Can Motherwort Be Eaten Regularly? Including Its Production Areas, Cultivation, Harvesting and Initial Processing Methods

Motherwort, also known as tui, chongwei, kuncao, jiuchonglou, yunmucao and sendi, has diuretic and swelling-reducing effects and acts to contract the uterus, and is a key herb used by physicians through the ages to treat gynecological diseases.So can motherwort be eaten regularly? Where are its production areas? How is it cultivated? What are the harvesting and initial processing methods?It is reported that motherwort is produced throughout China; it is distributed in Russia, Korea, Japan, tropical Asia, Africa, and various parts of the Americas.

Can motherwort be eaten regularly?

1. Motherwort should not be eaten regularly, nor in large amounts; the dosage should be based on the specific situation, and once the illness is cured, it can be stopped.

2. The blood-activating function of motherwort granules is very effective, but the dosage, usage and duration of each medicine are still different; motherwort granules are the same, and many people blindly consume them long-term without understanding the nature of the medicine, which is not advisable. Motherwort is best used according to the body's condition, and should not be used continuously without stopping.

How is motherwort cultivated?

1. Early-maturing motherwort can be sown in autumn, spring or summer, while winter-type motherwort must be sown in autumn. Spring sowing is best during the period from Yushui to Jingzhe (late February to early March); in the north, summer sowing is used to make use of summer fallow land, sown after harvesting wheat at Mangzhong, but the yield is not high. In low-temperature areas, autumn sowing is mostly adopted, and the period from Qiufen to Hanlu (late September to early October) when the soil is moist is best. The choice of autumn sowing time directly affects the yield and quality of the product; if too early, it is susceptible to aphid damage. If too late, it is affected by low temperature and dry soil, cannot germinate that year, and can only germinate from the next year's Chunfen to Qingming, and the germination is incomplete and uneven, and most cannot bolt and flower.

2. Thinning and replanting: when motherwort seedlings are about 5 cm high, start thinning, then carry out 2 to 3 more times successively, and when the seedlings are 15 to 20 cm high, final thinning is done. For drill sowing, keep seedlings in staggered rows, with a plant spacing of about 10 cm; for hole sowing, keep 2 to 3 seedlings per hole. If missing seedlings are found during thinning, transplant and replant in time.

3. Cultivation and weeding: spring sowing requires cultivation and weeding 3 times, respectively when the seedlings are about 5 cm, 15 cm and 30 cm high. Summer sowing is carried out in a timely manner according to plant growth. For autumn sowing, the first cultivation and weeding is carried out that year when the seedlings grow 3 to 4 true leaves, and the next year cultivation and weeding are carried out three more times, with the same method as spring sowing. During cultivation and weeding, do not plough too deep, so as not to damage the roots; during the seedling stage, cultivation should protect the seedlings well, prevent them from being pressed by clods, and even more, do not injure the seedling stems; after the last cultivation, earth up to protect the roots.

4. Reasonable topdressing: after each cultivation and weeding of motherwort, topdress once, preferably with nitrogen fertilizer; urea, ammonium sulfate, cake fertilizer or human and livestock manure and urine are all acceptable. When topdressing, pay attention to watering, and by no means use overly concentrated fertilizer, so as not to damage the seedlings. Especially when applying cake fertilizer, it is emphasized to crush it first, fully decompose it with water, dilute it with water, and then apply it. During the rainy season when rainwater is concentrated, prevent water accumulation and pay attention to timely drainage.

5. Pest and disease control: motherwort diseases include powdery mildew, which can be controlled before and after onset with a 1000-fold dilution of 25% xiufenning. For sclerotinia disease, spray 1:500 ruikumai or 1:1:300 Bordeaux mixture or 40% junheli 500-fold dilution, etc.; there is also mosaic disease and other damage. Pests include aphids, which occur in spring and autumn, and can be controlled with biological pesticides. Cutworms can be captured and killed in the morning or trapped and killed with grass piles.

What are the harvesting and initial processing methods for motherwort?

Motherwort harvesting methods:

Motherwort is used as a whole herb in medicine, and its fruit is used in medicine as chongweizi; in late summer and early autumn when it flowers, cut the aboveground whole herb and dry it in the sun; the fruit (chongweizi) is harvested after it matures in autumn, dried in the sun, and cleaned of impurities. The harvested whole motherwort herb and the seed chongweizi are both medicinal materials, so when harvesting, the harvest date should be determined by the production purpose.

1. For the purpose of producing the whole herb, it should be harvested when the branches and leaves are growing vigorously and each plant has reached two-thirds flowering; autumn-sown plants are harvested around Mangzhong (late May to mid-June); spring-sown plants are harvested around Xiaoshu to Dashu (mid-July); summer-sown plants are harvested at the appropriate time when two-thirds of the flowers are open, according to the different sowing periods. Harvesting should be done on a sunny day after the dew has dried, cutting the aboveground part level with the ground.

2. For the purpose of producing the seed chongweizi, harvest should wait until the whole plant has finished flowering and the fruit is fully mature. Since the fruit falls off easily when mature, threshing should be done immediately in the field after cutting, and it should be collected and bagged in time to avoid loss and reduced yield; a seed threshing barrel or a large winnowing basket can also be placed in the field, and the cut whole herb put in and beaten, so that the fruit from the easily shed parts falls off; after the plant and seeds are separated, transport them back separately.

Initial processing of motherwort:

After motherwort is harvested, dry it in the sun or by machine in time; during the drying process, avoid piling and rain soaking so as to prevent fermentation or yellowing of the leaves, which would affect quality. After chongweizi is initially threshed in the field, transport the plants to the drying yard and leave them for 3 to 5 days for further drying, then turn and thresh again, sift out the leaves and coarse residue, dry in the sun, and winnow clean.