- Region
- Asia
- Origin
- Originated in China; now grown worldwide as an ornamental. Chrysanthemum × morifolium
- Other names
- Chrysant
Asia · Herb · № 124
Chrysanthemum × morifolium
Herb · Asia
Chrysanthemum (ju hua)
Chrysanthemum × morifolium
The flowers (ju hua) are used in Chinese medicine as a 'cooling' remedy for colds with fever, headaches and tired, red eyes. Clinical evidence is limited.
Safety notes
May cause allergy in people sensitive to the daisy family. Have eye problems assessed medically.
Cautions by tradition (2)
- Herbal medicine worldwide: Not with diarrhoea or weakness.
- Chinese materia medica: Not with qi deficiency with diarrhoea or poor appetite. Not with an allergy to the daisy family.
Preparation
The dried flowers as tea, often with goji or honey. No dosage is given here.
Use in traditions
Chrysanthemum tea is an everyday summer drink in China. In Japan the chrysanthemum is the imperial emblem. Ody describes its use within the Chinese system of cooling and warming herbs.
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Herbal medicine worldwide
Attributed effects
Cooling, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, fever-reducing, induces sweating, antiseptic, lowers blood pressure, dilates the coronary arteries; for eye complaints, headache, colds, boils.
Preparation and amount
Tea regularly for tired eyes and headache from stress and irritability; decoction with jin yin hua for high blood pressure; tincture up to 50 drops for headache; ½ tsp powder in rice wine for dizziness; steeped flowers as an eye compress; pillow filled with the flowers.
Caution: Not with diarrhoea or weakness.
Chinese materia medica
- Nature and taste
- bitter, sweet, pungent, cold
- Meridians
- lung, liver
Attributed effects
Opens the surface and cools in colds with fever and headache, cools wind-heat in the liver meridian in red, painful, swollen eyes, helps with blurred vision and dizziness from yin deficiency of liver and kidney and calms rising liver yang (headache, dizziness, high blood pressure). Wild chrysanthemum (ye ju hua, Chrysanthemum indicum) detoxifies more strongly and is used for boils, sore throat and red eyes.
Preparation and amount
Traditional dosage: 5–15 g a day, usually in a decoction. Chrysanthemum tea is an everyday drink in China, drunk cool on warm days, possibly with a teaspoon of unrefined sugar.
Combinations
- With platycodon, mint and mulberry leaf for wind-heat
- With goji and privet fruit for yin deficiency of liver and kidney
- With cassia seed, white peony and gou teng for high blood pressure
Caution: Not with qi deficiency with diarrhoea or poor appetite. Not with an allergy to the daisy family.