Ming herbal: (painting): Sweet wormwood

Monochrome painting of sweet wormwood (qinghao, Artemisia annua) from Diannan bencao tushuo (The Illustrated Yunnan Pharmacopoeia). Diannan bencao tushuo was compiled by the Ming (1368-1644) writer Lan Mao in the 14th-15th century. The word 'Dian' in the title refers to the Yunnan region, in the Southwest of China. It provides a record of the plants and other substances commonly used for medicinal purposes in Yunnan in the Ming period. Most of the entries are illustrated with ink and wash paintings. This manuscript copy was executed in 1773 (38th year of the Qianlong reign period of the Qing dynasty, Gui Si year) by Zhu Jingyang. In the text, Lan Mao states: Sweet wormwood is similar in appearance to common wormwood. It bears yellow flowers and small, slender millet-like seeds. The entire plant is used in medicine. It is bitter in sapor, cooling and non-poisonous. It is effective in clearing heat, relieving dysentery, and eliminating 'steaming'. It is used to treat conditions such as scabies (jielai), malign sores, bone steaming (guzheng), exertion-heat, chronic ague (nüe) and dysentery of long duration. The tender shoots, eaten in spring and summer, has the medicinal properties of tonifying the centre, replenishing Qi, making the body light and improving the appearance.

Sweet wormwood (qinghao, Artemisia annua), similar in appearance to [common] wormwood, bears yellow flowers, bears seeds the size of millet, bitter in sapor, cold, and non-poisonous. Indicated for scabies (jielai), scaly, itchy eruptions (?) and malign sores, to eliminate wind, and to treat heat lodged in the joints…