Whole herbsHeat-clearingArtemisiae Annuae Herba

Qing Hao (Sweet Wormwood)

A practical guide to Qing Hao: what it is, how Traditional Chinese Medicine uses it, the classical formulas it appears in, and who should be careful with it.

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Last reviewed Oct 13, 2026

Quick Facts

Latin NameArtemisiae Annuae Herba
Chinese Name & Pinyin 青蒿 · Qing Hao
Medicinal PartWhole herbs
The herbQing Hao is the dried aerial part of Artemisia annua. Add it near the end. Yin Chen is a different official drug. Do not extract it yourself.
Nature and channelsBitter, acrid, cold. Enters the Liver and Gallbladder. Bitter acrid cold clears deficiency heat, eliminates steaming bone, resolves summerheat, and checks malaria.
Pharmacopoeia lineClears deficiency heat. Eliminates steaming bone. Resolves summerheat. Checks malaria. Recedes jaundice. Used for warm pathogen damaging yin, night heat with morning coolness, yin-deficiency fever, steaming-bone consumptive heat, summerheat fever, malaria with chills and fever, and damp-heat jaundice.
Pattern cuesNight heat with morning coolness. Steaming bone. Summerheat. Malaria. Jaundice. Red tongue with little fluid.
In this articleQing Hao versus Yin Chen, Bie Jia, and Di Gu Pi. Its place in Qing Hao Bie Jia Tang. Why it is added near the end. Why malaria needs a clinic. Who should skip it.

What Is Qing Hao?

Qing Hao (青蒿; Qīng Hāo; Latin: Artemisiae Annuae Herba; English: sweet wormwood) is the dried aerial part of Artemisia annua L. In Chinese medicine it is a deficiency-heat-clearing herb. It is bitter, acrid, and cold, enters the Liver and Gallbladder channels, and its core actions are to clear deficiency heat, eliminate steaming bone, resolve summerheat, check malaria, and recede jaundice. In a decoction it should be added near the end. The teaching point is night heat with morning coolness, and steaming bone. It is not Yin Chen. Virgate wormwood is bitter, acrid, and slightly cold. It clears and drains damp-heat, disinhibits the gallbladder, and recedes jaundice. Clearing deficiency heat is not its main work. Qing Hao is bitter, acrid, and cold. It vents deficiency heat and resolves summerheat. Artemisinin is a constituent extracted from this plant. The decoction piece is not a substitute for that drug. Do not extract it yourself. Malaria and damp-heat jaundice need a clinic. A cold weak spleen is a poor match.

It is used most often for three patterns:

  • Yin-deficiency fever — night heat with morning coolness, steaming-bone consumptive heat
  • Summerheat fever
  • Malaria with chills and fever, damp-heat jaundice — seek care

The usual decoction dose is 6–12 g, added near the end. Bitter, acrid, and cold, it is not a daily “fever wormwood tea.” Clearing when there is no deficiency heat and no summerheat injures middle yang.

When yin is damaged in the late stage of a warm disease, or summerheat is depressed inside, night heat with morning coolness and steaming bone are common. Qing Hao is bitter, acrid, and cold. It clears, vents, and resolves summerheat, which is why it appears in Qing Hao Bie Jia Tang. It clears more than it supports. Loose stools and fear of cold get worse if more cooling is added.

Qing Hao is not a catch-all fever or malaria herb. In middle-cold diarrhea, or when there is no deficiency heat, using it alone can cool and injure the middle. Whether it belongs in Qing Hao Bie Jia Tang should be decided by a licensed Chinese medicine practitioner after pattern diagnosis.

Qing Hao Sweet Wormwood

Qing Hao: Materia Medica Profile

Identification & Quality Standard

Artemisiae Annuae Herba

Botanical Origin

The dried aerial portion of Artemisia annua L.(Asteraceae)

Production Regions

Produced in all the Chinese provinces.

Quality Requirements

Superior medicinal material has green color, numerous leaves, potent aroma.

Macroscopic Features

Stem is cylindrical, upper portion often has branches, 30~80cm long, 0.2~0.6cm diameter, externally yellowish-green or brownish-yellow, with longitudinal ridges, slightly hard texture, easily broken, fractured surface center has pith. Alternating leaves, dark green or brownish-green, curled, crushed; intact leaves are triple pinnate with deep cracks after being flattened, lobes and small lobes are square round or long elliptical, both sides covered short hairs. Distinctively aromatic odor, slightly bitter taste.

Origin and Quality Identification

While traditional texts highly regard herbs from Jiangsu, Anhui, and Zhejiang provinces, the actual quality depends heavily on the harvest time, processing, and storage.

  • Quality Markers: High-quality Qing Hao (Sweet Wormwood) has yellow-green, easily breakable stems and dark green, wrinkled leaves. It should have a strong, specific aroma and a slightly bitter taste.
  • How to Tell It Apart: It is sometimes confused with Yin Chen Hao (Capillary Wormwood). You can tell them apart because Yin Chen Hao (Capillary Wormwood) has softer leaves and a much milder scent.

Traditional Properties & Historical Lineage

Nature, Flavour & Channel Tropism

Bitter, Acrid; ColdLiverGallbladder

1. Historical Records

This herb has been documented for thousands of years, with its uses evolving over time:

  • Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (Early text): Listed it for treating skin conditions like scabies, killing lice, and clearing heat trapped in the joints.
  • Ming Yi Bie Lu: Noted its use for clearing heat in the stomach and intestines.
  • Ben Cao Gang Mu (Ming Dynasty): Highlighted its crucial role in treating the alternating chills and fevers of malaria, as well as summer-heat irritability.
  • De Pei Ben Cao: Mentioned pairing it with Bie Jia (Turtle Shell) to treat chronic "deficiency heat."

2. Evolution of TCM Understanding

The understanding of Qing Hao (Sweet Wormwood) shifted significantly over the centuries:

  • Early Years: Doctors mostly used it externally for skin issues and parasites.
  • Tang and Song Dynasties: Practitioners began focusing on its ability to clear internal heat.
  • Ming and Qing Dynasties: Its role in clearing "deficiency heat" and treating malaria became its defining characteristic. Doctors also established clear safety boundaries, noting that its cold nature makes it unsuitable for those with a cold and weak Spleen/Stomach.

Qing Hao Sweet Wormwood

Core Efficacies & Traditional Applications

Traditional Functions

Clears deficiency heat, cools blood, eliminates steaming, interrupts malaria. Apply to fever due to summerheat evil, fever due to yin deficiency, night fever and bring down in the morning, bone steaming and consumptive fever, malaria with cold and heat, damp-heat jaundice.

1. Primary Focus: Clearing Summer-Heat

Traditionally, Qing Hao (Sweet Wormwood) is highly valued for its ability to clear summer-heat and vent trapped pathogenic heat from the body, preventing it from stagnating and causing further illness.

  • Common Symptoms: It is ideal for summer heatstroke-like symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, chest oppression, poor appetite, mild fever, thirst, and irritability. It is also used in the early stages of warm-pathogen diseases.
  • Common Pairings: It is frequently paired with Jin Yin Hua (Honeysuckle), Lian Qiao (Forsythia), and Hua Shi (Talcum) to enhance its heat-clearing and dampness-resolving effects. If the summer heat is mixed with dampness (causing nausea), it is often used with Huo Xiang (Agastache) and Pei Lan (Eupatorium).
  • Caution: If you have a weak and cold Spleen and Stomach (you frequently experience diarrhea, stomachaches, or have a general aversion to cold), you should not use this herb, as its cold nature can worsen these symptoms.

2. Secondary Focus: Clearing Deficiency Heat

Qing Hao (Sweet Wormwood) is also excellent at venting deep-seated "deficiency heat," particularly "bone-steaming" heat, which feels like the heat is radiating from deep within the bones, often peaking in the afternoon or at night alongside night sweats.

  • Common Symptoms: Used for Yin fluid depletion after a long illness, or chronic exhaustion from staying up late. Symptoms include persistent low-grade fever, hot palms and soles, restlessness, insomnia, and a dry mouth and throat.
  • Common Pairings: It is commonly combined with Bie Jia (Turtle Shell), Zhi Mu (Anemarrhena Rhizome), and Di Gu Pi (Wolfberry Bark) in classic formulas like Qing Hao Bie Jia Tang (Sweet Wormwood and Turtle Shell Decoction) to clear heat while nourishing Yin.
  • Caution: Do not use this herb if you are dealing with "excess heat" from an acute exterior infection (like a high fever, severe thirst, or dry stools), as it may trap the pathogen inside.

3. Common Herb Pairing: The Synergy

A classic TCM pairing is Qing Hao (Sweet Wormwood) and Bie Jia (Turtle Shell).

  • The Synergy: Qing Hao (Sweet Wormwood) excels at venting deficiency heat outward, while Bie Jia (Turtle Shell) specializes in nourishing Yin and anchoring floating Yang energy. Together, they create a harmonious balance that clears deep heat while replenishing exhausted fluids. This combo targets "bone-steaming" heat and night sweats caused by chronic illness but must be prescribed by a professional based on a proper diagnosis.

Qing Hao Sweet Wormwood

Modern Research

Modern research offers useful context, but Traditional Chinese Medicine prescribes on whole-pattern diagnosis rather than isolated compounds.

1. Chemical Components

Modern science has identified several active compounds in the plant, most notably artemisinin, artemisinic acid, volatile oils, and flavonoids. Lab tests show that artemisinin has anti-parasitic properties, while the herb's extracts show potential in regulating body temperature in animal models.

2. Pharmacological Focus

Today, scientific research predominantly focuses on artemisinin for its specific medical applications. Additionally, the plant's volatile oils are studied for their mosquito-repellent effects, which aligns perfectly with its traditional everyday use.

3. Limitations of Modern Research

While modern science provides valuable insights, it's important to view these findings through the lens of traditional practice:

  • Lab vs. Life: Test-tube and animal studies do not automatically translate to human clinical success.
  • Extracts vs. Whole Herbs: Highly concentrated single extracts (like artemisinin) are fundamentally different from drinking a traditional brewed tea of whole Qing Hao (Sweet Wormwood).
  • Synergy: In TCM, the healing power comes from the complex interaction of all the compounds within the whole plant, often combined with other herbs in a specific formula, rather than just one isolated chemical.

Qing Hao Sweet Wormwood

Comparing Similar Herbs

1. Common Ground

Qing Hao (Sweet Wormwood) is frequently compared to Di Gu Pi (Wolfberry Bark). Both herbs clear deficiency heat, are used for Yin-deficiency symptoms after chronic illness, can be found in dietary wellness routines, and require caution for those with a cold Spleen/Stomach.

2. Core Differences

  • Nature and Flavor: Qing Hao (Sweet Wormwood) is cold, bitter, acrid, and highly aromatic, making it great for dispersing and venting. Di Gu Pi (Wolfberry Bark) is cold, sweet, and bland; it focuses on gentle nourishment and descending heat, lacking the dispersing nature of Sweet Wormwood.
  • Primary Focus: Qing Hao (Sweet Wormwood) excels at venting summer-heat and trapped pathogenic heat (like in alternating chills and fevers). Di Gu Pi (Wolfberry Bark) is better at clearing downward-moving fire in the Lungs and Kidneys, targeting issues like chronic lung heat coughs.
  • Direction of Action: Qing Hao (Sweet Wormwood) pushes energy outward to "vent the pathogen." Di Gu Pi (Wolfberry Bark) pulls energy downward to "descend fire and nourish Yin."
  • Contraindications: Qing Hao (Sweet Wormwood) should be avoided in cases of acute excess high fever. Di Gu Pi (Wolfberry Bark) should be avoided if you have a wind-cold cough or a thick, white tongue coating, as its descending nature can trap the cold.

3. Summary of Differences

In short, Qing Hao (Sweet Wormwood) vents and disperses summer heat and trapped heat, while Di Gu Pi (Wolfberry Bark) descends deficiency fire and nourishes Yin. Though both treat deficiency heat, they are not interchangeable.

Qing Hao Sweet Wormwood

Classical Formulas Containing Qing Hao

Formulas vs. Single Herbs

  • Synergy is Key: A formula is a balanced team. The healing power comes from how the herbs interact, so a single herb cannot simply replicate a full formula's effects.
  • Holistic Balance: The exact dosage and combination in a formula affect the entire body. Never try to mix or alter these formulas at home based on internet articles.

Diet & Daily Home Use

1. Home Recipes

  • Qing Hao and Peppermint Tea:
    • Ingredients: 3g dried Qing Hao (Sweet Wormwood), 2g peppermint, 1g green tea.
    • Preparation: Place all ingredients in a cup, brew with boiling water, cover, and steep for 5 minutes.
    • Best for: Summer dizziness, chest oppression, mild irritability, or feeling stuffy after sitting in an air-conditioned room all day.
    • Avoid if: You have a weak/cold Spleen and Stomach, frequent diarrhea, or a general aversion to cold.
    • Note: Limit this to 1-2 times a week. Always use medicinal-grade dried herbs, not large amounts of random raw plants.

2. Preparation and Brewing

Whether raw or slightly processed, the main difference is simply cleanliness.

  • Brewing Rule: When boiling at home, Qing Hao (Sweet Wormwood) must be added at the very end (during the last 5 minutes of boiling). Boiling it for too long destroys its beneficial volatile oils.
  • Dosage Note: You cannot directly swap dried and fresh amounts. 10g of dried herb is much more concentrated than 10g of water-heavy fresh herb.

3. Dosage and Cycle

  • Clinical Use: Typically 6-12 grams in traditional prescriptions, adjusted by a practitioner.
  • Home Use: Keep dietary doses small, usually 3-5 grams.
  • Duration: Do not drink it continuously for long periods. Limit use to a maximum of 3 days at a time. If symptoms improve, stop drinking it. Special groups (pregnant/nursing women, children, elderly) must consult a professional before any use.
Qing Hao Sweet Wormwood

Contraindications & Safety Warnings

1. Who Should Avoid It?

  • Cold Digestion: People with a weak, cold Spleen/Stomach, frequent abdominal pain, or loose stools.
  • Special Populations: Pregnant and nursing women must be extremely cautious and consult a doctor (safety data is limited). Children and the elderly should only use it under professional supervision due to weaker organ metabolism.
  • Organ Impairment: Those with liver or kidney dysfunction should consult a doctor to avoid adding metabolic stress.
  • Allergies: Avoid if you are allergic to plants in the Asteraceae (daisy) family.

2. Drug Interactions and Dietary Notes

  • Medication Interactions: Qing Hao (Sweet Wormwood) may interact with blood thinners, blood pressure medications, diabetes drugs, and sedatives. If you are taking these, consult your doctor, as dosages may need adjusting.
  • Dietary Mixes: While everyday foods don't generally "clash," medicinal herbs can interact with specific modern medications. Always consult a pharmacist before mixing them with your daily prescriptions.

3. Adverse Reactions and Overdose Risks

  • Side Effects: Normal doses are generally very safe. Overdosing can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dizziness, or fatigue.
  • Action Plan: If you experience significant discomfort, allergic reactions, continuous vomiting, breathing difficulties, or rapid worsening of symptoms, stop use immediately and seek emergency medical care. Do not attempt to self-treat adverse reactions.

Frequently Asked Questions About Qing Hao

What is Qing Hao? Are Yin Chen and Ai Ye the same?
Official Qing Hao (青蒿) is the dried aerial part of Artemisia annua. The pharmacopoeial name is Artemisiae Annuae Herba. Yin Chen is bitter-acrid and slightly cold: clears damp-heat, benefits the gallbladder and abates jaundice. Ai Ye is bitter-acrid and warm: warms the channels, stops bleeding, scatters cold and stops pain. Write Qing Hao. Use caution in body vacuity and postpartum Blood vacuity.
What are the TCM properties and traditional uses of Qing Hao?
According to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, Qing Hao is bitter, acrid and cold, enters the Liver and Gallbladder channels, and acts to clear vacuity heat, remove bone steaming, resolve summerheat, cut malaria and abate jaundice. It is used for warm pathogen injuring yin, night heat and morning coolness, yin-vacuity fever, bone steaming and consumptive heat, summerheat fever, malaria with chills and heat, and damp-heat jaundice. Bitter-acrid and cold, it suits vacuity heat and summerheat—not body vacuity with interior cold, or postpartum Blood-vacuity diarrhea.
How do you choose Qing Hao versus Yin Chen? Can Ai Ye replace it?
Sweet wormwood is cold: clears vacuity heat, cuts malaria and abates jaundice. Virgate wormwood specializes in clearing damp-heat, benefiting the gallbladder and abating jaundice. Mugwort leaf is warm; it cannot replace clearing vacuity heat by equal weight. Artemisinin is an extract, not equal-weight pieces. Commercial wormwood tea is not equal-weight pieces.
What is the usual dosage? Can it be drunk daily as a fever tea?
The pharmacopoeial decoction dose is 6–12 g, added near the end. It is not a four-season “wormwood fever tea.” Body vacuity only loosens further as it cools. Night heat and malaria need a practitioner to name a short course; it does not replace antimalarial drugs or fever assessment.
What are the contraindications? Can it be used in pregnancy?
Unsuitable in body vacuity, postpartum Blood vacuity, and interior-cold diarrhea. Pregnancy needs a practitioner’s assessment. Stop if diarrhea or cold epigastric pain appears. High fever and chills need medical care. Do not replace antimalarial drugs with Qing Hao.
Can Qing Hao clear vacuity heat, remove bone steaming, resolve summerheat, cut malaria and abate jaundice?
It can help yin-vacuity night heat and bone steaming. It joins turtle shell, raw rehmannia, anemarrhena and moutan in Qing Hao Bie Jia Tang. It clears vacuity heat, removes bone steaming, resolves summerheat, cuts malaria and abates jaundice—not a specific for every fever or every malaria.
Can Qing Hao be drunk daily as a fever, summerheat or jaundice tea?
Vacuity heat and summerheat may enter a short formula; body vacuity only loosens further as it cools. “Wormwood must abate fever” does not replace fever assessment. Clearing vacuity heat, removing bone steaming and resolving summerheat should name 6–12 g added near the end.
How do you choose among Qing Hao, Yin Chen, Ai Ye, Yin Chai Hu and Di Gu Pi?
Sweet wormwood is bitter-acrid and cold: clears vacuity heat, removes bone steaming, resolves summerheat, cuts malaria and abates jaundice—night heat and malaria. Virgate wormwood is bitter-acrid and slightly cold: clears damp-heat, benefits the gallbladder and abates jaundice—damp-heat jaundice. Mugwort leaf is bitter-acrid and warm: warms the channels, stops bleeding, scatters cold and stops pain—vacuity-cold bleeding. Stellaria is sweet and slightly cold: clears vacuity heat and removes gan heat—yin-vacuity fever. Lycium root bark is sweet-cold: cools Blood, removes steaming, clears the Lung and descends fire—bone steaming with night sweats. Night heat favors Qing Hao (Qing Hao Bie Jia Tang); jaundice favors Yin Chen; vacuity-cold bleeding favors Ai Ye; gan heat favors Yin Chai Hu; Lung-heat bone steaming favors Di Gu Pi. They may be paired after pattern differentiation; body vacuity with interior cold forbids large Qing Hao and Di Gu Pi.
Which herbs is Qing Hao combined with? What are the representative formulas?
Yin-vacuity night heat joins turtle shell, raw rehmannia, anemarrhena and moutan in Qing Hao Bie Jia Tang. Summerheat may join patchouli and eupatorium after pattern differentiation. Write Qing Hao 6–12 g added near the end; do not replace clearing vacuity heat with virgate wormwood by equal weight.
How do you choose and store Qing Hao?
Choose cylindrical stems, yellow-green, dark-green or brown-green leaves, three-times pinnately deeply divided, a distinctive aromatic odor and a slightly bitter taste. Moldy, scentless or dirty lots are discarded. Store cool and dry. Buy pharmacopoeial Qing Hao; do not replace clearing vacuity heat, removing bone steaming, resolving summerheat, cutting malaria and abating jaundice with virgate wormwood or mugwort leaf by equal weight.

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Medical Disclaimer — This article is provided for educational purposes only and describes traditional Chinese medicine concepts. It is not medical advice, and it is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified practitioner before using any herb, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or managing a diagnosed condition.

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Qing Hao (Sweet Wormwood): Clear Deficiency Heat, Resolve Summerheat, and Check Malaria