1. Gardenia jasminoides- Cape JasmineGardenia jasminoides.  栀 子  Zhī zǐ   Cape jasmine   Family: Rubiaceae     
PART USED: Dry ripe fruit- harvested in Autumn when fruit skin turns a reddish yellow.
Nature: Cold    FLAVOR: Bitter  CHANNEL: Lung, Stomach, Triple burner, Heart, Liver
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Clearing Internal Heat- Reducing Fire- Clear toxins.
1. Cool Blood.[1] Stop Bleeding-[6] particularly from upper Burner.[5] Remove Blood stasis and alleviate pain. Clears Heat and eliminates irritability.[6]
2. Clear away Heat by promoting diuresis. Drains Damp Heat in the Lower burner.[6] Detoxifies.[1]
3. Reduces swelling and moves Blood stasis due to trauma.[6]
ACTIONS
INDICATIONS
1. Febrile diseases: Irritability,[6] restlessness,[6] insomnia,[6] stifling sensation in the chest,[6] and even high fever, coma and delirium.[6] High fevers associated with influenza.[1] Mental depression in a hot disease. Hypertension.[4] For infection: High fever in body, toxins, thirst.[5]
2. Stagnation of Damp Heat in the lower Burner, Damp Heat with jaundice and Damp Heat in the Liver and Gallbladder (middle Burner): Fever, jaundice, scanty dark urine. Red eyes.[5] Infectious hepatitis.[5]  Hot chest area.[5] Restlessness.[5] Hepatitis with jaundice.[1]
3. Heat type skin infections. Erysipelas, burn and conjunctivitis. Styes, canker sores toothache, mastitis.[1]
4. Bleeding due in invasion of Blood by pathogenic Heat: Hemoptysis.[6] Epistaxis.[1] Hematuria.[1] Dysentery, with Hemafecia.[6]  Metrorrhagia. Hematemesis.[1,6]  Bacterial dysentery.[1] It is often used with Cogongrass rhizome, dried Rehmannia root and Scutellaria root.
5. Trauma with local swelling and pain- external use- Apply topically as a powder mixed with egg white or vinegar.[6]
6. Snake bites.[1]
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Spleen Yang deficiency.[2] Deficient Cold  conditions.[5] Loose stools or loss a appetite due to Cold from deficiency.[6]
PATENT COMBINATIONS
COMBINATIONS
PREPARATIONS: Decoction. Dry ripe fruit  5-10 g.[1,2,4,5] 3 - 12 g.[6] The drug should be unprepared for clearing away Heat and purging fire, while for removing Heat form the blood to stop bleeding, the carbonised drug is used- Chao zhi zi.[4,6] Good quality is thin-skinned, full, round, and a reddish yellow color.
Roots- 30-60 g.[1]   External use: Appropriate amount.[3]
2. Gardenia jasminoides   

HABITAT: Found growing in damp semi-shade on hillsides and beneath forests.
DESCRIPTION: Evergreen shrub 2 m in height. Leaves: opposite, oblong-rounded or ovate-lanceolate, apexes short and acute, bases cuneate, margins intact, short-petioled, leaf surfaces dark green and lustrous, dorsal surfaces light green with ribs very noticable. Flowers: in summer axillary or terminal  white flowers appear like butterflies on pedestal when in bloom. Berry: ovate or long ovate, with 6-8 winged grooves, orange-red when ripe.
References
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.  
Constituents
Research

Antihyperlipidemic effect of crocin isolated from the fructus of Gardenia jasminoides and its metabolite Crocetin.
Lee IA, Lee JH, Baek NI, Kim DH.
Abstract
The pancreatic lipase inhibitors were isolated from the fructus of Gardenia jasminoides ELLIS, and their antihyperlipidemic activities were measured. Gardeniae fructus (GF) water extract inhibited pancreatic lipase activity. Crocetin and crocin were isolated from GF water extract as inhibitors of pancreatic lipase with an IC50 value of 2.1 and 2.6 mg/ml (triolein as a substrate). Crocin and crocetin significantly inhibited the increase of serum TG level in corn oil feeding-induced triglyceridemic mice, as well as that of serum triglyceride and total and LDL cholesterol levels in Triton WR-1339-induced hyperlipidemic mice. These compounds also showed hypolipidemic activity in hyperlipidemic mice induced by high cholesterol, high fat or high carbohydrate diets for 5 weeks. The results suggest that the hypolipidemic activity of GF and its component crocin may be due to the inhibition of pancreatic lipase and crocin, and its metabolite, crocetin, can improve hyperlipidemia.
Biol Pharm Bull. 2005 Nov;28(11):2106-10. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effect of crocetin from Gardenia jasminoides Ellis on sleep: a pilot study.
Kuratsune H, Umigai N, Takeno R, Kajimoto Y, Nakano T.
Abstract
Crocetin is a pharmacologically active carotenoid compound of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis used as a traditional herbal medicine and natural colorant. The present pilot study investigated the effect of crocetin on sleep. The clinical trial comprised a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of 21 healthy adult men with a mild sleep complaint. It included two intervention periods of 2 weeks each, separated by a 2-week washout period. We measured objective sleep quality using an actigraph, and assessed the subjective symptoms using St Mary's Hospital Sleep Questionnaire. Actigraph data showed that after administration of crocetin, the number of wakening episodes was reduced compared to that of the placebo (p=0.025). Subjective data from St Mary's Hospital Sleep Questionnaire showed that crocetin tended to improve the quality of sleep compared to sleep before its intake. Additionally, no side effects from crocetin intake were observed. The results suggest that crocetin may contribute to improving the quality of sleep.
Phytomedicine. 2010 Sep;17(11):840-3. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2010.03.025. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Crocetin, a carotenoid from Gardenia jasminoides Ellis, protects against hypertension and cerebral thrombogenesis in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.
Higashino S, Sasaki Y, Giddings JC, Hyodo K, Sakata SF, Matsuda K, Horikawa Y, Yamamoto J.
Abstract
Crocetin is a natural carotenoid dicarboxylic acid that is found in the fruit of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis (Cape Jasmine) and in the stamen and pistil of Crocus sativus L. (saffron). It is used worldwide as an important spice, food colorant, and herbal medicine. In the current investigation, we have examined the cardiovascular effects of crocetin using stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSPs). Male SHRSPs (6 weeks old) were classified into three groups: a control group and two crocetin groups (25 and 50 mg/kg/day). The animals were given crocetin for 3 weeks. Body weights in each group were not significantly different during the treatment period, but the increase in systolic blood pressures observed with age was significantly moderated by crocetin. Thrombogenesis, assessed using a He-Ne laser technique in pial vessels, was significantly decreased. Antioxidant activity, assessed by measuring urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine levels, together with urinary nitric oxide (NO) metabolite levels, was increased significantly after treatment. Acetylcholine-induced vasodilation was measured using the aorta and indicated that endothelial function was significantly improved by crocetin. These results strongly suggest that the antihypertensive and antithrombotic effects of crocetin were related to an increase in bioavailable NO, possibly mediated by decreased inactivation of NO by reactive oxygen species.
Phytother Res. 2014 Sep;28(9):1315-9. doi: 10.1002/ptr.5130. Epub 2014 Feb 18. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Gardenia jasminoides Ellis ethanol extract and its constituents reduce the risks of gastritis and reverse gastric lesions in rats.
Lee JH, Lee DU, Jeong CS.
Abstract
In this study we investigated the effects of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis (GJE) extract and its constituents, such as ursolic acid and genipin, on gastritis in rats and the growth of human gastric cancer cells. The GJE extract, ursolic acid and genipin showed the acid-neutralizing capacities, the antioxidant activities, and the inhibitory effects on the growth of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), which are almost equivalent to positive control compounds. In addition, the GJE extract and ursolic acid had cytotoxic activity against AGS and SUN638 gastric cancer cells. The genipin and ursolic acid inhibited significant HCl/ethanol-induced gastric lesions. Taken together, GJE extract and its constituents might have antigastritic activities, associated with the antioxidant activities, acid-neutralizing capacities, and anti-H. pylori action. Also, we could suggest that genipin and ursolic acid may be useful for the treatment and/or protection of gastritis.
Food Chem Toxicol. 2009 Jun;47(6):1127-31. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov