Herba Artemisiae Anomalae — Artemisia anomala S. Moore, the dried aerial parts
Nature and flavour. Bitter, warm. Heart, Liver and Spleen systems.
A name that has to be read with care, because it is not one plant. 刘寄奴 in the southern tradition is Artemisia anomala, an asteraceous herb; in the northern tradition the same name is applied to Siphonostegia chinensis, a plant of a different family entirely, and other regional substitutes have been recorded as well. That is not a footnote — it means two batches under the same label can be different drugs, and any sourcing decision has to be made on the botanical name rather than on the Chinese one. Classical sources describe the southern herb as quickening the blood and opening the menses, dispersing stasis and settling pain, and as checking bleeding and reducing swelling when applied to an injury; it is recorded for amenorrhoea and painful periods, for postpartum stasis, for the pain and swelling of traumatic injury, for bleeding from a wound, and for sores and swellings. Modern clinical evidence for these uses is limited and is not established.
性味归经。苦，温。归心、肝、脾经。
一个必须小心读的药名，因为它不是一种植物。南方所用的刘寄奴是菊科的奇蒿（Artemisia anomala）；北方同名之物则是完全不同科的阴行草（Siphonostegia chinensis），此外还记载有其它地区性代用品。这不是脚注 —— 它意味着同一标签下的两批货可能是两味不同的药，任何采购决定都只能依据植物学名，而不是这个中文名。古籍记载南方所用的这一味活血通经、散瘀止痛，外用于创伤可止血消肿；用于经闭痛经、产后瘀阻、跌打损伤瘀肿疼痛、外伤出血，以及疮痈肿毒。上述用途的现代临床证据有限，尚未被证实。
有两件事要先说清楚。第一是药名：同一个中文名下至少有两类植物学上毫不相干的植物，读者无法从标签判断手上是哪一种，本页刻意不去猜这个答案 —— 那是植物学名与供应商检验证书该管的事。第二，它是活血药，因此孕期禁用；古籍写得很明确，无瘀者的禁忌同样适用。有出血倾向者、活动性溃疡患者、血小板极低者、术前患者不宜；与华法林及其它抗凝药同用的相互作用顾虑已有文献记载。菊科植物过敏（豚草、菊花、洋甘菊及其近缘）对南方所用的这一味是真实需要注意的一点。此外，把草药粉敷在开放伤口上，也不像看起来那样中性：伤口处理是临床问题，久不愈合的伤口需要评估而不是一味外敷。不属于可自行使用的药材，须在合格执业者监督下使用。