Jin Ying Zi
StarRosa laevigata Michx.
Traditionally used for
- Digestion
- Bowel health
- Urinary & fluids
- Menstrual & women's health
Cautions & contraindications
- Diabetes
☯ TCM Properties
Secures Essence and Stops Enuresis; Astringes to stop leukorrhea and stabilize uterine bleeding; Astringes the Intestines and Stops Diarrhea
Traditional Chinese Uses
Jin Ying Zi (Cherokee rose fruit) is a stabilizing herb that seals and secures the body's essence, fluids, and digestive function. It is most commonly used for individuals experiencing involuntary leakage such as frequent urination, incontinence, chronic diarrhea, or excessive vaginal discharge due to underlying deficiency. Its neutral temperature makes it gentle and versatile, but because it controls symptoms rather than building strength, it works best combined with tonifying herbs.
Western Herbalism Properties
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Rosa laevigata, the Cherokee rose, is an evergreen to semi-evergreen scrambling shrub or climber in the family Rosaceae, native to southern China, Taiwan, and Indochina and widely naturalized in the southeastern United States, where it became the state flower of Georgia. The plant produces long, arching to climbing canes 3-6 m in length armed with stout, recurved prickles. The alternate leaves are pinnately compound with usually three glossy, leathery, lanceolate to elliptic leaflets 3-8 cm long with finely serrate margins. The solitary flowers, 5-8 cm across, are pure white with five broad petals surrounding numerous yellow stamens, fragrant, and borne in late spring on short lateral shoots. The hip is pear-shaped to subglobose, 2-4 cm long, bright orange-red, densely bristly-hispid, and crowned with persistent sepals; it contains many hairy achenes within a fleshy receptacle. Hips are harvested in autumn.
Active Constituents
Fruit polysaccharides (including the acidic heteropolysaccharide RLPa-2 and the low-molecular-weight fractions RLP-1a, RLP-2a, RLP-3a)
Polysaccharide (acidic heteropolysaccharide)Concentration: the Chinese Pharmacopoeia assay for the fruit requires not less than 25.0% polysaccharide calculated as anhydrous glucose; survey material is reported in the range of roughly 30-43%
The dominant assayed component of the fruit and the marker the Pharmacopoeia uses for its identity. RLPa-2 (15.6 kDa; arabinose, galactose, rhamnose, glucose, xylose and galacturonic acid in a molar ratio near 1.00:0.91:0.39:0.34:0.25:0.20) lowered NO, TNF-alpha and IL-6 release and suppressed M1 macrophage markers and STAT3 phosphorylation in LPS/IFN-gamma-stimulated cells. Low-molecular-weight fractions (roughly 7,600-9,000 Da) lowered triglycerides, total cholesterol and free fatty acids and raised HDL in high-fat-diet rats.
Ursolic acid
Ursane-type pentacyclic triterpenoidConcentration: one of the principal triterpenoid acids used as an HPLC quality marker for the fruit
Triterpenoids are the largest and most characteristic compound group in this species, with ursane-type skeletons predominating. Triterpenoid fractions from the fruit inhibited TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-6 release in LPS-stimulated macrophages in the low micromolar range.
Oleanolic acid
Oleanane-type pentacyclic triterpenoidConcentration: a minor triterpenoid acid alongside ursolic acid; quantified together with it in HPLC assays of the drug
Contributes to the anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activity attributed to the triterpenoid fraction of the fruit.
Sitostenone (stigmast-4-en-3-one)
Phytosterol (4-en-3-one steroid)Concentration: isolated from the fruit as its bioactive principal in the insulin-sensitising work of Senthil Kumar and colleagues; no validated content figure for the crude drug has been published
Increased glucose uptake and restored insulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant hepatic cells by activating AMPK and PPAR-gamma, upregulating membrane GLUT2 and GLUT4 and downregulating nuclear FOXO1. This is cell-culture work only; it has not been tested in people.
Hydrolysable tannins (agrimoniin, pedunculagin, casuarictin, sanguiin H-4)
EllagitanninConcentration: reported across surveyed Rosa laevigata material at roughly 10-30%, varying markedly with geographic origin
The chemical basis of the drug's astringency, which is the property TCM relies on to secure essence and bind the intestines. Tannins at this level also bind proteins, iron and alkaloids in the gut lumen, which is the mechanism behind the herb's absorption interactions.
Flavonoids (quercetin, rutin, catechin, epicatechin)
Flavonol and flavan-3-olConcentration: total flavonoids reported at roughly 3-5% of the fruit, inversely correlated with polysaccharide content across origins
The flavonoid fraction raised SOD, catalase, glutathione and GPx and lowered malondialdehyde in hyperlipidaemic rodents and in PC12 cells, and is the fraction most often credited with the fruit's hypolipidaemic and renoprotective effects in animal models.
Ellagic acid and gallic acid
Phenolic acidConcentration: minor phenolic constituents of the fruit, largely derived from hydrolysis of the ellagitannins
Antioxidant phenolics that contribute to the free-radical-scavenging capacity measured in fruit extracts.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Oral iron salts, and orally administered alkaloid or protein-based drugs
Jin Ying Zi is a high-tannin astringent drug; hydrolysable tannins have been measured across surveyed Rosa laevigata material at roughly 10-30%. Tannins at that concentration precipitate ferrous iron, alkaloidal bases and proteins in the gut lumen. This is a general property of high-tannin drugs rather than a documented Rosa laevigata case report, so it is graded theoretical.
Clinical note: Separate the decoction from oral iron and from alkaloid drugs by at least two hours. Ask about iron supplementation in patients being given long courses for uterine bleeding or leukorrhoea, where iron deficiency is common.
Oral antidiabetic drugs (metformin, sulfonylureas) and insulin
Sitostenone from the fruit activated AMPK and PPAR-gamma and increased glucose uptake in insulin-resistant hepatic cells, and fruit extracts increased glucose uptake in HepG2 cells via PI3K/Akt. All of this is in vitro or rodent work; no human pharmacokinetic or glycaemic study of the fruit exists.
Clinical note: No dose change is warranted on this evidence, but if a diabetic patient is on a long course, ordinary home glucose monitoring is a reasonable precaution.
Lipid-lowering drugs (statins, fibrates)
Low-molecular-weight fruit polysaccharides at 200 and 800 mg/kg for 12 weeks lowered triglycerides, total cholesterol and free fatty acids and raised HDL in high-fat-diet rats, with upregulation of FADS2, ACOX3 and SCD-1 through PPAR signalling. Rat data only.
Clinical note: Additive lipid lowering is not a hazard. No monitoring change is required.
Jin Ying Gen (Rosa laevigata root), supplied in place of the fruit
Rosa laevigata yields two separate Chinese medicines, the fruit (Jin Ying Zi) and the root (Jin Ying Gen), which are reviewed side by side in the pharmacognostic literature precisely because they are distinct drugs with different constituent profiles. Jin Ying Zi is a polysaccharide-assayed astringent for the Kidney and intestines; the root is used differently. The pinyin stems share a root word, and the two are traded from the same plant.
Clinical note: Confirm the supplier is dispensing Fructus Rosae Laevigatae, not the root. The Pharmacopoeia polysaccharide assay (not less than 25.0% as anhydrous glucose) applies to the fruit and is a usable identity check on a certificate of analysis.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 6–12 g | Daily | — | — | 中国药典 2020 【用法与用量】6～12g。 【性味与归经】酸、甘、涩，平。归肾、膀胱、大肠经。 — Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, quoted verbatim; route and cautions preserved. Replaces a cleared category-filler value. |
Dui Yao — Herb Pairs
The classical two-herb combinations this herb appears in, each with an action neither herb has alone.
Two astringents, one also strengthening the Spleen, together secure the Kidney essence and stop leakage of semen, urine and vaginal discharge.
Seminal emission, frequent urination and leukorrhea from Kidney deficiency; not for leakage caused by damp-heat.
Core pair of a classical formula — Shui Lu Er Xian Dan, Hong Shi Ji Yan Fang (Hong Zun)
Evidence Tier
Moderate evidence · 3 studiesRecorded 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
3
1 verified · 2 unverified
Show 3 studies
- Extraction and Hypolipidemic Activity of Low Molecular Weight Polysaccharides Isolated from Rosa Laevigata Fruits
- Structural Characterization and In Vitro Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Polysaccharides Isolated from the Fruits of Rosa laevigata
- Fruits of Rosa laevigata and its bio-active principal sitostenone facilitate glucose uptake and insulin sensitivity in hepatic cells via AMPK/PPAR-γ activation
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
Extraction and Hypolipidemic Activity of Low Molecular Weight Polysaccharides Isolated from Rosa Laevigata Fruits
Three low-molecular-weight polysaccharides (7,571-9,004 Da) were isolated from Rosa laevigata fruit and given to male rats for 12 weeks at 200 or 800 mg/kg against a high-fat-diet control. The high dose lowered triglycerides by 16.3%, total cholesterol by 47.0% and free fatty acids by 27.8% and raised HDL cholesterol by 35.0% versus the high-fat-diet group, with improved SOD, GSH-Px and catalase activity and upregulation of FADS2, ACOX3 and SCD-1 through PPAR signalling.
Structural Characterization and In Vitro Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Polysaccharides Isolated from the Fruits of Rosa laevigata
RLPa-2, a 15.6 kDa acidic heteropolysaccharide of arabinose, galactose, rhamnose, glucose, xylose and galacturonic acid, was purified from the fruit and characterised. In LPS/IFN-gamma-stimulated macrophages it significantly reduced NO, TNF-alpha and IL-6 release, lowered the M1 markers CD80 and CD86 and reduced STAT3 phosphorylation, indicating that the polysaccharide fraction the Pharmacopoeia assays is itself anti-inflammatory.
Fruits of Rosa laevigata and its bio-active principal sitostenone facilitate glucose uptake and insulin sensitivity in hepatic cells via AMPK/PPAR-γ activation
Sitostenone, isolated from Rosa laevigata fruit, increased glucose uptake and restored insulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant hepatic cells by activating PPAR-gamma and AMPK, upregulating membrane GLUT2 and GLUT4 and downregulating nuclear FOXO1. Cell-culture work only; it establishes a plausible mechanism but no human relevance has been demonstrated.
Historical Texts
Shu Ben Cao
Five Dynasties, 935-960 CEMeng Xi Bi Tan (Dream Pool Essays)
Northern Song dynasty, 11th centuryBen Cao Gang Mu
Ming dynasty, 1596References
- Xiao-Xiao Quan, Yuan-Yuan Huang, Lu Chen, Jing-Quan Yuan. Traditional uses, phytochemical, pharmacology, quality control and modern applications of two important Chinese medicines from Rosa laevigata Michx.: A review . Frontiers in Pharmacology (2022) [DOI]
- Bai-Lin Li, Jie Yuan, Jie-Wei Wu. A Review on the Phytochemical and Pharmacological Properties of Rosa laevigata: A Medicinal and Edible Plant . Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin (2021) [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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