CHINESE HERB: MO LI HUA

Arabian jasmine flower

Name

Pinyin name: Mo Li Hua

Latin name: Jasmini Sambac Flos

English name: Arabian Jasmine Flower

Origin

Mo Li Hua is the dried flower of Jasminum officinale- a vigorous, twining and deciduous climber in the olive family Oleaceae.

Location

It is native to warm and moist regions such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Himalayas, India and Western China (Guizhou, Sichuan, and Yunnan).

Harvesting and Processing

The newly open flowers are plucked in summer and dried in the sun or by heat immediately.

Properties

Taste: Acrid and sweet

Nature: Warm

Entering meridians: Spleen, Stomach and Liver

Best qualities

Yellowish white, flat, strong heady fragrance

Major Chemical Constituents

It contains linalool, benzylacetate, indole, linoleic acid and paraffin.

Actions

- Promote Qi flow, harmonize the Spleen and Stomach and discharge dirty things

- Resolve depression

Syndromes

- Abdominal pain due to diarrhea and ulcers

- Liver Qi stagnation, hepatitis

- Nervous debility

Dosage

Decoct 3- 10 grams or make tea. Proper dosage is for external uses, decocted for eyewash or soaked in oil for ear drops.

Contraindications and Cautions

- Contraindicated for pregnant women

- Contraindicated for weak patients