Jin Ying Zi (Cherokee Rosehip)

Chinese Herb Actions

Chinese Herb Dosage

• What is the typical dosage of Jin Ying Zi?

  Commonly 6–18 g in decoction, the range given in standard materia medica (Bensky). Some monograph summaries cite a narrower 6–12 g range, and note it can be used alone at higher doses (up to ~30 g) or as a tincture (roughly 1–3 ml); these are variants on the same core range rather than a real conflict.

  Note: Sourced dosage ranges vary slightly by reference (6–12 g vs. 6–18 g, with up to 30 g cited for solo use). We report the more commonly cited 6–18 g decoction range; treat any specific number as reference only, not a prescription.

  Source: standard materia medica ranges (Bensky-consistent); cross-referenced against multiple online sources. Reference only — not a prescription; dosing is a licensed-practitioner decision.

Chinese Herb Contraindications & Cautions

• Are there cautions for Jin Ying Zi?

  Jin Ying Zi is contraindicated in excess or heat-type conditions — because it astringes and “binds in,” materia medica sources warn against its use where pathogenic heat, damp-heat, or other excess is present (e.g., fever, thirst, mouth/gum sores, constipation, or difficult/painful urination), since astringing could trap the pathogen rather than resolve it.

  • Prolonged or excessive use — sources note that overuse can cause abdominal pain or constipation.
  • Not a standalone tonic — as an astringent it stabilizes leaking essence/fluids but does not tonify; using it alone in true deficiency without supporting tonics is considered incomplete treatment.

  Source: Bensky, Materia Medica (3rd ed.); monograph summaries cross-referenced against multiple online sources (contraindications). Reference note, not medical advice.

Chinese Herb Toxicity & Overdose

• Low, based on available animal safety data. A 90-day repeated-dose rat toxicity study found no adverse effects at doses up to 1,000 mg/kg/day; at 2,000 mg/kg/day only mild changes were observed (decreased platelets, minor cardiomyocyte changes), with no evidence of mutagenicity, genetic damage, or acute toxicity reported. No significant human toxicity is documented at traditional decoction doses.

  Source: Traditional uses, phytochemical, pharmacology, quality control and modern applications review, PMID 36278229, PMC 9582767, DOI 10.3389/fphar.2022.1012265 (animal safety data). Reference note, not a safety guarantee.

Herb-Drug Interactions

• No well-established clinical herb–drug interactions are documented for Jin Ying Zi. Preclinical (animal) research on renal-protective and antioxidant activity (below) has not been translated into confirmed clinical interaction data; practitioner awareness is reasonable for patients on kidney-relevant medications purely as a precaution, not because an interaction has been demonstrated. (Flagged for practitioner confirmation.)

Western / Biomedical Research

Chinese Herb Clinical Studies & Research

Provided as research context — a summary of published biomedical study, not a therapeutic or medical claim.

• Is there modern research on Jin Ying Zi (Rosa laevigata / Fructus Rosae Laevigatae)?

  Yes — a substantial body of phytochemical and preclinical (cell/animal) research, but no human clinical trials were identified. Reviews report roughly 123 characterized compounds from the plant, dominated by 77 triterpenoids alongside flavonoids, tannins, lignans, and polysaccharides.

  • Renal protection (preclinical) — total flavonoids from the fruit reduced serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen and attenuated cell injury in a rat renal ischemia-reperfusion model, acting via the Sirt1/Nrf2 pathway; a separate mouse study found Rosa laevigata polysaccharide eased diabetic kidney injury by suppressing ferroptosis and PI3K/AKT-mediated apoptosis, with high-dose effects comparable to the reference drug irbesartan. Both are animal studies, not clinical evidence, but they echo the traditional Kidney-stabilizing use.
  • Antioxidant / anti-inflammatory (preclinical) — reviews and cell/animal studies report antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antitumor, immunomodulatory, lipid-lowering, and cardiovascular-protective activity for fruit and root extracts.
  • Antibacterial and gastrointestinal effects (preclinical) — polysaccharide and flavonoid fractions inhibited growth of Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, and Bacillus subtilis in a dose-dependent manner in lab studies; separately, fruit preparations were reported to support gastrointestinal motility and digestion in animal models, broadly consistent with the traditional antidiarrheal use.
  • Safety — a 90-day rat toxicity study found no adverse effects up to 1,000 mg/kg/day (see Toxicity).

  All findings above are preclinical (cell-culture or animal); no human clinical trials of Jin Ying Zi were located in this review. Treat as supportive laboratory context for the traditional use, not clinical proof.

  Sources: PMID 36278229, PMC 9582767, DOI 10.3389/fphar.2022.1012265 (comprehensive review: traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, safety); PMID 33952852, DOI 10.1248/cpb.c20-00743 (phytochemical/pharmacological review); PMID 27455216, PMC 6272996, DOI 10.3390/molecules21070952 (renal ischemia-reperfusion, rat); PMID 37840577, DOI 10.1155/2023/9164883 (diabetic nephropathy polysaccharide, mouse). Research context, not a therapeutic claim.

Chinese Herb Notes

• What is Jin Ying Zi commonly combined with?

  Jin Ying Zi is most classically paired with Qian Shi (Euryale seed) in the formula Shui Lu Er Xian Dan (“Water and Land Two Immortals Pill”) — a pairing poetically described as “one from water, one from land” that together secures essence, reduces urination, and stops leukorrhea more effectively than either herb alone, for Kidney/Spleen deficiency with spermatorrhea, frequent urination, turbid discharge, or chronic diarrhea.

  • Qian Shi (Shui Lu Er Xian Dan) — Qian Shi astringes while also nourishing the Spleen and Kidney; Jin Ying Zi supplies strong essence-binding astringency. The classic core pair for Kidney-deficient essence leakage.
  • Sang Piao Xiao — combined for spermatorrhea and urinary frequency/incontinence from Kidney deficiency.
  • Long Gu, Mu Li — combined to help secure essence for cloudy urine or spermatorrhea.
  • Dang Shen, Bai Zhu, Shan Yao — combined for chronic diarrhea rooted in Spleen deficiency.

  Because Jin Ying Zi stabilizes and binds without directly tonifying Kidney qi, it is traditionally combined with tonifying herbs (as above) rather than relied on alone for deficiency. (Traditional formula/combination context, not treatment advice.)

  Source: Bensky, Materia Medica (3rd ed.); monograph summaries cross-referenced against multiple online sources (combinations); TCM formula references for Shui Lu Er Xian Dan. this site’s own record does not currently carry a Shui Lu Er Xian Dan formula entry, so this combination is documented here in text.