What are the medicinal benefits of gardenia flowers?
Gardenia is a common traditional Chinese herb with various medicinal properties, including clearing heat and detoxifying the body, calming the mind, promoting bile secretion and gallstone expulsion, relieving depression and stimulating appetite, and lowering blood pressure. The specific details are as follows:
1. Clearing Heat and Detoxification: Gardenia contains a compound called geniposide, which helps eliminate internal heat and toxins. It is commonly used to treat conditions caused by excessive internal heat, such as colds, pharyngitis, and fever.

2. Calming and Sedative Effects: Gardenia also has sedative and calming effects and can be used to treat anxiety, insomnia, and symptoms of nervous tension. Tea or extracts made from gardenia flowers help relax the body and reduce anxiety.
3. Promoting Bile Secretion and Gallstone Expulsion: Gardenia can stimulate gallbladder contraction and promote bile excretion, helping to reduce cholesterol crystallization and the formation of gallstones. Therefore, it plays a certain role in the prevention and treatment of gallstones.
4. Relieving Depression and Stimulating Appetite: Gardenia aids digestion and improves appetite, helping to alleviate gastrointestinal discomfort such as bloating, abdominal pain, and loss of appetite.

5. Lowering Blood Pressure: Certain compounds in gardenia are believed to benefit individuals with high blood pressure by dilating blood vessels and reducing vascular tension, thereby helping to lower blood pressure.
It should be noted that although gardenia has these medicinal benefits, it should be used according to medical advice, following recommended dosages and methods. Patients experiencing discomfort should seek timely medical attention and receive standardized treatment under a doctor's guidance to support recovery.