What are the benefits and effects of the herb crown daisy, and can pregnant women eat it?

Crown daisy is an annual or biennial herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family and is loved by many people. According to ancient Chinese medicinal texts: crown daisy is sweet, pungent and neutral in nature, non-toxic, and has the “calming the heart qi, nourishing the spleen and stomach, reducing phlegm and fluid retention, and promoting intestinal health” benefits and effects. According to relevant information, crown daisy is rich in vitamin A and folic acid, which are very important for pregnant women and indispensable for the healthy development of the fetus, so pregnant women can eat crown daisy.

As a vegetable that people love, crown daisy naturally has its own benefits and effects.

(1) Benefits of crown daisy

1. Nature and flavor: pungent and sweet in taste, neutral in nature.

2. Meridian entry: enters the spleen and stomach meridians.

3. Functions and indications: harmonizes the spleen and stomach, promotes urination and defecation, and reduces phlegm and fluid retention. It mainly treats conditions such as palpitations, severe palpitations, insomnia and frequent dreams, restlessness and anxiety, cough with profuse phlegm, diarrhea, abdominal distension, frequent nocturia, and abdominal pain from cold hernia.

4. “Qianjin · Dietary Therapy”: “Calms the heart qi, nourishes the spleen and stomach, reduces phlegm and fluid retention.”

5. “Daily Materia Medica”: “Dispels water and grain.”

6. “Materia Medica of Southern Yunnan”: “Moves liver qi, treats unilateral bearing-down pain, and promotes urination.”

7. “Materia Medica for Formulation”: “Promotes intestinal health, unblocks blood vessels, and removes foul qi from the diaphragm.”

8. “Benjing Fengyuan”: “Tonghao has turbid qi and can assist the ministerial fire. Yuxi says that eating too much stirs up wind qi, fumes the heart, and causes fullness of qi. (Qianjin) says it calms the heart qi, nourishes the spleen and stomach, reduces phlegm and fluid retention, and promotes intestinal health; this refers to those who constitutionally have weak fire. If kidney qi is already abundant, there is no lack of risk of aiding fire.”

(2) Effects of crown daisy

1. Promotes appetite. Crown daisy contains many volatile substances, and the special fragrance they release can very effectively promote saliva secretion. At the same time, it can also improve the body’s appetite and has the effect of aiding digestion and stimulating appetite.

2. Purifies the blood and nourishes the heart, moistens the lungs and resolves phlegm. Crown daisy is rich in nutrients and, as an ingredient, is relatively smooth. Eating some in moderation has the effect of purifying the blood and nourishing the heart, moistening the lungs and resolving phlegm.

3. Promotes urination and lowers blood pressure. Eating some crown daisy in moderation can regulate water metabolism in the human body and has a certain diuretic effect; elderly people eating some crown daisy in moderation can have the effect of lowering blood pressure.

4. Improves immunity. The nutrients contained in crown daisy have a certain effect on human immunity. Eating some crown daisy in moderation can improve immune capacity.

5. Resolves phlegm and relieves cough. Crown daisy is suitable for symptoms such as profuse phlegm, sticky phlegm, and cough. It has a good moistening and physical therapeutic effect on the throat, helps local inflammation heal, and can relieve local itching, thereby blocking the cough reflex. It can dilute the viscosity of respiratory inflammation and secretions, making them easier to cough up, and helps relieve cough and phlegm.

6. Reduces swelling. It can remove toxins and excess water from the body, promote blood and water metabolism, and has diuretic and anti-edema effects. It contains diuretic components, can eliminate water and sodium retention in the body, and promotes diuresis and reduces swelling. It can treat general edema, difficult urination, and so on.

7. Moistens the lungs. Crown daisy nourishes yin and moistens the lungs, and removes lung dryness and lung heat. It makes breathing smooth and comfortable.

8. Removes fat. Eating crown daisy has a certain fat-removing effect.

9. Calms the mind and relieves irritability. It can regulate metabolism and has a sedative and mind-calming effect.

10. Activates blood and removes stasis. It promotes the movement of qi and blood in the human body and is suitable for treating blood stasis syndrome.

11. For strong liver fire, eat more crown daisy. After holidays, the problem of “strong liver fire” is most likely to appear. At this time, people are always prone to drowsiness, irritability, and a poor appetite when eating, and because the liver opens into the eyes, such people also have more eye secretions. At this time, more green leafy vegetables should be supplemented, no fewer than 4 kinds a day, and eating more crown daisy is recommended. Traditional Chinese medicine says green enters the liver, so eating more green leafy vegetables also has a good effect on clearing liver fire, and crown daisy has a better effect on clearing liver fire than other green leafy vegetables.

12. Prevents constipation. The abundant dietary fiber in crown daisy helps promote intestinal peristalsis, helps the human body promptly eliminate harmful toxins, and achieves the purpose of unblocking the bowels and promoting intestinal health and preventing constipation.

13. Other effects. Crown daisy can also prevent vision decline and promote the healthy growth of skin, hair, teeth, and gums.

Therefore, crown daisy can generally be eaten by all groups of people, including pregnant women. Moreover, it is very suitable for people with high blood pressure, mental workers, people with anemia, and patients with fractures. However, people with stomach deficiency and diarrhea should eat it with caution.

Appendix: How to grow crown daisy

1. Temperature: The suitable growth temperature for crown daisy is 17--20 degrees Celsius. In early spring, the weather is still relatively cold when sowing, and there may be a late spring cold snap, so after sowing, the seedbed surface needs to be covered with plastic film or old greenhouse film, with the edges pressed down with soil to prevent cold and preserve heat. When the weather turns warmer and the seedlings emerge but before they touch the film, uncover the film. When growing under protection at more than 25 degrees Celsius, open the ventilation opening for ventilation.

2. Thinning and weeding: When the young seedlings grow to about 10 cm, for small-leaf varieties, thin them according to a plant and row spacing of 3--5 cm square, and for large-leaf varieties, thin them according to about 20 cm square, while removing weeds.

3. Watering and fertilizing: Begin watering after the seedlings emerge. The timing and frequency of watering should be handled flexibly, with the standard being to keep the soil moist. Apply 1 application of quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer 10--15 days before each harvest, applying 15 kg of potassium nitrate and about 8 kg of urea per mu.

3. Pest and disease control of crown daisy

Pest and disease control of crown daisy mainly starts with agricultural control: fertilize and water reasonably, avoid sudden large or small amounts, and avoid sudden high or low temperatures in temperature management, so as to create a good ecological environment, promote healthy plant growth, reduce pest and disease damage and pesticide application, and maintain ecological balance.

In addition, 1. Planting time of crown daisy: generally spring and autumn cultivation are better. In southern regions, it can be cultivated in all three seasons: spring, autumn, and winter.

2. Sowing method: direct sowing is possible, and seedling transplanting is also possible, but direct sowing is mostly used. Evenly scatter the seeds on the growing soil. After sowing, cover with soil to a thickness of about 1 cm, water thoroughly, and keep warm and moist. Seedlings can emerge in 4-5 days. When the seedlings grow to 2-3 true leaves, thinning is needed.

3. Sowing containers: To grow crown daisy on a balcony, rooftop, or courtyard, the cultivation containers that can be chosen include flower pots, wooden pots, professional cultivation boxes, foam plastic boxes, etc. The suitable plowing layer depth is 20 cm.