Anaphalis, Spra ba སྤྲ་བ

Pearl Everlasting
Spra ba (Tibetan Medicine)
Xuan Ye Xiang Qing (A. contorta, TCM)
Da Huo Cao (A. nepalensis, TCM)

Anaphalis contorta Botanical Register, vol. 7 (1822)

Anaphalis triplinervis Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, (1824)

Anaphalis triplinervis
(Photo by Ghislain118) (Wikimedia)

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Botanical name:

Anaphalis spp.
Several varieties are known:

1. Spra rgod, Greater variety: A. triplinervis
2. Spra g-yung, Lesser variety: A.. contorta, A. royleana, A. busua
3. Spra chung, Smaller variety: A. hancockii

Other species named (without variety) include A. nepalensis,

Parts used:

Aerial parts of the herb in Flower

Temperature & Taste:

Cool, dry. Sweet, Bitter, Pungent

Uses:

1. Clears Wind-Heat, Resists Poison:
-Epidemic diseases; Common Cold, Influenza
-Antidote to Toxin and Poison; Mineral and Metal Poisons; Toxic Heat
-Swollen glands; Lymphadenitis; Scrofula

2. Clears Heat, Stops Cough:
-Cough, acute and chronic Bronchitis (some recommend the flower)
-Asthma

3. Settles Wind, Eases Pain:
-Rheumatism
-Hypertension
-Chest pain

4. Moxibustion:
-used for moxibustion in Cold and Wind diseases

5. Externally:
-applied to Cuts and Wounds
-applied to Boils
-insect repellent

Dose:

Decoction: 3–9 grams (up to 12 grams)

Main Combinations:

Major Formulas:

Cautions:

None noted

Main Preparations used: