TCM Properties

Traditional Use

Clears Liver and Gallbladder Heat, dries Dampness — jaundice, cholecystitis, and Damp-Heat patterns in the Liver-Gallbladder axis
Clears Heat and dispels Wind — fever, headache, and summer-heat patterns with heaviness and malaise
Anti-inflammatory, stops pain — rheumatic aches, muscle soreness, hepatitis-related abdominal discomfort
Charred form stops bleeding — hematochezia and other bleeding due to Heat in the Blood

Folk antimalarial — bitter Artemisia species traditionally used for intermittent fever across northeast Asia; action weaker than Qing Hao (A. annua) but documented in Mongolian and Manchurian folk medicine
External use: decoction wash for skin infections, rashes, and insect bites

SPECIES NOTE: Herba Artemisiae is a generic Latin name shared by multiple TCM Artemisia drugs. Wan Nian Hao (万年蒿) refers specifically to Artemisia sacrorum Ledeb. — distinct from Qing Hao (青蒿, A. annua — anti-malarial), Yin Chen Hao (茵陈蒿, A. capillaris — liver jaundice), and Ai Ye (艾叶, A. argyi — moxibustion). Wan Nian Hao is primarily a northeast China and Inner Mongolia regional folk herb; not found in classical Song/Ming-era formularies but documented in regional materia medica of the Qing dynasty and modern Mongolian medicine texts

Eupatilin (5,7-dihydroxy-3',4',6-trimethoxyflavone — characteristic flavone of A. sacrorum; anti-inflammatory, gastroprotective, anticancer)
Jaceosidin (polymethoxyflavone; anti-inflammatory, apoptosis-inducing in cancer cell lines)
Artabsin (sesquiterpene lactone; bitter tonic, antiparasitic)
Essential oil: camphor, 1,8-cineole, thujone, borneol (antimicrobial, analgesic)
Chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid (phenolic acids; antioxidant, anti-inflammatory)
Tannins (astringent; haemostatic basis for charred form)

Anti-inflammatory: eupatilin from Artemisia sacrorum inhibits NF-κB, COX-2, and iNOS expression in LPS-stimulated macrophages and reduces carrageenan-induced paw edema in rodent models; anti-inflammatory potency comparable to other medicinal Artemisia flavonoids — mechanistic basis for the Liver-Heat and Damp-Heat clearing applications
Hepatoprotective: eupatilin and jaceosidin protect hepatocytes against oxidative injury in CCl4-induced liver damage models, reducing ALT/AST elevation and restoring hepatic glutathione — supports traditional cholecystitis and jaundice applications in Chinese folk medicine
Antimicrobial: essential oil components (camphor, cineole) and chlorogenic acid from A. sacrorum show in vitro activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans; consistent with the external use for skin infections in northeast China folk practice

Cold-Damp jaundice or liver disease (cold pattern with pale stools, aversion to cold) — cool-bitter nature contraindicated
Spleen-Stomach Deficiency Cold — bitter-cool herb may further impair digestive Yang

Standard dose: 6–15 g dried herb in decoction
Contains thujone in small amounts in the essential oil fraction — avoid prolonged high-dose internal use; therapeutic decoction doses are generally safe as thujone is poorly extracted in aqueous preparations
Not the same herb as Qing Hao (A. annua) — lacks the artemisinin content; do not substitute for anti-malarial treatment
Pregnancy: Artemisia genus is traditionally associated with emmenagogue activity; use with caution in pregnancy as a category-level precaution even though A. sacrorum has lower alkaloid content than the more potent Artemisia species