Damiona

Damiona (also known as Blue damiona or woodwort) is a hardy perennial herb. The stem is upright and no more than half a zhàng tall. Damiona loves wet areas and grows well in fens and along lake shores. The medium-sized blue flowers appear in late summer. The flowers do not grow from the top of the main stem, but are produced along the length of side branches that grow from the nodes of the main stem. The flowers are grouped in pairs and orient themselves to one side of the branches, giving rise to several popular children's tales about how the damiona lost half its flowers.

Herbalists employ damiona for many purposes, most commonly as a mild sedative tea or sleep-promoting incense, but also to relieve pain and inflammation. All parts of the plant have similar effects, but the leaves are the most potent, especially leaves of younger plants and/or leaves that have been quickly dried immediately after harvesting. One of damiona's advantages is that an infusion reaches peak efficacy very quickly, so a damiona tea can be administered immediately upon brewing.