Summary
Jasmine consists of about 200 different species and is a member of the olive family. Jasmine is typically used as an additive to perfumes due to its strong fragrant scent, but it also has great medical benefits. Jasmine can be used to help with stomach pain, liver cirrhosis, and dysentery. Jasmine can usually be found in tea, syrup, and essential oil forms.
Description
Medicinal Parts
The medicinal parts of the plant are the fresh and dried flowers.
Flower and Fruit
The flowers are single or in 2 to 12 flowered, axillary cymes. The sepals are fused, with 5 awl-shaped, 6- to 8-mm long tips. The corolla is white. The corolla tube is 15 to 18 mm long with 8 to 9 mm long, ovate tips, which broaden like plates. There are 2 stamens. The fruit is a black berry.
Leaves, Stem, and Root
Common jasmine is a procumbent or climbing shrub, that grows up to 5 m high. The leaves are opposite and 5 to 7 pinnatifid. The leaflets are elongate-lanceolate, acute, narrowing at the base, weakly pubescent on both surfaces with a ciliate margin. The branches are initially lightly pubescent, later becoming glabrous, slightly edged, green and canelike.
Characteristics
The flowers are very fragrant.
Habitat
France, Italy, China, Japan, India, Morocco, and Egypt
Production
Common jasmine flowers are the dried, fresh flowers of Jasminum officinale var. grandiflorum
Other Names
Catalonian Jasmine, Italian Jasmine, Poet's Jasmine, Royal Jasmine
Actions & Pharmacology
Compounds
Volatile oil
Pyrridine alkaloids: jasminine (presumably an artifact)
Effects
No definitive data are available.
Indications & Usage
Chinese Medicine
Jasmine is used for hepatitis and abdominal pain in liver cirrhosis or dysentery.
Indian Medicine
Preparations are used for pain symptoms of the stomach, head, teeth and eyes, for leprosy, itching, skin disease, and dysmenorrhea.
Precautions & Adverse Reactions
No health hazards are known in conjunction with the proper administration of designated therapeutic dosages.
Dosage
Preparation
Jasmine is available as a tea blend or oil.
