Cherokee Rose Fruit

Chinese
金樱子
Pinyin
Jin Ying Zi
Latin
Fructus Rosae Laevigatae

TCM Properties

Taste
sour, astringent
Temperature
neutral
Channels
Kidney, Bladder, Large Intestine

Traditional Use

Primary Actions

  • Secures essence and reduces urinary leakage - Jin Ying Zi is used for spermatorrhea, frequent urination, incontinence, and other deficiency-type leakage disorders.
  • Stops leukorrhea - it is a classic astringent fruit for chronic vaginal discharge when Kidney deficiency fails to contain fluids.
  • Astrings the intestines and checks chronic diarrhea - traditional use fits long-standing loose stool from deficiency rather than acute infectious diarrhea.

Secondary Actions

  • Jin Ying Zi is best for chronic leakage from deficiency and is not the right choice when unresolved damp-heat or pathogen needs to be cleared first.
  • It is often paired with other securing herbs such as Qian Shi, Shan Zhu Yu, or Lian Xu rather than used as a stand-alone binder.

Classic Formulas

  • Essence-securing pairings with Qian Shi and Lian Xu - traditional lineages use Jin Ying Zi for spermatorrhea, urinary frequency, and leukorrhea.
  • Chronic diarrhea lineages pair Jin Ying Zi with He Zi, Rou Dou Kou, or Shan Yao when deficiency leakage affects the intestines.

Classical References

  • TCM materia medica sources describe Jin Ying Zi as sour, astringent, and neutral, entering the Kidney, Bladder, and Large Intestine to secure essence, stop discharge, and astringe the intestines.
  • Lei Gong Pao Zhi Lun is cited as an early textual source for the medicinal fruit.

Modern Research

Active Compounds

  • Polysaccharides - major fruit constituents under active immunologic and metabolic study
  • Triterpenoid acids - one of the core bioactive fractions in Rosa laevigata fruit research
  • Polyphenols and flavonoids - antioxidant constituents contributing to broader functional-food interest
  • Vitamin C and organic acids - nutritive compounds often highlighted in food-science reviews

Studied Effects

  • A 2022 comprehensive review summarized physicochemical and biological properties of Rosa laevigata fruit, including antioxidant and functional-food relevance (PMID 34339923).
  • A 2021 study found a neutral polysaccharide from Rosa laevigata fruits showed immunomodulatory and antitumor activity in cell and zebrafish models (PMID 33966844).
  • A 2024 study reported in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of polysaccharides isolated from the fruits of Rosa laevigata, supporting ongoing interest in the fruit's macromolecular fractions (PMID 38396810).

PubMed References

Safety & Interactions

Contraindications

  • Acute damp-heat dysentery or acute excess leakage that still requires clearing rather than binding

Cautions

  • Because Jin Ying Zi is strongly astringent, it can trap pathogens if used too early in unresolved infectious or inflammatory conditions.
  • The fruit is better suited to chronic deficiency leakage than to short-term symptomatic suppression.
  • MSK page not found - drug interaction data not available from Memorial Sloan Kettering integrative medicine database

Conditions