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Zhi Zi栀子

Gardeniae Fructus · Gardenia Fruit · Cape Jasmine Fruit

Herbs that Clear Heat 清热药《神农本草经》

Overview

The ripe fruit of the gardenia, orange-red and ribbed, and one of the most widely used of the fire-draining herbs. Bitter and cold, it clears heat from all three burners at once, and its particular signature is the fretful, sleepless restlessness that lingers after a fever — Zhi Zi Chi Tang 栀子豉汤 exists for exactly that. It also drains damp-heat out through the urine, which makes it standard in prescriptions for jaundice, and it cools blood that heat has pushed out of the vessels. Dry-fried Zhi Zi is easier on the stomach; charred gives up most of its heat-clearing action and is used to stop bleeding.

Nature & Flavor

Bitter · Cold

Channels

Heart · Lung · San Jiao

Typical Dosage

5–10 g in decoction
栀子Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

4 core actions

  • Drains fire, relieves restlessnessIrritability, insomnia and a stifling feeling in the chest with heat, especially the restlessness that lingers after a febrile illness.
  • Clears damp-heat, promotes urinationJaundice with a bitter mouth and dark urine, and hot, painful urination; with Yin Chen 茵陈 and Da Huang 大黄.
  • Cools blood, resolves toxinNosebleed, blood in the urine and toxic sores from heat in the blood. Charring the fruit turns it toward stopping bleeding.
  • Reduces swelling and pain externallyGround raw and applied to sprains and bruises.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Zhi Zi

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Restlessness, irritability and insomnia with a stifling chest
    - Damp-heat jaundice with dark urine
    - Burning, urgent urination
    - Nosebleed and blood in the urine from heat
    - Sprains and bruises, applied externally

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

JaundiceHepatitisInsomniaUrinary tract infectionEpistaxis

Contraindications

Cautions

Bitter and cold enough to damage digestion: avoided where the appetite is poor and the stools loose, and where the Spleen and Stomach are cold and weak — the dry-fried form is chosen when the stomach is sensitive. Do not exceed 9 g a day, and do not take it continuously for months. Long-term uninterrupted use of gardenia has been linked to a rare bowel condition, idiopathic mesenteric phlebosclerosis, in Japanese case series, which is why extended courses belong under practitioner supervision and get reviewed rather than repeated indefinitely.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: No specific restriction — practitioner judgment applies; its coldness makes prolonged use during pregnancy unwise.

For licensed practitioners’ reference only

References

  1. Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing《神农本草经》(classical source, public domain).
    2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
    3. 《中华人民共和国药典》.

Professional reference notice. Entries are scholarly references for licensed TCM practitioners and students — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to self-prescribe. Chinese herbal formulas should be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. Content is an original editorial compilation by Cura x Cura, cross-checked against the cited references.