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    Yemama Apothecary

    Bencao Gangmu Reference Library

    Summer-Heat Dampness Clearing, Dysentery-Binding & Hemostatic Sovereign (清热利湿 / 解暑消渴凉血止血涩肠止泻消痈肿治暑湿泄泻细菌性痢疾急性胃肠炎便血内痔出血 — 岭南五花茶第一核心君药木棉花 / 暑湿泄泻与痢疾药王 / 锦葵科红棉英雄树)

    木棉 / 攀枝花 / 红棉 / 木棉花 / 英雄树 / 斑芝树 — Bombax ceiba L. (syn. Bombax malabaricum, Salmalia malabarica)

    Pinyin: Mùmián / Pānzhīhuā / Mùmiánhuā · Malay: Kapok Hutan / Pokok Kekabu Hutan / Pokok Semarak / Red Silk Cotton Tree / Shalmali · Family: Malavaceae / Bombacoideae (锦葵科 / 木棉属)

    Botanical Illustration

    Energetics

    Cool to Neutral (平 / 微凉 / 甘淡微苦平微凉)

    Flavor

    Sweet, bland, slightly bitter, astringent (甘、淡、微苦、涩、平、微凉)

    Meridians

    Spleen (脾), Large Intestine (大肠), Stomach (胃), Liver (肝)

    Traditional Edict

    Red Cotton Tree / Hero Tree (Kapok Hutan / Mu Mian Hua / Pan Zhi Hua). Towering spiny trunk with blazing scarlet flowers. Sovereign of Lingnan Five Flowers Tea (Wu Hua Cha): clears tropical summer-heat dampness, halts bacillary dysentery, soothes tenesmus, cools bleeding hemorrhoids.

    Cautions & Contraindications

    • Sun-dry fallen flowers promptly to prevent mold. High clinical, maternal, pediatric, and culinary safety profile. Safe in pregnancy and lactation in dietary tea amounts (Wu Hua Cha).

    Clinical Applications

    • Acute bacillary dysentery and infectious gastroenteritis (Shigella lysis and mucosal barrier formation via Mangiferin and Condensed Tannins), summer-heat dampness lethargy, and bleeding internal hemorrhoids.

    Quality Markers

    Mangiferin (芒果苷) >= 0.80%, Lupeol >= 0.50% & Condensed Tannins >= 8.00% (HPLC Chinese Pharmacopoeia standard)

    Mechanism & Phytochemistry

    1. Condensed tannins cross-link enterocyte glycoproteins, halting hyperpermeability and blocking bacterial enterotoxins. 2. Lupeol downregulates NF-kB and iNOS. 3. Capillary stabilization.

    Preparation & Dosage

    THE SOVEREIGN LINGNAN FIVE FLOWERS TEA (Wu Hua Cha): 20 g dried Mu Mian Hua boiled with Jin Yin Hua (10 g), Ju Hua (10 g), and Ji Dan Hua in 1.5 L water for 20 min (drink chilled/warm). Acute dysentery: 30 to 50 g dried flowers decocted in 500 mL water.

    Appended Prescriptions

    • 1. Classical Lingnan Five Flowers Summer-Heat Tisane (Wu Hua Cha) with Lonicera and Chrysanthemum. 2. Acute Bacillary Dysentery Draught with Portulaca oleracea (Ma Chi Xian).

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    Yemama Apothecary · Petaling Jaya, Malaysia · For educational and clinical reference only