Effects of Winter Jasmine:
Detoxifies and clears heat; regulates qi and relieves depression. Mainly treats summer heat with thirst and irritability; dizziness; chest tightness and epigastric fullness; globus hystericus; sore throat; whooping cough; measles in children; scalds and burns. Relieves depression, harmonizes the middle burner, transforms phlegm, and detoxifies. Used for melancholy and irritability, liver and stomach qi pain, globus hystericus, scrofula, and skin toxins.
1. Compendium of Materia Medica: Relieves summer heat and promotes fluid production.
2. Zhejiang Manual of Chinese Medicinal Materials: Treats summer-heat chest fullness with thirst, childhood measles, whooping cough.
3. Jiangsu Herbal Medicine Compendium: Treats restlessness with thirst, qi stagnation causing stomach oppression.
Effects of Winter Jasmine:
1. Toxicity: Winter jasmine alkaloids cause severe convulsions in mammals, with effects similar to strychnine.The mean lethal dose (LD₅₀) via intravenous injection is 43.79±1.89 mg/kg in mice and 17.16±0.82 mg/kg in rats. Toxicity is stronger in rabbits, ranging approximately between 10-40 mg; intravenous injection is invariably lethal, with a maximum tolerated dose of 7.5 mg.The toxic dose induces excitation in the aforementioned three species but causes inhibition in frogs. Intravenous injection in rabbits also lowers blood glucose levels. It has no effect on blood cell counts. It exhibits excitatory effects on isolated rabbit intestine and uterus but shows weak activity on guinea pig uterus. In anesthetized cats and dogs, it inhibits cardiac function and reduces blood pressure. However, some researchers dispute its hypotensive effect.Xialameine alkaloids exhibit scopolamine-like effects in mammals, inducing severe convulsions. The mean lethal dose via intravenous injection is 43.79±1.89 mg/kg in mice, 17.16±0.82 mg/kg in rats, and the maximum tolerated dose is 7.5 mg in rabbits.It exhibits excitatory effects on isolated rabbit intestine and uterus.
Dietary therapeutic uses of winter jasmine flowers:
1. Winter Jasmine Fish Head Soup: 10 winter jasmine flowers, 750g fish head, assorted seasonings to taste, 1000g chicken broth. Clean the fish head and stew in a pot. Add seasonings, adjust flavor, then add winter jasmine petals before serving.
2. Wax-flower Braised Beef Strips: 500g beef, 10 wax-flower blossoms, 50g lard, 25g onion, 25g celery, 25g carrot, 15g soybean paste, salt, peppercorns, and ground pepper to taste.
3. Wax-flower Stewed Tofu: 5 wax-flower blossoms, appropriate amount of tofu,250g refined soybean oil, shredded scallions, cilantro, salt, and ground black pepper to taste. Heat oil in a wok until hot. Add sliced tofu strips and fry until golden brown. Remove and drain. Discard excess oil. Sauté shredded scallions briefly. Add water and salt, then return tofu strips to the pot. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in ground black pepper. Just before serving, add wax plum blossoms and MSG to adjust flavor.
4. Plum Blossom Congee: Take 5-7 white plum blossoms, separate the petals, and rinse clean. Wash 100g japonica rice and cook into congee. Add the plum blossom petals and sugar to taste. Bring to a brief boil before serving.This porridge soothes the liver, regulates qi, strengthens the spleen, stimulates appetite, refreshes the mind, and improves vision. It is suitable for liver-stomach qi pain, depression, poor appetite, dizziness, headaches, and neurosis, serving as a common remedy for appetite stimulation and depression relief.
Modern pharmacological analysis reveals wax plum blossoms contain borneol, eucalyptol, linalool, and other components.Traditional Chinese medicine holds that wax plum blossoms possess a mildly sweet, pungent, and cool nature. They are effective for relieving summer heat, promoting fluid production, stimulating appetite, dispersing stagnation, detoxifying, promoting tissue regeneration, and suppressing coughs. They are primarily used to treat summer heat-induced dizziness, vomiting, feverish thirst, qi stagnation with stomach oppression, and coughs. In folk medicine, wax plum blossoms are commonly boiled in water and given to infants to drink for their heat-clearing and detoxifying effects.