Yellow gardenia
StarGardenia ternifolia
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
Across sub-Saharan Africa Gardenia ternifolia is an important traditional medicine. Root decoctions are taken for fever (malaria), constipation, rheumatic pains and as a vermifuge; the crushed fruits are applied to haemorrhoidal lesions and used for gastrointestinal complaints; and leaf preparations are used for skin diseases, syphilis and as a wash. The plant is also widely employed in ritual and protective practices and to treat respiratory complaints, headache and convulsions (Neuwinger, 2000; Maroyi, 2020).
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Botanical Description
Gardenia ternifolia, the savanna or yellow gardenia, is a shrub or small tree of the madder family (Rubiaceae) widespread across tropical Africa, from Senegal eastwards to Ethiopia and Kenya and south through the Democratic Republic of Congo to Namibia, South Africa and Mozambique, where it grows in wooded grassland, savanna and rocky bushland. It typically reaches 2-8 m tall, with a rounded crown and grey, fissured bark on a often gnarled trunk. The leaves are characteristically borne in whorls of three (sometimes opposite), broadly obovate to elliptic, with a leathery texture and prominent venation, clustered at the ends of short shoots. The large, solitary, sweetly fragrant flowers open white and age to creamy yellow, with a long corolla tube flaring into five to nine spreading lobes. The fruit is a hard, ovoid to globose, grey-green berry with pale lenticels, ripening to contain numerous seeds embedded in pulp.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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