☯ TCM Properties
Dispels Heat, promotes diuresis, removes toxins and controls bleeding
Traditional Chinese Uses
Mu Mian Hua (Flos Gossampini) is the dried flower of the red silk-cotton or kapok tree, Bombax ceiba. Sweet, bland and cool, entering the Large Intestine channel, it clears Heat, drains Dampness, cools the Blood and resolves toxicity. Its chief use is for damp-heat patterns of the intestines: diarrhea, dysentery with blood and mucus, and bleeding hemorrhoids, where it both clears Heat and checks discharge.
In southern China, and especially Guangdong, the flowers are a signature ingredient of cooling summer "five-flower" herbal teas and dampness-dispelling soups taken to relieve summerheat, damp accumulation and mild digestive upset. It may also be applied to heat-toxin sores. Mild in action, it is usually decocted as a food-grade beverage rather than given as a strong medicinal, and it is used cautiously in those with Spleen-Stomach Cold and loose stools from deficiency.
Western Herbalism Properties
Botanical Description
Bombax ceiba L. (Malvaceae), commonly known as the red silk cotton tree or kapok, is a large deciduous tree reaching 25-40 m in height, with a buttressed trunk armed with conical prickles when young. The bark is grey, and branches are arranged in horizontal whorls. Leaves are palmately compound with 5-7 lanceolate to elliptic leaflets, each 10-20 cm long, with entire margins and acuminate tips. The striking flowers appear before the leaves in late winter to early spring, are solitary or clustered at branch tips, and possess five thick, fleshy, recurved red to orange-red petals 8-15 cm long surrounding a dense brush of numerous stamens. The fruit is an oblong woody capsule that splits to release seeds embedded in abundant silky white floss. Native to tropical Asia, it is widely distributed in southern China, India, and Southeast Asia.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 6-15g | Daily | — | — | — |
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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