Four Renowned Huai Medicines
These refer to the four Chinese herbal medicines growing in ancient Huaiqing (part of present-day Jiaozuo, Henan Province): Chinese yam, chaff flower root, glutinous rehmannia, and chrysanthemum. Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica), China's first medicinal classic, rated them as premium herbs, and doctors and pharmacists later found out more about their properties. These medicines consequently came to be known as an established brand.
The Huai yam can nourish the kidneys, strengthen the stomach, clear phlegm, treat asthenia and deficiency in energy, dispel the cold wind, calm the mind, and help muscles grow. The Huai chaff flower root contains a large amount of alkaloid, which is good for the liver, the kidneys, the muscles, and the bones and can unblock the meridian channels and remove blood stasis. The Huai glutinous rehmannia can make bone marrow and blood grow, nourish the five organs (heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys), invigorate blood circulation, benefit the ears and the eyes, and keep the hair black. The Huai chrysanthemum can help clear internal cold and heat, benefit the liver and the eyes, and remove pathogenic elements from the body.
With high medicinal and dietary value, these four medicines have enjoyed long-standing reputation and a ready market around the world. Among them, the Huai yam is hailed as the "Huai ginseng" and "medicine of China" for its great nourishing effects.
四大懷藥
四大懷藥是河南特產(chǎn),主要指古懷慶府(今河南省焦作轄區(qū)博愛(ài)、溫縣、沁陽(yáng)、武陟、孟州等地)所產(chǎn)的山藥、牛膝、地黃、菊花等四種中藥。中國(guó)最早的藥物學(xué)經(jīng)典《神農(nóng)本草經(jīng)》把它們列為上品,之后歷代醫(yī)藥名家進(jìn)一步發(fā)現(xiàn)了它們的優(yōu)秀本性,“四大懷藥”因而流傳成說(shuō),成為品牌。
懷山藥能滋補(bǔ)益腎、健胃化痰、補(bǔ)中益氣、祛冷風(fēng)、鎮(zhèn)心神、安魂魄、長(zhǎng)肌髓;懷牛膝含有大量生物堿,可以補(bǔ)肝益腎、強(qiáng)壯筋骨、通經(jīng)絡(luò)、散惡血;懷地黃可以填骨髓、生精血、補(bǔ)五臟、通血脈、利耳目、黑須發(fā);懷菊花具有散風(fēng)清熱、平肝明目、清熱解毒的功效。
四大懷藥有極高的藥用和食用價(jià)值,是中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)的常用中藥材,久負(fù)盛名,暢銷世界各地。其中,懷山藥被譽(yù)為“懷參”“華藥”,作為高級(jí)滋補(bǔ)品和饋贈(zèng)佳品而譽(yù)滿全球。