☯ TCM Properties
Restrains and holds to stop bleeding and vaginal discharge; Clears Heat, cools the Blood, binds the Intestines and stops bleeding; Consolidates Jing and stops diarrhea
Traditional Chinese Uses
Ji Guan Hua is the dried crested inflorescence of cockscomb, Celosia cristata (Flos Celosiae Cristatae). Sweet and cool with an astringent quality, it enters the Liver, Large Intestine, Kidney and Bladder channels. As an astringent that also cools the Blood, its central action is to stop bleeding: nosebleed, coughing or vomiting of blood, bloody stool, hemorrhoidal bleeding and, especially, uterine bleeding (metrorrhagia).
By binding the Intestines and consolidating the lower burner it also checks chronic diarrhea and dysentery, and restrains vaginal discharge (leukorrhea) and seminal loss. Documented in Chinese materia medica for over a thousand years, it is used in decoction (about 6-12 g), or as pill or powder; charred preparations strengthen the bleeding-stopping effect. It suits damp-heat and Blood-heat patterns with leakage of fluids or blood.
Western Herbalism Properties
Botanical Description
Ji Guan Hua is the dried inflorescence of Celosia cristata L. (Amaranthaceae), commonly called cockscomb for its broad, fan-shaped, crested flower head in shades of red, pink, yellow, or white. The annual herb grows 30 to 90 cm tall with glabrous stems, alternate ovate-lanceolate leaves, and dense fasciated cymes whose tiny membranous bracts persist after drying. Native to tropical Asia and now cultivated throughout China, India, and Southeast Asia, the flower is harvested in autumn when fully open and sun-dried. In traditional Chinese medicine the flower enters the Liver and Large Intestine channels, cools blood, stops bleeding, and is used for hemorrhoidal bleeding, uterine bleeding, blood in stool, and chronic dysentery; red-flowered forms are preferred for blood-cooling work.
Active Constituents
Amaranthin and betacyanins
Betalain pigments (nitrogenous water-soluble pigments)Concentration: Major pigment fraction of the red flower
Responsible for the deep red color of the cockscomb flower; antioxidant, free-radical-scavenging pigments typical of the Amaranthaceae that contribute to the herb's Blood-cooling reputation.
Cristatain
Triterpenoid saponinConcentration: Isolated bioactive saponin
Shows marked antihepatotoxic activity, reducing serum AST, ALT and alkaline phosphatase in chemically-induced (CCl4) liver injury models.
Celosins E, F and G
Triterpenoid (oleanane-type) saponinsConcentration: Isolated saponin constituents
Hepatoprotective and immunomodulatory triterpenoid saponins characteristic of Celosia; part of the saponin fraction linked to liver-protective activity.
Celogentins / celogenamide A
Cyclic (bicyclic) peptidesConcentration: Minor peptide constituents
Cyclic peptides that inhibit tubulin polymerization, giving them antiproliferative/antitumor activity in laboratory assays.
Flavonoids (quercetin and kaempferol glycosides)
Flavonol glycosidesConcentration: Present among ~77 identified compounds
Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory flavonoids that support the flower's traditional Heat-clearing and Blood-cooling uses.
Tannins and phenolic acids
Polyphenols (tannins)Concentration: Astringent phenolic fraction
Astringent constituents consistent with the herb's traditional hemostatic ('binds and restrains') action, helping to stop bleeding and abnormal discharge.
Nicotinic acid and amino acids
Vitamin (B3) / amino acidsConcentration: Nutritional constituents of the flower
Contribute to the nutritional and nutraceutical profile of the flower; part of the broad amino-acid and micronutrient content reported for edible cockscomb.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 6-15g | Daily | — | — | — |
Preparation Methods
Water decoction (Tang)
Parts: Dried flower (inflorescence)
Commonly 6–15 g of dried flower decocted in water, used for abnormal uterine bleeding, leukorrhea, bloody stool and hemorrhoidal bleeding. White-flowered forms are traditionally favored for leukorrhea and red-flowered forms for blood in the stool or excessive menstrual bleeding.
Charred / carbonized (Ji Guan Hua Tan)
Parts: Dried flower
Flower stir-charred until blackened to strengthen its astringent, bleeding-stopping action; the char is used particularly for heavier bleeding presentations.
Powder
Parts: Dried flower
Dried flower ground to a fine powder and taken in divided doses (or applied topically) for bleeding and discharge conditions.
Historical Texts
Ben Cao Gang Mu (Compendium of Materia Medica), Li Shizhen
Ming dynasty, 1596Song and Ming dynasty materia medica tradition
Song–Ming (c. 11th–16th century)References
- Wang Y, et al.. Celosia cristata L.: A review of its traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, and quality control, along with network pharmacological analysis of its components and targets . Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2024) [DOI]
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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