Yin Chen (Hao)

Yin Chen Hao (茵陳蒿) is the dried young aerial herb of Artemisia capillaris Thunb., or in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia also Artemisia scoparia Waldst. & Kit. (Asteraceae), perennial composites widespread across riverbanks, sandy soils, and waste places throughout China, Korea, Japan, and East Asia. The plants form low tufts of finely dissected, silvery-pubescent basal leaves in spring (the principal medicinal stage, harvested before flowering) and later bear branching panicles of small yellowish-green capitula. The dried herb has a slightly aromatic odor and bitter taste. In TCM, Yin Chen Hao is classified as bitter, pungent, and slightly cool, entering the Spleen, Stomach, Liver, and Gallbladder channels, and is the premier herb for clearing damp-heat and resolving jaundice; it is used for both yang and yin patterns of jaundice, hepatitis, gallbladder inflammation, and damp-heat skin eruptions.