Gardenia fruit · Zhi Zi
Gardenia jasminoides J. Ellis · Mature fruit
Name and part used
An evergreen shrub with glossy leaves, fragrant white flowers, and yellow ridged ovoid fruit.
Traditional context
Zhi Zi is Gardenia jasminoides fruit. HKBU records yellow ripe fruit in October with characteristic longitudinal ridges. Do not confuse it with jasmine despite the common name Cape Jasmine.
Modern evidence
Fire-draining, heat-clearing, and blood-cooling are traditional concepts, not proof of treating jaundice, liver disease, insomnia, or infection.
Safety
Nausea or drug interactions are possible; long-term safety data are limited. People with liver disease, pregnancy, or multiple medications should consult a clinician.
Pairing in reference texts
Zhi Zi occurs in Zhi Zi Chi Tang and combinations with Scutellaria in classical texts. This is not a self-treatment instruction for jaundice or fever.
Growing, care, and harvest timing
HKBU habitat record: Growing in warm thin forests of hills or on deserted slopes, ditch sides and roadsides. Distributed in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hubei, Fujian, Taiwan and etc. The medicinal materials are mainly produced in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan and Fujian Harvest and processing as recorded: Picked in Oct when fruits mature and yellow, removed peduncle and impurities, sun-dried or baked to dry. Also scalded fruits in boiled water (add a little alum), or steamed for half hour, taken out, and sun-dried
Source-recorded harvest/processing: Picked in Oct when fruits mature and yellow, removed peduncle and impurities, sun-dried or baked to dry. Also scalded fruits in boiled water (add a little alum), or steamed for half hour, taken out, and sun-dried
The reviewed source does not provide a complete species-specific sowing/growing routine, irrigation/fertilization schedule, or universal plant age. The page therefore does not infer care instructions or years to harvest; consult local cultivation guidance.
Open habitat and season source ↗FROM PLANT / SOURCE HABITAT TO DRIED MATERIAL · REFERENCE WORKFLOW
- Harvest ripe yellow Gardenia jasminoides fruit in autumn; verify species and reject green or damaged fruit.
- Remove stalks and foreign matter, clean, and drain under hygienic facility procedures.
- Sun- or machine-dry; some processes include blanching or steaming before drying, only under approved standards.
- Grade by color and integrity, control moisture, document lot, and store sealed and dry.
These are post-harvest study notes, not directions to prepare a remedy for self-treatment. Processing reference ↗
How to read formula amounts
The cited sources do not provide a formula with specific amounts for this profile; no ratio is invented. Absence from the incompatibility list does not establish safety.
Habitat, season, and harvest in the HKBU botanical record
HKBU botanical record (translated summary): Flowering and fruiting dates: Flowering: June to August, fruiting: September to November Habitat and distribution: Growing in warm thin forests of hills or on deserted slopes, ditch sides and roadsides. Distributed in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hubei, Fujian, Taiwan and etc. The medicinal materials are mainly produced in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan and Fujian Harvest and processing as recorded: Picked in Oct when fruits mature and yellow, removed peduncle and impurities, sun-dried or baked to dry. Also scalded fruits in boiled water (add a little alum), or steamed for half hour, taken out, and sun-dried
Open botanical source ↗