Parts Most Frequently Used: Fruit, Roots, Leaves, Seeds

Flavors/Temps: Very Bitter, Cold, Dry

Caution: Not recommended if already suffering from diarrhea.

History/Folklore: In China, gardenias are a key herb for dispelling Dampness and Heat. It is a gentle herb that slowly directs heat downwards, promoting urination, and in this way pulling heat out of the heart and lungs. As the herb moves through the Triple Warmer (San Jiao) meridians it is able to clear Heat and Dampness from the top, middle and lower parts of the body. The Chinese also describe it as treating both ends of the Liver’s Channels, so oozing eyes, bloating, nausea, and urinary dysfunction can all be treated with gardenia.

Most herbalists use the whole dried fruit which is crushed before using. Other preparations include:

• Raw Gardenia (Sheng Zhi Zi) which is used to drain Fire.
• Stir-fried Gardenia (Chao Zhi Zi) or Charred Gardenia (Zhi Zi Tan) which is used to stop bleeding and help reduce the plant’s very cold properties that might cause vomiting.
• Gardenia Husks (this is the fruit without the seeds, called Zhi Zi Yi in Chinese) is used to clear Heat from the lung and the surface of the body and,
• Gardenia Seeds (Zhi Zi Ren) are used to clear internal Heat and ease the heart.

Gardenia jasminoides and G. florida can be used interchangeably for their medicinal qualities.

Both saffron and gardenia contain the yellow pigment crocin and are used as yellow food colorants.

The gardenia’s white flowers are a symbol of purity, innocence and clarity. They are scared to Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams for their wonderful scent which was thought to transport a person to the heavenly land of Elysium where joy could be found. In Victorian England the English viewed the flower as a symbol of a new and promising friendship and in France men wore a gardenia to express their sincere wishes to find a mate. Magically, it is known for its ability to clear and calm the mind.

Gardenias can also deter certain insects from your garden, though they are difficult plants to cultivate outdoors and are now mostly cultivated in greenhouses.