Atractylodes

Atractylodes macrocephala, báizhú in Chinese, is a herb of the daisy family that grows in central China. It reaches 20 to 60 centimetres, with a thick rhizome and branched, smooth stems. The middle leaves are divided almost to the base into three to five segments, the bracts below the flower heads are entire or finely cut, and the flower heads, 3 to 4 centimetres across, bear red-purple flowers from August to October, followed by small fruits with a dirty-white pappus. It grows in grassland and forest at 600 to 2,800 metres in Anhui, Chongqing, Fujian, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang, and it is cultivated throughout China. The rhizomes, called bái zhú, are used in traditional Chinese medicine for several purposes, especially for the spleen and other digestive complaints. The article also notes that modern research finds many pharmacologically active compounds in the plant.