensation in the chest, with or without sweating.
• Yin deficiency, blood deficiency, or febrile disease: fever. Especially for unremitting fever or night fever and morning coolness with an absence of sweating.
• Yin deficiency: fever, hot sensation in the soles and palms.
• Heat in the blood: purpuric rashes, epistaxis.
• Malaria: alternating fever and chills (do not mistake for Shaoyang syndrome, do not use Xiao Chai Hu Tang). Liu: The extract of this herb – Qing Hao Su (essentially artemisinin) – is very strong at killing the malaria parasite (much stronger than Western medicines), and has no side effects. Useful for increasingly drug-resistant strains of malaria.
• Induces sweating.
• The leaves are the most potent part of the plant.
• Short cook.

• May be useful in the treatment of COVID-19:

Artemisia and Artemisia-based products for COVID-19 management: current state and future perspective

• Bensky/Gamble classifies with herbs to clear summer-heat.

HF: A Sha Chong (kill worms or parasites) herb, important in Gu Zheng (Gu parasites) formulas.
BF: Anti-amoebic and anti-giardia effects.
• Very effective herb when there is deficiency heat above and damp-heat below.
MLT: This is the only heat clearing herb which is aromatic, bitter, and cold. It clears heat and dampness, while its aromatic quality protects the spleen from its bitter, cold nature. Though it is bitter, it will not injure the Yin. Though it is cold, it will not aggravate dampness. Its fragrant Qi is able to decongest turbidity. Being light and clear, it is able to rise upward and release evil through the surface.
• Useful for all four levels of Wenbing as either the primary or secondary herb in the formula.
• More neutral than Huang qin and Huang lian.

Dose: 3-10g (up to 24g for strong heat-clearing)