Traditionally used for
- Nose & throat
- Cough & breathing
- Digestion
- Menstrual & women's health
- Skin
Cautions & contraindications
- Pregnancy
☯ TCM Properties
Disperses Blood Stagnation, regulates Qi, softens hardness, disperses tumors and removes toxins; Increases uterine contraction and promotes contraception
Traditional Chinese Uses
Ji Xing Zi (Semen Impatientis), the ripe seed of Impatiens balsamina, is a blood-regulating substance that is bitter and warm and enters the Liver and Lung channels. Its chief action is to break up blood stasis and soften and disperse hardness: it is used for amenorrhea and abdominal masses (zheng jia) from congealed Blood, and for hard, clumped swellings, scrofula, and tumor-like nodules. A distinctive traditional use is dislodging food or bone lodged in the throat, where the ground seed is taken to "soften" the obstruction; it is likewise applied to stubborn sores and to relieve itching.
Because it strongly moves Blood and promotes uterine contraction, Ji Xing Zi is considered slightly toxic and is strictly contraindicated in pregnancy. It is used cautiously and in small doses, typically decocted or powdered within a formula rather than alone.
Western Herbalism Properties
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Ji Xing Zi, also called Ji Xing Zi or Ji Xin Zi (garden balsam seed), is the ripe seed of Impatiens balsamina L. (Balsaminaceae), an erect succulent annual 30 to 80 cm tall native to India and Southeast Asia and long cultivated throughout China as both ornamental and medicinal. The plant bears alternate lanceolate serrate leaves and showy axillary spurred flowers in pink, red, purple, or white; the explosive capsule dehisces at the slightest touch, scattering small kidney-shaped dark brown seeds about 2 mm across. In traditional Chinese medicine the seed is acrid, bitter, warm, and slightly toxic, entering the Lung and Liver channels; it softens hardness, breaks blood stasis, and unblocks the channels, used for amenorrhea due to blood stasis, difficult labor, retained placenta, abdominal masses, and lodged fish-bone in the throat. The flower Feng Xian Hua and stem Tou Gu Cao are separate medicinals.
Active Constituents
Hosenkosides A to O
Baccharane-type triterpene saponins (glycosides of hosenkol A to D)The chemically distinctive constituents of the seed, and rare in the plant kingdom: hosenkosides F to K and L to O were characterised from Impatiens balsamina seed as sambubiosides, sophorosides and glucosides of the hosenkol aglycones. Hosenkoside A has since been shown to promote apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in cervical cancer cells, with transcriptome work implicating inhibition of histone deacetylase 3 and downstream blockade of STAT3 activation. These findings are cell-based.
2-Methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone
NaphthoquinoneDescribed in the current review literature as the predominant and most representative component of the species. It carries much of the antimicrobial and antifungal activity of the plant. It is a distinct compound from lawsone, 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, with which it is frequently confused in secondary sources. It is also a reactive quinone and a recognised contact sensitiser, which matters for the topical preparations made from this plant.
Balsaminone C
Naphthoquinone derivativeReported from the seeds of Impatiens balsamina, the related balsaminones A and B having been isolated from the fruit pericarp. Little pharmacology has been done on it.
Ib-AMP1 to Ib-AMP4
Cysteine-rich antimicrobial peptidesFour closely related 20-amino-acid peptides isolated from the seed, the smallest plant-derived antimicrobial peptides described at the time. They are highly basic, contain four cysteines forming two intramolecular disulfide bonds, inhibit a range of fungi and bacteria, and were not cytotoxic to cultured human cells. They derive from a single precursor protein. They are unlikely to survive decoction intact.
alpha-Spinasterol
SterolOne of the sterols reported from the seed, alongside alpha-amyrin, beta-sitosterol and balsaminasterol. It is a common plant sterol without established clinical activity at dietary or decoction exposures.
Quercetin and kaempferol glycosides
Flavonol glycosidesPart of the flavonoid fraction reported across the medicinal parts of the plant. More than 307 natural compounds have been identified from Impatiens balsamina in total, of which flavonoids and naphthoquinones are the largest groups.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Uterotonic and labour-inducing drugs (oxytocin, misoprostol, dinoprostone)
Ji Xing Zi is classified in Chinese materia medica as a blood-breaking, mass-softening drug and is traditionally credited with promoting uterine contraction; that reputation is the reason it is contraindicated in pregnancy in standard sources, and it is reflected in the functions recorded for this entry. No controlled pharmacological study of an Impatiens balsamina seed preparation on uterine muscle has been located, so the effect size and any additive interaction with pharmaceutical uterotonics are unquantified.
Clinical note: Do not prescribe in pregnancy. Ask specifically about it in a woman presenting with unexplained uterine cramping or threatened miscarriage who is taking Chinese herbs, since the herb's own traditional indication makes self-medication for delayed menses plausible.
Topical corticosteroids and topical preparations in patients with dermatitis
The dominant constituent of the species, 2-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, is a reactive quinone of the class that characteristically causes allergic contact dermatitis, and Impatiens balsamina is applied topically in folk practice for nail and skin complaints. Toxicological work summarised in the current review found the hexane extract of stems and leaves to be less toxic and the hydroalcoholic extract of stems more toxic, so the solvent and the plant part both matter. No case series of dermatitis from the seed drug specifically has been located.
Clinical note: If a topical Impatiens preparation is used and the dermatitis worsens rather than settles, consider sensitisation to the plant itself before escalating the corticosteroid.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 3–5 g | Daily | — | — | 中国药典 2020 monograph 【急性子】【用法与用量】3～5g。 【注意】孕妇慎用。 【性味与归经】微苦、辛，温;有小毒。归肺、肝经。 — Matched to ChP by romanised drug name (pinyin 'Ji Xing Zi' → 急性子); the romanisation is unique across all 649 ChP monographs, and the match was cross-checked against this record's own TCM temperature. Quoted verbatim. |
Evidence Tier
Limited evidence · 1 studyRecorded studies by study design, strongest design at the top. This is a study-design tier only, not a GRADE rating: it does not weigh risk of bias, consistency or precision.
Systematic review / meta-analysis
0
Randomized controlled trial
0
Other clinical trial
0
Observational / case report
0
In vitro / animal
1
0 verified · 1 unverified
Other / unclassified
0
Verified: design read from PubMed for a DOI that resolves to the cited paper Unverified: taken from the study's recorded description
Clinical Studies
Preparation of polypeptide-metal complexes-coated Hosenkoside A and its inhibitory effect in cervical cancer
Hosenkoside A, a saponin from the seeds of Impatiens balsamina, promoted apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in cervical cancer cells. Transcriptome sequencing after treatment showed marked inhibition of histone deacetylase 3, with consequent loss of histone H3 lysine 4 and lysine 9 acetylation and blockade of STAT3 activation. The authors then encapsulated the compound in polypeptide-metal complexes to improve delivery. This is laboratory work on an isolated constituent and supports no clinical use of the crude drug.
Historical Texts
Ben Cao Gang Mu
Ming dynastyReferences
- Qian H, Wang B, Ma J, Li C, Zhang Q, Zhao Y. Impatiens balsamina: An updated review on the ethnobotanical uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activity . Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2023) [DOI]
- Shoji N, Umeyama A, Yoshikawa K, Nagai M, Arihara S. Baccharane glycosides from seeds of Impatiens balsamina . Phytochemistry (1994) [DOI]
- Shoji N, Umeyama A, Saitou N, Yoshikawa K, Nagai M, Arihara S. Hosenkosides F, G, H, I, J, and K, Novel Baccharane Glycosides from the Seeds of Impatiens balsamina. . Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin (1994) [DOI]
- Tailor RH, Acland DP, Attenborough S, Cammue BP, Evans IJ, Osborn RW, Ray JA, Rees SB, Broekaert WF. A novel family of small cysteine-rich antimicrobial peptides from seed of Impatiens balsamina is derived from a single precursor protein. . Journal of Biological Chemistry (1997) [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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