Herb Flower (花 huā)

Yue ji hua

Chinese Rose Flower · 月季花

Rosa chinensis Jacq. · Rosae Chinensis Flos

Also known as: Yue Yue Hong (月月红), Si Ji Hua (四季花)

Yue Ji Hua, also known as Chinese Rose Flower, is a gentle herb used in traditional Chinese medicine to regulate menstruation and alleviate pain. It is especially helpful for menstrual cramps, irregular periods, and breast tenderness related to stress and emotional tension. It can also be applied externally to reduce swelling and promote healing of minor injuries and skin sores.

Category Blood-invigorating and menstruation-regulating herbs (活血调经药)
Therapeutic focus Menstrual health Women's health Pain relief Skin care

TCM Properties

Temperature

Warm

Taste

Sweet (甘 gān)

Channels entered

Liver

Parts used

Flower (花 huā)

Educational content • Consult qualified TCM practitioners for diagnosis and treatment

What This Herb Does

Every herb has a specific set of actions — here's what Yue ji hua does in the body, explained in both everyday and TCM terms

Therapeutic focus

In practical terms, Yue ji hua is primarily used to support these areas of health:

Menstrual health Women's health Pain relief Skin care

TCM Actions

In TCM terminology, these are the specific therapeutic actions that Yue ji hua performs to restore balance in the body:

Invigorates Blood Regulates Menstruation Soothes the Liver and Regulates Qi Alleviates Pain Reduces Swelling and Resolves Toxicity

How these actions work

  • Invigorates Blood: Yue Ji Hua stimulates the movement of blood, helping to break up stagnation. This is why it's used for conditions involving blood stasis such as painful periods with dark clots, abdominal masses, and traumatic injuries.
  • Regulates Menstruation: By moving blood and liver qi, it helps normalize the menstrual cycle, making it useful for irregular, delayed, or scanty periods due to qi-blood blockages.
  • Soothes the Liver and Regulates Qi: The herb's affinity for the Liver channel allows it to ease liver qi stagnation, reducing emotional stress, irritability, breast tenderness, and hypochondriac distension that often accompany menstrual problems.
  • Alleviates Pain: Through its blood-moving and qi-regulating actions, it directly addresses the pain mechanism in stasis patterns—whether menstrual cramps, abdominal pain, or rib-side soreness.
  • Reduces Swelling and Resolves Toxicity: Yue Ji Hua can be used externally to promote healing of sores, abscesses, and traumatic swellings by dispersing stagnant blood and clearing mild heat-toxins.

Patterns Addressed

In TCM, symptoms cluster into recognizable patterns of disharmony. Yue ji hua is used to help correct these specific patterns.

Why Yue ji hua addresses this pattern

Yue Ji Hua enters the Liver channel, and its warm nature and sweet taste help to move Qi and soothe Liver stagnation. This directly addresses the core pathomechanism of constrained Liver Qi, which can cause hypochondriac distension, breast tenderness, and menstrual irregularities. By promoting the free flow of Liver Qi, it alleviates the emotional and physical symptoms of stagnation.

A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs

Hypochondriac Pain

Distension and pain in the sides of the chest

Breast Distension

Premenstrual breast tenderness and fullness

Irregular Menstruation

Periods often delayed, scanty, or accompanied by clots

Premenstrual Syndrome

Irritability, mood swings, and emotional sensitivity before menses

Commonly Used For

These are conditions where Yue ji hua is frequently used — but only when they arise from the specific patterns it addresses, not in all cases

Arises from: Liver Qi Stagnation Blood Stagnation

TCM Interpretation

In TCM, dysmenorrhea is commonly seen as a result of Qi and Blood stagnation in the uterus. Emotional strain leads to constrained Liver Qi, which fails to propel blood smoothly; over time, blood stasis forms and obstructs the Chong and Ren channels. This manifests as sharp, fixed lower abdominal pain before or during menses, often with dark clots.

Why Yue ji hua Helps

Yue Ji Hua directly targets both factors: it soothes the Liver to move Qi and invigorates the Blood to break stasis. Its warm nature helps to dispel the cold that often accompanies stasis, alleviating pain and promoting the free flow of menstruation. The herb is especially suited when emotional lability and physical pain coincide.

Also commonly used for

Amenorrhea

Helps restore menstrual flow by resolving blood stasis and regulating liver qi

Irregular Menstruation

Regulates the menstrual cycle in cases of qi stagnation and blood stasis

Premenstrual Syndrome

Reduces breast tenderness, irritability, and mood swings

Hypochondriac Pain

Alleviates chest and rib-side pain from liver qi stagnation

Breast Tenderness

Relieves breast distension and pain, especially premenstrually

Soft Tissue Injury

Applied topically to reduce swelling and bruising

Lymph Node Tuberculosis

Used externally or internally to help resolve scrofula (lymph node swellings)

Herb Properties

Every herb has an inherent temperature, taste, and affinity for specific channels — these properties determine how it interacts with the body

Temperature

Warm

Taste

Sweet (甘 gān)

Channels Entered

Liver

Parts Used

Flower (花 huā)

Dosage & Preparation

These are general dosage guidelines for Yue ji hua — always follow your practitioner's recommendation, as dosages vary based on the formula and your individual condition

Standard dosage

3–6 g

Maximum dosage

Do not exceed 9 g per dose for internal use; prolonged high‑dose use risks gastrointestinal irritation.

Dosage notes

Standard decoction dose: 3–6 g. In some folk practices, 9–15 g are used as an infusion for hypertension or menstrual pain, but this should be limited to short‑term use. Avoid long‑term continuous administration.

Common Herb Pairs

These ingredients are traditionally combined with Yue ji hua for enhanced therapeutic effect

Yi Mu Cao
Yi Mu Cao Yue Ji Hua 3-6g : Yi Mu Cao 9-15g

Together they powerfully invigorate blood and regulate menstruation, significantly enhancing the ability to resolve stasis and relieve menstrual pain, making this a core pair for gynecological blood stasis.

When to use: For blood stasis patterns with irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, or amenorrhea; particularly when clots are present and pain is fixed.

Chai Hu
Chai Hu Yue Ji Hua 3-6g : Chai Hu 3-9g

Yue Ji Hua invigorates blood while Chai Hu soothes liver qi, harmonizing qi and blood. This pairing addresses the root (qi stagnation) and the branch (blood stasis) simultaneously, relieving chest and hypochondriac distension and emotional upset.

When to use: For liver qi stagnation with blood stasis causing menstrual complaints accompanied by irritability, breast distension, and rib pain.

Comparable Ingredients

These ingredients have overlapping uses — here's how to tell them apart

Mei Gui Hua
Yue ji hua vs Mei Gui Hua

Both are from the rose family and regulate menstruation, but Yue Ji Hua focuses more on blood invigoration and is preferred for menstrual pain with stasis, while Mei Gui Hua emphasizes qi regulation and stomach harmonization, making it better for digestive upset accompanying emotional distress.

Xiang Fu
Yue ji hua vs Xiang Fu

Both move liver qi, but Yue Ji Hua also invigorates blood, making it suitable for blood stasis patterns. Xiang Fu is purely a qi regulator and is more potent for pain and distension from pure qi stagnation, often used for general abdominal pain.

Hong Hua
Yue ji hua vs Hong Hua

Both invigorate blood and break stasis, but Hong Hua is stronger and more commonly used for severe stasis and traumatic injuries. Yue Ji Hua is gentler and uniquely addresses liver qi depression, making it the preferred choice for menstrual disorders with emotional components.

Identity & Adulterants

Related species and common adulterations to be aware of when sourcing Yue ji hua

Yue Ji Hua (Chinese Rose) is frequently confused with Mei Gui Hua (玫瑰花, Rosa rugosa). Key distinguishing features: Yue Ji Hua has a long obconical receptacle, sepals with few hairs or glabrous, and a pedicel that is usually smooth; Mei Gui Hua has a hemispherical receptacle, sepals densely pubescent, and a hairy pedicel. The flower scent of Mei Gui Hua is stronger and sweeter. In the market, Rosa rugosa buds are sometimes sold as Yue Ji Hua; buying from reputable suppliers and verifying flower morphology ensures authenticity.

Educational content — always consult a qualified healthcare provider or TCM practitioner before using any herb.

Toxicity Classification

Classical Chinese pharmacopoeia toxicity rating for Yue ji hua

Non-toxic

Non-toxic under normal dosage. Prolonged use or excessive dosage may cause abdominal pain, diarrhea, and loose stools, likely due to irritant effects of volatile oils and flavonoids on the gastrointestinal tract. Discontinue or reduce dosage if gastrointestinal symptoms occur.

Contraindications

Situations where Yue ji hua should not be used or requires extra caution

Caution

Pregnancy: use with caution due to blood-moving effects that may stimulate miscarriage.

Caution

Long-term or large-dose use may cause abdominal pain, diarrhea, and loose stools. Caution in patients with Spleen deficiency or chronic loose stools.

Special Populations

Important considerations for pregnancy, breastfeeding, and pediatric use

Pregnancy

Use with caution. Yue Ji Hua has blood-activating and stasis-removing properties that theoretically could stimulate uterine contractions and increase risk of miscarriage. It should be used during pregnancy only when strongly indicated and under the guidance of a qualified Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner.

Breastfeeding

No specific safety data available for breast‑feeding. Due to its blood‑activating nature, Yue Ji Hua should be used with caution and only under the advice of a healthcare professional during lactation.

Children

No established safety data in children. Use is not recommended for paediatric patients without professional supervision; if used, a reduced dose proportional to age and weight should be considered.

Drug Interactions

If you are taking pharmaceutical medications, be aware of these potential interactions with Yue ji hua

Yue Ji Hua has demonstrated anticoagulant activity in preclinical studies. It may theoretically potentiate the effects of anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications (e.g., warfarin, aspirin, clopidogrel) and increase bleeding risk. Patients on such medicines should use this herb only under medical supervision.

Dietary Advice

Foods and dietary considerations when taking Yue ji hua

When used for dysmenorrhea or Liver‑Qi stagnation, avoid raw, cold, and greasy foods that may exacerbate stagnation and digestive weakness. For external topical use, no special dietary advice applies.

Botanical Description

Physical characteristics and morphology of the Yue ji hua source plant

Chinese Rose Flower is an upright, deciduous shrub, typically 1–2 meters tall, with arching branches armed with stout, curved thorns. The leaves are pinnately compound with 3–5 (rarely 7) leaflets; leaflets are broadly ovate to ovate-oblong, 2–6 cm long, finely serrate, glossy dark green above and lighter beneath. The stem and leaf axis bear scattered thorns and glandular hairs. Flowers appear singly or in few-flowered corymbs at branch tips; they are double, with many overlapping petals in shades of deep red, rose-pink, or occasionally white, and emit a delicate fragrance. The fruit (hip) is oval to pear-shaped, maturing from green to red, and persists through winter. Blooming occurs repeatedly from April to September in most climates. The plant thrives in well‑drained, moderately fertile soil under full sun and is widely cultivated as an ornamental and medicinal species.

Sourcing & Harvesting

Where Yue ji hua is sourced, when it's harvested or collected, and how to assess quality

Harvesting season

Year-round during the flowering season, preferably on sunny mornings when the flowers are slightly open (bud stage).

Primary growing regions

Widely cultivated throughout China, with major production in Jiangsu, Hubei, Sichuan, and other provinces. No single daodi (道地) region is designated.

Quality indicators

Good quality Yue Ji Hua consists of intact, slightly open flower buds with a pleasant fragrance. The receptacle is elongated (obconical), the sepals are dark green with a long‑tapered tip and generally hairless outer surface (a key distinguishing feature from roses). Petals are deep purplish‑red or dark red, arranged in a compact globe shape. The dried herb should be crisp but not crumbled, free of insect damage, and have a delicate, sweet aroma and slightly bitter, bland taste.

Classical Texts

Key passages from the classical Chinese medical texts that describe Yue ji hua and its therapeutic uses

《本草纲目》 (Compendium of Materia Medica):
原文：活血，消肿，敷毒。
Translation: "Activates blood, reduces swelling, and can be applied (as poultice) to remove toxins."

《药性集要》 (Essentials of Medicinal Properties):
原文：活血月经调。
Translation: "Invigorates blood and regulates menstruation."

Historical Context

The history and evolution of Yue ji hua's use in Chinese medicine over the centuries

The Chinese Rose Flower has a long dual history as an ornamental and medicinal plant. Its earliest surviving botanical record appears in Wang Xiangjin's Qunfang Pu (群芳谱) of 1630. Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica (本草纲目, 1578) recognized it as a specific medicinal item under the name 月季花, noting its ability to "invigorate blood, reduce swelling, and draw out toxins." The plant earned the folk name 月月红 ("monthly red") because it blooms repeatedly throughout the growing season, symbolizing constancy and renewal in Chinese culture. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Rosa chinensis was introduced to Europe, where it became a cornerstone of modern rose breeding, contributing the trait of repeat flowering to hybrid tea roses. Traditional medical use has remained focused on regulating menstruation and alleviating stagnation in the Liver channel.