四大怀药

四大怀药

四大怀药是河南特产，主要指古怀庆府（今河南省焦作辖区博爱、温县、沁阳、武陟、孟州等地）所产的山药、牛膝、地黄、菊花等四种中药。中国最早的药物学经典《神农本草经》把它们列为上品，之后历代医药名家进一步发现了它们的优秀本性，“四大怀药”因而流传成说，成为品牌。

怀山药能滋补益肾、健胃化痰、补中益气、祛冷风、镇心神、安魂魄、长肌髓；怀牛膝含有大量生物碱，可以补肝益肾、强壮筋骨、通经络、散恶血；怀地黄可以填骨髓、生精血、补五脏、通血脉、利耳目、黑须发；怀菊花具有散风清热、平肝明目、清热解毒的功效。

四大怀药有极高的药用和食用价值，是中国传统的常用中药材，久负盛名，畅销世界各地。其中，怀山药被誉为“怀参”“华药”，作为高级滋补品和馈赠佳品而誉满全球。

Four Renowned Huai Medicines

These refer to the four Chinese herbal medicines growing in ancient Huaiqing (part of present-day Jiaozuo, Henan Province): Chinese yam, chaff flower root, glutinous rehmannia, and chrysanthemum. Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica), China's first medicinal classic, rated them as premium herbs, and doctors and pharmacists later found out more about their properties. These medicines consequently came to be known as an established brand.

The Huai yam can nourish the kidneys, strengthen the stomach, clear phlegm, treat asthenia and deficiency in energy, dispel the cold wind, calm the mind, and help muscles grow. The Huai chaff flower root contains a large amount of alkaloid, which is good for the liver, the kidneys, the muscles, and the bones and can unblock the meridian channels and remove blood stasis. The Huai glutinous rehmannia can make bone marrow and blood grow, nourish the five organs (heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys), invigorate blood circulation, benefit the ears and the eyes, and keep the hair black. The Huai chrysanthemum can help clear internal cold and heat, benefit the liver and the eyes, and remove pathogenic elements from the body.

With high medicinal and dietary value, these four medicines have enjoyed long-standing reputation and a ready market around the world. Among them, the Huai yam is hailed as the "Huai ginseng" and "medicine of China" for its great nourishing effects.