ju hua

Chrysanthemum morifolium

Part Used : Flower, harvest the flowers in late autumn when the flowers are at their peak, then dry them.

Properties : Sweet, Bitter, Slightly Cold

Channels Entered : Liver, Lung

Actions and Indications :

1. Disperses wind-heat EPI
1. Fever with headache         
2. Clears the liver and benefits the eyes
1. Red painful eyes d/t wind-heat in the liver channel, liver yang rising, liver fire blazing or liver and kidney deficiency with deficiency heat
3. Calms liver yang*, stops liver wind
1. Dizziness and headache d/t liver yang rising, liver fire or internal wind d/t liver heat
4. Relieves toxicity
1. Skin sores
5. Nourishes yin**
1. Yin deficiency with fire

  * This herb is classified in the chapter of Cool, Acrid Herbs to Release the Exterior, but it is not acrid so it can calm the liver yang.

**Due to the sweet and slightly cold properties.

Do the headache, dizziness and red eyes sound a bit like a hangover to you? Drink ju hua tea to prevent a hangover or to help alleviate the symptoms the next day.

Featured Formula:

Sang Ju Yin (Mulberry Leaf and Chrysanthemum Decoction)

ju hua and sang ye are the chief herbs in this formula to release exterior heat. This formula is the classic formula for early-stage warm-febrile disease or mild exterior heat where coughing is the main symptom.

Doctrine of Signature ***:

ju hua is similar in shape to an iris; it is round and intersected with radiating lines. And, of course, the liver opens into the eyes. (from Lu Yubin's How to Learn Chinese Herbs (Part 4) in the JOCM #73, October 2003)

***Matthew Wood in The Book of Herbal Wisdom, Using Plants as Medicine defines the Doctrine of Signature as “the plant resembles the disease, organ or person for which it is remedial.” This book has a great chapter on Signatures, Similars, and Patterns.

Sources:

Chinese Herbal Medicine, Materia Medica by Bensky and Gamble
Chinese Herbal Medicine, Formulas & Strategies by Bensky and Barolet