Mei Hua
StarPrunus mume (Sieb.) Sieb. et Zucc.
Traditionally used for
- Nose & throat
- Cough & breathing
- Digestion
- Mood & calm
☯ TCM Properties
Soothes the Liver and Regulates Qi; Harmonizes the Stomach and stimulates appetite; Transforms Phlegm and Dissipates Nodules; Generates Fluids
Traditional Chinese Uses
Mei Hua (plum blossom) is a delicate, fragrant herb with a particular affinity for relieving emotional strain and the digestive complaints that accompany it. It addresses the pattern of Liver Qi stagnation affecting the Stomach — characterized by a sensation of something stuck in the throat, tightness in the chest, diminished appetite, and epigastric pain that worsens with emotional stress. For centuries, Chinese medicine practitioners have prepared simple plum blossom teas as a gentle remedy for both mood and digestion.
Western Herbalism Properties
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Prunus mume is a deciduous tree native to China, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam, commonly known as the Japanese apricot or Chinese plum. It typically grows 4-10 meters tall with a spreading crown and grey-green bark that fissures with age. The alternate leaves are ovate to elliptic, 4-8 cm long, with acuminate tips and finely serrate margins. Flowers appear in late winter to early spring on bare branches, before the leaves; they are solitary or paired, 2-2.5 cm across, with five rounded petals ranging from white through pink to deep red, and a strong, sweet fragrance. The fruit is a yellow to green-yellow drupe, roughly spherical, 2-3 cm in diameter. In TCM, the dried flower buds (Mei Hua) are used as a gentle qi-regulating herb to soothe the liver and relieve constraint.
Active Constituents
Mumeoses K, L, M, N and O
Acylated sucrose (phenylpropanoid sucrose ester)Concentration: isolated from the flower buds; five new acylated sucroses reported from this source
Acylated sucroses are a characteristic constituent class of the Prunus mume flower bud rather than of the fruit, and they are the reason the flower cannot simply borrow the fruit's pharmacology. Constituents of the flower bud, including these, inhibit aldose reductase.
Mumeflavonoside A
Acylated flavonol glycosideConcentration: isolated from the flower buds as a new compound
An acylated flavonol glycoside reported from Prunus mume flower buds and shown to inhibit aldose reductase in vitro, the enzyme implicated in diabetic complications.
Polyacylated coumaroylsucroses
Phenylpropanoid sucrose esterConcentration: plentiful in the blossoms; content differs markedly between cultivars
Metabolomic comparison across seven Prunus mume cultivars deduced that these are the main compounds responsible for inhibition of monoamine oxidase A, and that differences in their abundance explain the differences in activity between cultivars. This matters practically because Mei Hua is not a single uniform commodity; the green-calyx type traditionally preferred is one cultivar among several sold under the name.
Isoquercitrin
Flavonol glycosideConcentration: identified among the constituents of Prunus mume flowers; not separately quantified
One of the flavonol glycosides of the flower, part of the antioxidant fraction.
Rutin
Flavonol glycosideConcentration: identified among the constituents of Prunus mume flowers; not separately quantified
A common flavonol glycoside present in the flower alongside isoquercitrin and the kaempferol and isorhamnetin glycosides.
Kaempferol-3-O-beta-D-galactopyranoside
Flavonol glycosideConcentration: identified among the constituents of Prunus mume flowers; not separately quantified
One of eight compounds characterised in a study of the flowers of Prunus mume.
Isorhamnetin-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside
Flavonol glycosideConcentration: identified among the constituents of Prunus mume flowers; not separately quantified
An isorhamnetin glycoside reported from the flowers, with free isorhamnetin and quercetin also present.
Benzoic acid
Aromatic carboxylic acidConcentration: identified among the constituents of Prunus mume flowers; not separately quantified
A simple aromatic acid of the flower. It should not be confused with the heavy organic acid load, chiefly citric and malic, that makes the smoked fruit Wu Mei extremely sour; the flower bud is not an acidic drug.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors and serotonergic antidepressants
Extracts of Prunus mume blossoms inhibit monoamine oxidase A in vitro, with polyacylated coumaroylsucroses deduced to be the responsible constituents and with marked variation between cultivars. This is an enzyme assay, not a pharmacokinetic or clinical study: no absorption, tissue concentration or in vivo MAO-A inhibition has been demonstrated for a Mei Hua decoction, and the doses used traditionally are small. The entry is recorded so that a practitioner treating a patient on an MAOI or on serotonergic medication knows the signal exists rather than discovering it later.
Clinical note: No avoidance is warranted on this evidence alone. If a patient on an MAOI or a serotonergic antidepressant is given Mei Hua, ask about headache, agitation, tremor or blood pressure change at the next review.
Cyanogenic exposure from Prunus mume kernel material
Prunus mume is a cyanogenic species, but the cyanogenic load sits in the seed. Amygdalin reaches about 47 g/kg fresh weight in the mature embryo and prunasin about 10 g/kg in the endosperm, and both amygdalin and prunasin rise in the seed and flesh as the fruit ripens. The drug here is the unopened flower bud, gathered before fruiting, and no quantification of amygdalin or prunasin in Prunus mume flower buds specifically was found. Work in the related almond and sweet cherry shows prunasin accumulating in flower buds after dormancy release and falling again just before flowering, so a non-zero but low and stage-dependent content in Prunus mume flower buds is plausible and unmeasured. The practical risk is therefore not the flower bud itself but contamination of a batch with kernel or fruit material.
Clinical note: Do not transfer cyanogenic cautions from Wu Mei, the fruit, onto Mei Hua, the flower bud, and do not assume the flower is free of them either. Inspect batches for seed or fruit debris and source flower material harvested at the bud stage.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 3–5 g | Daily | — | — | 中国药典 2020 【用法与用量】3～5g。 【性味与归经】微酸，平。归肝、胃、肺经。 — Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, quoted verbatim; route and cautions preserved. Replaces a cleared category-filler value. |
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
- Structures of acylated sucroses and an acylated flavonol glycoside and inhibitory effects of constituents on aldose reductase from the flower buds of Prunus mume
- Non-Volatile metabolome of different cultivars of Prunus mume blossoms and screening of the antidepressant molecules targeting monoamine oxidase A
- Optimization of Extraction Total Flavonoids From Mume Flos and Assessment of Antioxidant Activity In Vivo and In Vitro
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
Structures of acylated sucroses and an acylated flavonol glycoside and inhibitory effects of constituents on aldose reductase from the flower buds of Prunus mume
Five new acylated sucroses, mumeoses K to O, and a new acylated flavonol glycoside, mumeflavonoside A, were isolated from the flower buds of Prunus mume, and constituents of the flower bud were shown to inhibit aldose reductase. This is chemistry performed on the flower bud itself, which is unusual in a literature dominated by the fruit.
Non-Volatile metabolome of different cultivars of Prunus mume blossoms and screening of the antidepressant molecules targeting monoamine oxidase A
Blossoms of seven Prunus mume cultivars were profiled by UPLC-QTOF/MS and correlated with inhibition of monoamine oxidase A. Activity differed significantly between cultivars, fifteen compounds accounted for the differences among the six true Prunus cultivars, and the abundant polyacylated coumaroylsucroses were deduced to be the main MAO-A inhibitory constituents. The authors present this as the first study of antidepressant activity in cultivars other than the green-calyx type traditionally used.
Optimization of Extraction Total Flavonoids From Mume Flos and Assessment of Antioxidant Activity In Vivo and In Vitro
Extraction of the total flavonoid fraction of Mume Flos was optimised and the fraction assessed for antioxidant activity in vitro and in vivo. The work is on the flower drug specifically rather than on Mume Fructus, and the endpoints are antioxidant rather than clinical.
Historical Texts
Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing
Han dynastyBen Cao Gang Mu
Ming dynastyReferences
- Ting Li, Xi Zhao, Xueli Cao. Volatile Metabolome and Aroma Differences of Six Cultivars of Prunus mume Blossoms . Plants (2023) [DOI]
- Q. H. Zhang, L. Zhang, L. X. Shang, C. L. Shao, Y. X. Wu. [Studies on the chemical constituents of flowers of Prunus mume] . Zhong Yao Cai (Journal of Chinese Medicinal Materials) (2008)
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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