Chrysanthemum, a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the dried capitulum of Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat., a plant of the genus Chrysanthemum in the Asteraceae family. It has the effects of dispelling wind and clearing heat, calming the liver and improving vision, and clearing heat and detoxifying. It is primarily used to treat wind-heat colds, headaches and dizziness, red, swollen, and painful eyes, blurred vision, and abscesses and swellings caused by toxins.
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum, a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the dried capitulum of Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat., a plant of the genus Chrysanthemum in the Asteraceae family. It has the effects of dispelling wind and clearing heat, calming the liver and improving vision, and clearing heat and detoxifying. It is primarily used to treat wind-heat colds, headaches and dizziness, red, swollen, and painful eyes, blurred vision, and abscesses and swellings caused by toxins.
Chinese Name : 菊花
Latin Name : Chrysanthemi Flos
Aliases : Jiehua, Rijing, Nujie, Nuhua, Nujing, Gengsheng, Zhouying, Fuyanian, Yincheng, Ganju, Zhenju, Jinjing, Jinrui
Authentic Producing Area : Zhejiang, Anhui, Henan, Sichuan
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Taste: sweet and bitter; nature: slightly cold; enters the Lung and Liver meridians
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Dispels wind and clears heat; calms the liver and improves vision; clears heat and detoxifies.
Indications
Wind-heat common cold, headache and dizziness, red, swollen, and painful eyes, blurred vision, and toxic swellings such as sores and abscesses.
Usage and Dosage
Internal use: Decocted, 5–9 g.
Precautions
Avoid excessive doses when used in combination with sedatives, anesthetics, or antihypertensives.
Chemical Constituents
This product contains essential oils, including borneol, camphor, and chrysanthemum cyclone. In addition, it contains chrysanthemum glycosides, adenine, choline, flavonoids, perilla alkaloids, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin E, amino acids, and acacia glycosides.
Pharmacological Actions
Chrysanthemum has anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antibacterial, anti-myocardial ischemia, antioxidant, antiviral, and hepatoprotective effects.
Relevant Discussions
1. *Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica*: “It treats various wind-induced dizziness, swelling and pain, eyes on the verge of popping out, excessive tearing, necrotic skin tissue, and rheumatic arthralgia caused by wind and dampness. Long-term use promotes the circulation of blood and qi.”
2. *Essentials of Medicinal Use*: “Removes corneal opacities and improves vision.”
3. *Supplements to the Compendium of Materia Medica*: “It specifically enters the Yang division. It treats various wind-induced dizziness and relieves alcohol toxicity and carbuncles.” “Yellow chrysanthemum clears the eyes, dispels wind, regulates liver qi, treats dizziness and vertigo, nourishes the blood, and moistens the complexion; it enters the Blood division. White chrysanthemum promotes lung qi, stops coughing and wheezing, clears stagnant fire in the Three Jiao, treats muscle heat, and enters the Qi division.”
Applications
Clinical Applications
1. For treating wind-heat common colds or the early stages of warm diseases—where warm pathogens invade the lungs, causing symptoms such as fever, headache, and cough—it is often combined with mulberry leaves (which have similar properties and functions) to enhance their effects, and is frequently paired with forsythia, mint, and platycodon, as in the Mulberry-Chrysanthemum Decoction (*Treatise on the Differentiation of Warm Diseases*).
2. For treating liver yang hyperactivity with headache and dizziness, it is often used in combination with herbs that calm the liver and subdue yang, such as Shi Jue Ming, Zhen Zhu Mu, and Bai Shao.For dizziness and headache caused by liver fire rising, as well as conditions involving excessive heat in the liver meridian or extreme heat stirring wind, it may be used in combination with herbs that clear liver heat and subdue liver wind, such as antelope horn, Uncaria, and mulberry leaf, as seen in the Antelope Horn and Uncaria Decoction (from *Popular Treatise on Cold Damage*).
3. For treating redness, swelling, and pain in the eyes caused by wind-heat in the Liver Meridian or ascending Liver fire, the former is often combined with herbs that disperse wind-heat and clarify vision—such as Cicada Shedding, Eupatorium, and White Stiff Silkworm—while the latter is combined with herbs that clear Liver heat and clarify vision—such as Oyster Shell, Cassia Seed, and Summer Dead Grass.In cases of deficiency of liver and kidney essence and blood, where the eyes lack nourishment, resulting in blurred vision and impaired visual acuity, it is often combined with herbs that nourish the liver and kidneys, replenish yin, and improve vision—such as Goji berries (枸杞子), Prepared Rehmannia root (熟地黄), and Cornus fruit (山茱萸)—as in the Goji-Chrysanthemum-Rehmannia Pill (杞菊地黄丸) from *Medical Levels* (*医级*).
4. For treating sores, abscesses, and toxic swellings, it is often used in combination with Honeysuckle (Jin Yin Hua) and Raw Licorice (Sheng Gan Cao), such as in the Ganju Decoction (from *Collected Insights from Clinical Practice*).
Related Compatibility
1. Chrysanthemum combined with Goji Berries: Chrysanthemum excels at dispersing wind-heat, clearing the liver, and improving vision; Goji Berries excel at tonifying the liver and kidneys and improving vision. When combined, these two herbs not only nourish the essence and blood of the liver and kidneys but also clear and dispel superficial, deficient fire, thereby achieving the effect of tonifying below and clearing above. This combination is commonly used to treat headaches, dizziness, and blurred vision caused by deficiency of the liver and kidneys and deficient fire rising to disturb the upper body.
2. Chrysanthemum combined with Chuanxiong and Raw Gypsum: Both chrysanthemum and Chuanxiong can dispel wind and relieve pain. Chrysanthemum enters the Qi aspect of the Liver meridian and also clears heat; Chuanxiong enters the Blood aspect of the Liver meridian and also promotes blood circulation; Raw Gypsum, which is pungent, sweet, and extremely cold, excels at clearing and draining pathogenic heat from the Qi aspect of the Upper Jiao. When these three herbs are combined, they have the effect of clearing heat, dispelling wind, and relieving pain.This combination is commonly used to treat headaches, dizziness, and red, swollen, painful eyes caused by wind-heat ascending or liver fire disturbing the upper body.
3. Chrysanthemum combined with Honeysuckle: Both herbs disperse wind-heat and clear heat to eliminate toxins. When combined, their effects in dispersing wind-heat and clearing heat to eliminate toxins are even more pronounced. This combination is commonly used to treat wind-heat colds, the early stages of warm diseases, and swollen, toxic boils.
4. Chrysanthemum combined with black sesame seeds: Chrysanthemum excels at calming and clearing the liver, as well as improving vision; black sesame seeds excel at nourishing the yin and blood of the liver and kidneys. When used together, this combination both clears and nourishes, addressing both the symptoms and the root cause, and has the effect of nourishing yin and improving vision. It is commonly used to treat dizziness, vertigo, and blurred vision caused by liver and kidney yin deficiency.
5. Chrysanthemum Flower Combined with Gastrodia: Chrysanthemum Flower can soothe and clear the liver; Gastrodia can subdue liver yang, calm wind, and relieve spasms. When combined, they soothe and clear the liver while calming wind and relieving spasms. This combination is commonly used to treat dizziness and headaches caused by hyperactive liver yang, as well as limb convulsions caused by internal liver wind.
6. Chrysanthemum Flower Combined with Stiff Silkworm: Chrysanthemum Flower excels at dispersing wind-heat and also clears the liver; Stiff Silkworm excels at dispelling wind, clearing heat, resolving phlegm, and dispersing nodules. When combined, these two herbs dispel wind, clear heat, reduce swelling, and disperse nodules. This combination is commonly used to treat sore throat and swelling caused by wind-heat stagnation in the upper body.
7. Chrysanthemum Flower Combined with Asarum: Both herbs have the ability to dispel wind and relieve pain.Chrysanthemum is pungent and cool, and can also clear heat and calm the liver; Asarum is pungent and warm, and can dispel cold and relieve pain. When combined, they address both cold and heat—opposites complementing each other—to jointly achieve the effects of dispelling wind and heat, resolving exterior syndromes, and relieving pain. This combination is commonly used to treat headaches, intractable headaches, and headaches caused by external invasion of wind-pathogen or wind-heat.
Medicinal Identification
1. Yellow Chrysanthemum and White Chrysanthemum: Chrysanthemum is classified into yellow and white varieties. Generally, yellow chrysanthemum is preferred for dispersing wind-heat, while white chrysanthemum is more suitable for calming the liver, clearing liver heat, and improving vision.
2. Mulberry Leaf and Chrysanthemum: Both mulberry leaf and chrysanthemum have a sweet and bitter taste, a cold nature, and enter the Lung and Liver meridians. They can both disperse wind-heat, subdue liver yang, and clear liver heat to improve vision.When used together, they can treat wind-heat colds or the early stages of warm diseases, characterized by fever, mild aversion to wind and cold, headache, and cough; liver yang hyperactivity causing headache and dizziness; redness, swelling, and pain in the eyes caused by wind-heat ascending or liver fire flaring up; as well as blurred vision due to liver and kidney deficiency.However, mulberry leaves are more potent at dispersing wind-heat; they are also effective at clearing the lungs and moistening dryness, as well as cooling the blood and stopping bleeding. They can be used for lung heat or dry heat injuring the lungs, manifested as a cough with scant, yellow, and viscous phlegm, or a dry cough with little phlegm and an itchy throat; they are also indicated for hemoptysis, hematemesis, and epistaxis caused by uncontrolled blood heat.Chrysanthemum has a strong ability to calm the liver, clear liver heat, and improve vision; it can also clear heat and eliminate toxins, making it suitable for treating abscesses, boils, and toxic swellings.
3. Chrysanthemum and Summer Deadgrass: Both enter the Liver Meridian and can clear liver heat and improve vision, treating redness, swelling, and pain in the eyes caused by liver fire, as well as dizziness and headaches caused by liver yang hyperactivity.However, chrysanthemum has a pungent, sweet, and bitter taste; is slightly cold and light in nature; and also enters the Lung Meridian. As a pungent-cool herb for relieving exterior syndromes, it not only dispels wind-heat—making it effective for treating wind-heat colds or fever and headache in the early stages of warm diseases—but also nourishes Liver yin, clears heat, and eliminates toxins, making it suitable for treating blurred vision due to Liver-Kidney deficiency, as well as styes and swellings caused by toxins.Summer枯草 has a bitter and pungent taste and a cold nature; it also enters the Gallbladder Meridian. As a heat-clearing and fire-purging herb, it is highly effective at clearing liver fire and nourishing liver blood. It is particularly suitable for treating redness, swelling, and pain in the eyes caused by ascending liver fire, as well as nocturnal eye pain due to liver yin deficiency. It can also disperse stagnation, lower blood pressure, and is effective in treating scrofula, goiters, and hypertension caused by hyperactivity of liver yang.
4. Chrysanthemum and Cassia Seeds: Both enter the Liver Meridian and can clear liver heat and improve vision, while also nourishing the yin and blood of the liver and kidneys. They are primarily used to treat redness, swelling, and pain in the eyes caused by ascending liver fire, as well as headaches, dizziness, and hypertension; they also address blurred vision resulting from deficiency of the liver and kidneys.However, chrysanthemum has a pungent, sweet, and bitter taste; it is slightly cold and light in nature, making it a pungent-cool herb for relieving exterior syndromes. It is particularly effective at dispersing wind-heat, calming the liver, and improving vision, and is therefore suitable for wind-heat colds or the early stages of warm diseases; liver-yang-induced dizziness; redness, swelling, and pain in the eyes caused by wind-heat or liver fire in the liver meridian; and blurred vision due to liver yin deficiency. It can also clear heat and eliminate toxins, making it useful for treating abscesses, swellings, and toxic sores.Cassia seeds have a sweet, bitter, and salty taste, are slightly cold in nature, and have a moist texture. They belong to the category of herbs that clear heat and purge fire; they are effective at clearing liver fire and nourishing kidney yin, and can also moisten the intestines to relieve dryness, making them an excellent choice for improving vision.
5. Chrysanthemum and Wild Chrysanthemum: Both have a bitter and pungent taste, a cold nature, and enter the Liver and Lung meridians. They can clear heat and eliminate toxins to treat abscesses, boils, carbuncles, and erysipelas with swelling and pain, as well as clear the Liver to treat redness, swelling, and pain in the eyes caused by Liver fire or wind-heat.However, chrysanthemum belongs to the category of pungent-cool herbs for relieving exterior syndromes; its detoxifying power is not as strong as that of wild chrysanthemum. It primarily disperses wind-heat, calms the liver, and improves vision, while also nourishing liver yin. It is particularly effective for treating fever and headache in the early stages of wind-heat colds or warm diseases, blurred vision due to liver-kidney deficiency, dizziness and headache caused by liver yang hyperactivity, and convulsions caused by liver heat.Wild chrysanthemum possesses a stronger ability to clear heat and detoxify, and also soothes the throat; it is particularly effective for treating sore and swollen throats, as well as eczema and itchy skin.
6. Chrysanthemum and Goji Berries: Both have a sweet taste, enter the Liver meridian, and nourish yin to improve vision; they can both treat dim and blurred vision caused by deficiency of the Liver and Kidney.However, chrysanthemum has a bitter and pungent taste and a slightly cold nature; it primarily enters the Lung meridian. Its ability to nourish yin is relatively weak, and its primary functions are to disperse wind-heat, clear heat, and eliminate toxins, while also calming the liver and subduing its yang. It is primarily used to treat wind-heat colds, fever and headache, boils and swellings caused by toxins, dizziness, and convulsions.Goji berries are sweet, neutral, and moist in nature; they enter the Kidney meridian and serve as a mild tonic for both yin and yang. They possess a stronger ability to nourish yin and excel at tonifying the kidneys and essence, nourishing the liver and improving vision. Additionally, they can moisten the lungs and relieve coughs, and are particularly effective for treating lower back pain due to kidney deficiency, seminal emission and premature ejaculation, pallor and weakness due to blood deficiency, chronic cough due to yin deficiency, and night sweats and hot flashes.
Related Medicines
Wind-Heat Common Cold Granules, Chuanxiong-Chrysanthemum Shangqing Pills, Shangqing Pills, Shanju Hypotensive Tablets, and Eye-Brightening Rehmannia Pills.
Related Prescriptions
Mulberry and Chrysanthemum Decoction (*Treatise on Warm Diseases*), Antelope Horn and Uncaria Decoction (*Popular Treatise on Cold Damage*), Goji Berry, Chrysanthemum, and Rehmannia Pills (*Comprehensive Book on Measles*), Sweet Chrysanthemum Decoction (*Collection of Insights from Reflection*).
Medicinal Diet Therapy
1. Goji Berry and Chrysanthemum Tea
(1) Efficacy: Nourishes the liver and kidneys, clears internal heat, and improves vision. Used for patients with liver and kidney deficiency and wind-yang disturbing the upper body (a pattern of deficiency below and excess above), presenting symptoms such as dizziness, vertigo, dry and涩 eyes, blurred vision, dry mouth without thirst, and cataracts.
(2) Ingredients: 10 g white chrysanthemum flowers, 15 g goji berries.
(3) Preparation: Place the two ingredients in a thermos, pour boiling water over them, cover, and let steep for 10–15 minutes.
(4) Usage: Drink frequently as a tea substitute.
2. Chrysanthemum Porridge
(1)Effects: Chrysanthemum extract inhibits capillary permeability and has anti-inflammatory effects. Amygdalin in loquat leaves has an antitussive effect, while saponins help clear heat. Additionally, it inhibits the influenza virus. The entire formula dispels wind, clears heat, promotes lung function, and relieves cough. It is suitable for the early stages of wind-heat syndrome, characterized by mild fever, cough, slight thirst, and a floating, rapid pulse.
(2) Ingredients: 10 g chrysanthemum flowers, 100 g rice, white sugar to taste.
(3) Preparation: First, decoct the chrysanthemum flowers, strain out the residue, and retain the clear liquid. Add the rice. Simmer over low heat until it becomes a thin porridge. Stir in white sugar just before it is fully cooked.
(4) Usage: Take while warm, 1–2 times daily. Not recommended for those with spleen deficiency and loose stools.
3. Tiao Yuan Goji-Chrysanthemum Wine
(1) Efficacy: Ba Ji Tian in this formula has a pungent and sweet taste, is slightly warm in nature, and enters the Kidney and Liver meridians. It tonifies Kidney yang, strengthens tendons and bones, and dispels wind-dampness. This medicinal wine tonifies original qi, warms Liver yang, and nourishes essence and blood. It is suitable for symptoms such as aversion to cold and cold limbs caused by deficiency of Liver yang and original qi.
(2) Ingredients: 50g chrysanthemum flowers, 50g goji berries, 30g Morinda officinalis, 30g Cistanche deserticola, 1000ml white liquor.
(3) Preparation: Coarsely crush the herbs and place them in a clean bottle. Pour in the white liquor, seal the bottle tightly, and store in a cool, dry place. It is ready to drink after 10 days.
(4) Dosage: Drink 10–15 ml warm, once in the morning and once in the evening.
Notes
Patients requiring treatment with traditional Chinese medicine should first consult a licensed TCM hospital, where a TCM practitioner will conduct a professional pattern differentiation and issue a prescription.
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
Harvest in batches during the peak blooming season from September to November; dry in the shade or by roasting, or dry in the sun after fumigation or steaming. Depending on the place of origin and processing methods, the herbal material is classified as “Hao Ju,” “Chu Ju,” “Gong Ju,” or “Hang Ju.” Those with intact flowers, vibrant color, and a rich aroma are considered the best.
Processing Methods
1. Chrysanthemum Flowers: Take the raw herb, remove impurities and residual stems and leaves, and sift out dust and debris.
2. Roasted Chrysanthemum Flowers: Select whole chrysanthemum flowers and roast them over low heat until the edges of the petals turn slightly black; remove and allow to cool.
3. Charred Chrysanthemum Flowers: Place the cleaned chrysanthemum flowers in a pan and roast over medium heat until they turn dark brown; spray with a small amount of water to extinguish any embers, then remove and allow to air-dry thoroughly.
Storage Methods
Store in a dry container in a cool, dry place to prevent mold and insect infestation. Charred chrysanthemum flowers must be allowed to cool promptly to prevent reignition.
Crude Drug Identification
Identification
1. The powder of this product is yellowish-white. Pollen grains are subglobose, 32–37 μm in diameter, with a reticulate surface and short spines, and feature three pore grooves. T-shaped trichomes are abundant, with enlarged apical cells, arms of nearly equal length, and a stalk consisting of 2–4 cells. The heads of glandular trichomes are sole-shaped, with 6–8 cells arranged in pairs opposite each other. Clusters of calcium oxalate crystals are numerous and minute.
2. Take 1 g of the sample, cut it into small pieces, add 20 mL of petroleum ether (30–60 °C), and subject it to ultrasonic treatment for 10 minutes. Discard the petroleum ether, evaporate the residue to dryness, add 1 mL of dilute hydrochloric acid and 50 mL of ethyl acetate, and subject it to ultrasonic treatment for 30 minutes. Filter the mixture, evaporate the filtrate to dryness, and dissolve the residue in 2 mL of methanol to prepare the test solution.Separately, take 1 g of chrysanthemum reference material and prepare a reference material solution using the same method.Next, take a reference standard of chlorogenic acid and dissolve it in ethanol to prepare a solution containing 0.5 mg per mL; use this as the reference standard solution. Perform the test according to the thin-layer chromatography method (General Rules 0502). Pipette 0.5–1 μL of each of the three solutions mentioned above and spot them separately onto the same polyamide membrane. Develop the membrane using a mobile phase of toluene–ethyl acetate–formic acid-glacial acetic acid-water (1:15:1:1:2) as the developing agent, develop the plate, remove it, allow it to air-dry, and examine it under ultraviolet light (365 nm). In the test sample chromatogram, fluorescent spots of the same color appear at positions corresponding to those in the reference herbal material chromatogram and the reference standard chromatogram.
Properties of Crude Drugs
1. Boju: The capitula are inverted conical or cylindrical, sometimes slightly flattened into a fan shape, 1.5–3 cm in diameter, and scattered.The involucre is dish-shaped, with 3–4 layers of involucral bracts that are ovate or elliptical, herbaceous, yellowish-green or brownish-green, covered with soft hairs, and with membranous margins; the receptacle is hemispherical, lacking receptacle scales or hairs. The ray florets are arranged in several layers, are female, located on the periphery, off-white, erect, raised, longitudinally folded, and scattered with golden-yellow glandular dots;Numerous tubular flowers, bisexual, located in the center, concealed by the ray flowers, yellow, with the apex 5-lobed. Achenes underdeveloped. No pappus. Light in weight, soft and moist in texture, brittle when dry. Fragrant odor; sweet and slightly bitter taste.
2. Chu Chrysanthemum: Irregularly spherical or flattened spherical, 1.5–2.5 cm in diameter. Ray florets are white, irregularly twisted, curled inward, with wrinkled margins; pale brown glandular dots are sometimes visible; most disk florets are hidden.
3. Gongju: Flattened spherical or irregularly spherical, 1.5–2.5 cm in diameter. Ray florets are white or off-white. They are obliquely ascending, with the upper part reflexed; the margins are slightly inrolled and wrinkled, usually without glandular dots; tubular florets are few and exposed.
4. Hangju: Disc-shaped or flattened spherical, 2.5–4 cm in diameter, often clustered together in groups.Ray florets are off-white or yellow, spreading or slightly folded, and adhering to one another. Usually without glandular dots; tubular florets are numerous and exposed.
5. Huai Chrysanthemum: Irregularly spherical or flattened spherical, 1.5–2.5 cm in diameter. Most are ray florets; ray florets are off-white or yellow, irregularly twisted, curled inward, with wrinkled margins, and sometimes with visible glandular dots; tubular florets are mostly hidden.
Properties of Processed Slices
1. Chrysanthemum: See the “Characteristics of the Medicinal Material” section.
2. Roasted Chrysanthemum: Resembles chrysanthemum, with slightly blackened petal margins.
3. Charred Chrysanthemum: Resembles chrysanthemum; some flowers are scattered, with charred brown petals.
Botanical Information
Botanical Classification
Chrysanthemum, a plant of the genus Chrysanthemum in the Asteraceae family.
Morphological Characteristics
A perennial herb, 60–150 cm tall. The stem is erect, branched or unbranched, and covered with soft hairs. Leaves are alternate; with short petioles; leaf blades are ovate to lanceolate, 5–15 cm long, shallowly pinnately or semi-lobed, with a cuneate base, and the underside is covered with short, white soft hairs.Heads 2.5–20 cm in diameter, varying in size, solitary or in clusters of several at the tips of stems and branches; involucral bracts in multiple layers, the outer layer green, linear, with membranous margins, and pubescent on the outer surface; ray florets white, red, purple, or yellow. Achenes underdeveloped. Flowering period: September–November.
Distribution Area
It is cultivated throughout the country. Zhejiang, Anhui, and Henan are the leading producers of medicinal chrysanthemums.
Growth Habits
It prefers a warm, humid climate with ample sunlight and does not tolerate shade. It is cold-hardy and moderately drought-tolerant. It is susceptible to waterlogging but thrives in fertile soil. The optimal growth temperature is around 29°C; it can grow at temperatures between 0 and 10°C, withstand temperatures as low as -4°C during flowering, and its roots can tolerate temperatures as low as -16 to -17°C.It is not particularly demanding regarding soil. It thrives best in sandy loam or loam soils with a pH of 6–8 that are located on high, dry ground, sheltered from the wind and facing the sun, loose, fertile, rich in humus, and well-drained. It should not be grown in the same field consecutively. It can be intercropped with early-maturing corn, mulberry, fava beans, tobacco, rapeseed, garlic, and wheat. It is not suitable for cultivation in heavy clay soils or low-lying, waterlogged areas.
Propagation Methods
Medicinal chrysanthemum is primarily propagated by cuttings and division.
Cultivation Techniques
1. Propagation by Cuttings and Seedling Transplanting: From late April to early May, cut young shoots from the mother plant to use as cuttings. Plant the cuttings immediately after cutting. Each cutting should be 10–12 cm long, with two leaves left at the tip and the leaves removed from the lower 2–3 nodes. Insert the cutting 5 cm into the soil, leaving 3 cm of the tip exposed. Dig furrows 14 cm deep with a row spacing of 24 cm.Plant one cutting every 15–20 cm, cover with soil, firm it down, and water. Provide shade after planting and water frequently to maintain moisture.Loosen the soil and remove weeds; apply diluted human urine fertilizer once every half a month. Roots will form in about 15–20 days; transplant once the seedlings are robust. Alternatively, a two-stage cutting method can be used to delay transplanting until late May to early June.
2. Division Propagation: Select high-quality plants in November. After harvesting flowers, cut off the spent stems and mound soil around the base for overwintering.From mid- to late April through early May, once new shoots have grown to 15 cm in height, choose an overcast day to dig up the mother plant. Select vigorous young shoots with white roots, trim back the branches and leaves as needed, and dig planting holes with a row and plant spacing of 40 cm × 40 cm. Plant 1–2 shoots per hole, pinch off the growing tips, fill the holes with soil, firm the soil, and water thoroughly.
Pest and Disease Control
1. Diseases
(1) Leaf Blight: This disease can occur throughout the growing season. At the first sign of infection, remove diseased leaves. Spray with a 1:1:100 Bordeaux mixture or a 500-fold dilution of 65% wettable zinc dithionate.
(2) Root Rot: This disease occurs from late June to early August. Drench the roots with a 500-fold dilution of 50% wettable powder of thiophanate-methyl.
(3) Rust: Spray with a 200-fold dilution of 97% sodium triazole wettable powder.
(4) Others: Other diseases include powdery mildew, downy mildew, and yellow wilt.
2. Pests
Pests include cotton aphids, the large blue leafhopper, the chrysanthemum longhorn beetle, gall mites, the diamondback moth, and cutworms.