This product is the mature fruit of the evergreen shrub Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides Ellis) from the India Madder Root family. It is produced in the provinces south of the Yangtze River in mainland China. Harvested in autumn and winter, it can be used raw, stir-fried to brown, or stir-fried to scorch.

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Bitter, cold. Act on heart, liver, lung, stomach and triple energizer channels.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Clearing heat and eliminating irritability, draining dampness, cooling blood to remove toxins, reducing swelling to alleviate pain.

bubble_chart Indications

1. Used for Rebing restless. This product is bitter and cold, clearing and descending, purging triple energizer fire pathogen, and has the effects of resolving depression and discharging heat. It is used for warm febrile disease, pathogenic heat invading the heart, restlessness, depression, and agitation. It is often used in combination with Fermented Soybean to vent pathogenic heat, relieve depression, and eliminate irritability Fermented Soybean is used in combination to vent pathogenic heat, relieve depression, and eliminate irritability, such as Gardenia and Fermented Soybean Decoction. If fire toxin is intense, with high fever, dysphoria, unconsciousness, delirious speech, and triple energizer heat, it is often used with Skullcap Root, Coptis Rhizome, Phelloendron Bark to directly reduce the fire, such as Coptis Detoxification Decoction.
2. Used for dampness-heat jaundice. This product can clear and disinhibit the liver and gallbladder to relieve jaundice. It is used for jaundice, fever, and scanty dark urine caused by liver-gallbladder dampness-heat stagnation. It is often used with Virgate Wormwood, Rhubarb Rhizoma, such as Virgate Wormwood Decoction.
3. Used for blood-heat vomiting and bleeding. This product also has the effects of clearing heat, cooling blood, and removing toxin. It is used for hematemesis, epistaxis, and hematuria caused by reckless blood-heat, often used with lalang grass rhizome, Unprocessed Rehmannia Root, Skullcap Root, etc.
4. Used for sores, ulcers, swelling, and trauma. It has the effects of cooling blood to remove toxin, subduing swelling to relieve pain, and is also used for heat toxin sores and ulcers, with redness, swelling, heat, and pain, often combined with Lonicera, Forsythia, Dandelion, etc.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Benjing: "Governs the pathogenic qi in the five viscera, heat qi in the stomach, red face, alcohol sores, nasal sores, black and white dermatosis, red sores, and ulcers."
2. "Yao Lei Fa Xiang": "Treats heart vexation and restlessness that cannot be relieved, mental confusion to the point of collapse, blood stagnation, and difficulty in urination."
3. "Bencao Yanyi Buyi": "Drains triple energizer fire, clears stomach blood, treats heat reversal heart pain, resolves heat stagnation, and moves stagnant qi."

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

Decoct and take 3-10g. Gardenia peel (fruit peel) is more effective in reaching the surface and removing heat from the skin; Gardenia seed (seed) is more effective in penetrating the interior and clearing internal heat. When used raw, it moves the qi aspect and purges fire; when stir-fried until black, it enters the blood aspect and stops bleeding.

bubble_chart Cautions and Contraindications

This product is bitter and cold, which can harm the stomach. It is not suitable for those with spleen deficiency and loose stools.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

This product contains Gardenia pigment, Gardenia glycosides, dehydroxy Gardenia glycosides, saffron crocus style and stigma pigment, saffron crocus style and stigma acid, etc. The peel contains ursolic acid.

Gardenia decoction and alcohol extract have choleretic effects, can promote the secretion of gall fel, and can reduce bilirubin in the blood, promoting the rapid excretion of bilirubin from the blood. It has inhibitory effects on hemolytic streptococcus and skin fungi. It also has antipyretic, analgesic, sedative, hypotensive, and hemostatic effects.