Chrysanthemum

The drug is ju hua (菊花), the dried flower head, usually taken as an infusion. The flowers are steeped rather than decocted, since long boiling drives off the volatile oil.

Ju hua is classified as sweet and bitter and slightly cold, entering the Lung and Liver channels. The Compendium of Materia Medica records it as a herb that calms the liver and improves vision ^{2Reference 2Zhu et al. · 2026In vitroChrysanthemum morifolium Ramat. water extract prevents and treats metabolic-associated fatty liver disease via pan-PPAR activity — mouse / in vitroView study →}.

It is given for wind-heat patterns at the start of a cold: fever, headache and sore throat. It is given for red, dry, sore or tired eyes. And it is given for headache and dizziness from ascendant Liver yang, a pattern that overlaps with high blood pressure.

It is used in formulas more often than alone. The classic pairings are with honeysuckle flower for wind-heat, and with goji berry for the eyes; the goji pairing is sold ready-made as an everyday tea.

The materia medica distinguishes two chrysanthemums. Ju hua (C. morifolium) is the gentler, cooling herb for the eyes and head. Ye ju hua (C. indicum), wild chrysanthemum, is more bitter and cold, and is used for toxic sores and infections ^{11Reference 11Liang et al. · 2025ReviewExploring the antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory properties of Chrysanthemum morifolium and Chrysanthemum indicum — reviewView study →}.

A charred form of the flower has been used in China for about 400 years for anxiety ^{17Reference 17Cui et al et al. · 2023AnimalAnxiolytic effects of C. morifolium Carbonisata carbon dots (mouse model)View study →}.

As an everyday tea. The tea, often sweetened with rock sugar, is drunk casually across China and Southeast Asia as a cooling drink, especially in hot weather.

In Japan the flower head is kikuka. It is an ingredient of several Kampo formulas, among them Chotosan, which is used for headache and dizziness ^{7Reference 7Minamisaka et al. · 2025In vitroComparative analysis of anti-inflammatory flavones in Chrysanthemum indicum capitula using primary cultured rat hepatocytes — in vitroView study →}.

In Japanese folk medicine a decoction of the flower heads is taken to relieve hay fever ^{9Reference 9Mitsuda et al. · 2026In vitroSuppressive effect of Chrysanthemum × morifolium Ramat. on type I hypersensitivity reactions and its molecular mechanism — in vivo / in vitroView study →}.

Antioxidant activity is the most studied property. Flower extracts scavenge free radicals and protect cells against oxidative stress, and the activity tracks phenolic content ^{13,21Reference 13Kim et al. · 2026In vitroChrysanthemum morifolium extract protects HT22 cells from oxidative stress and enhances sleep via GABAergic modulation: contribution of luteolin-7-glucoside — in vitro / animalView study →Reference 21Sun et al et al. · 2026Metabolomics of quality components in Jinsihuangju tea during variable-temperature dryingView study →}.

Drying conditions change the result: variable-temperature drying of Jinsihuangju tea changed its phenolic and flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity followed the phenolic yield ^{21Reference 21Sun et al et al. · 2026Metabolomics of quality components in Jinsihuangju tea during variable-temperature dryingView study →}.

No controlled trial has measured an antioxidant biomarker in people.

This is the most mechanistically detailed area. In mice, the water extract prevented and treated metabolic-associated fatty liver disease by activating PPARα, γ and δ, reducing liver fat, liver injury and inflammation ^{2Reference 2Zhu et al. · 2026In vitroChrysanthemum morifolium Ramat. water extract prevents and treats metabolic-associated fatty liver disease via pan-PPAR activity — mouse / in vitroView study →}.

In rats fed a high-fat, high-sugar diet with alcohol, the water extract reduced liver fat, blood lipids and markers of liver injury, working through the gut microbiota and PPARα/γ signalling ^{3Reference 3Liu et al. · 2024AnimalChrysanthemum morifolium attenuates metabolic and alcohol-associated liver disease via gut microbiota and PPARα/γ activation — rat modelView study →}.

Germacrane sesquiterpenoids from the flowers protected liver cells against acetaminophen toxicity by suppressing apoptosis ^{4Reference 4Jiang et al. · 2026In vitroProtective effect of germacrane-type sesquiterpenoids from Chrysanthemum morifolium (Jinsi Huangju) against acetaminophen induced liver injury via inhibition of apoptosis — in vitro / in vivoView study →}.

Acacetin limited heatstroke-induced liver injury in mice through the c-Jun/PTGS2 pathway ^{5Reference 5Shu et al. · 2026AnimalAcacetin attenuates heatstroke-induced acute liver injury by targeting the c-Jun/PTGS2 pathway — mouse modelView study →}.

A review of flavonoids from four “liver-clearing” TCM flowers, including chrysanthemum, links their liver and eye effects to oxidative stress, inflammation and lipid metabolism ^{6Reference 6Xiong et al. · 2025ReviewResearch progress on pharmacological effects against liver and eye diseases of flavonoids present in Chrysanthemum indicum, Chrysanthemum morifolium, Buddleja officinalis and Sophora japonica — reviewView study →}.

No human study in liver disease exists.

The volatile oil, whose most abundant component was α-curcumene (12.55%), inhibited Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella Enteritidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis in vitro, with the largest inhibition zone against P. aeruginosa ^{10Reference 10Kuang CL et al. · 2018In vitroChemical composition and antimicrobial activities of volatile oil extracted from C. morifolium (in vitro)View study →}.

A 2025 review discusses both C. morifolium and C. indicum as possible adjuncts in the context of antimicrobial resistance ^{11Reference 11Liang et al. · 2025ReviewExploring the antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory properties of Chrysanthemum morifolium and Chrysanthemum indicum — reviewView study →}.

Gap: these results belong to the distilled oil. The tea has not been tested.

Flavones purified from the closely related C. indicum flower head suppressed nitric oxide production in rat liver cells; apigenin and acacetin were the most effective, and acacetin and luteolin lowered iNOS, TNF and IL-6 expression ^{7Reference 7Minamisaka et al. · 2025In vitroComparative analysis of anti-inflammatory flavones in Chrysanthemum indicum capitula using primary cultured rat hepatocytes — in vitroView study →}. In Kampo either species can supply the crude drug.

A bud extract of C. morifolium protected skin cells and mouse skin against UVB damage through the MAPK and Nrf2 pathways ^{8Reference 8Xu et al. · 2024In vitroThe extract of buds of Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat. alleviated UVB-induced skin photoaging by regulating MAPK and Nrf2/ARE pathways — in vitro / mouseView study →}.

A flower-head extract suppressed a type I allergic reaction in vivo and reduced mast-cell degranulation in vitro, matching its Japanese folk use for hay fever ^{9Reference 9Mitsuda et al. · 2026In vitroSuppressive effect of Chrysanthemum × morifolium Ramat. on type I hypersensitivity reactions and its molecular mechanism — in vivo / in vitroView study →}.

Most of the pathway data comes from cell studies, and nothing has compared the flower with an anti-inflammatory drug.

In rats with diet- and alcohol-induced liver disease, the water extract improved vascular endothelial function and high blood pressure alongside its liver effects ^{3Reference 3Liu et al. · 2024AnimalChrysanthemum morifolium attenuates metabolic and alcohol-associated liver disease via gut microbiota and PPARα/γ activation — rat modelView study →}. PPARα activation also lowered blood lipids in rodents ^{2,3Reference 2Zhu et al. · 2026In vitroChrysanthemum morifolium Ramat. water extract prevents and treats metabolic-associated fatty liver disease via pan-PPAR activity — mouse / in vitroView study →Reference 3Liu et al. · 2024AnimalChrysanthemum morifolium attenuates metabolic and alcohol-associated liver disease via gut microbiota and PPARα/γ activation — rat modelView study →}.

Gap: no dedicated blood-pressure study exists, in animals or in people.

A review of Chrysanthemum polysaccharides lists antitumour activity among their reported effects ^{18Reference 18Yu et al. · 2025ReviewExtraction methods, structural features and bioactivity diversity of polysaccharides from the genus Chrysanthemum — reviewView study →}.

Gap: no study has tested the flower or its tea against cancer, and there is no clinical data.

Two acidic polysaccharides purified from the Gongju cultivar raised immune-cell proliferation and the release of TNF-α and interferon-γ in vitro ^{16Reference 16Wang et al et al. · 2024In vitroAcidic polysaccharides from C. morifolium cvView study →}. A 2025 review surveys the immunomodulatory potential of the flower ^{11Reference 11Liang et al. · 2025ReviewExploring the antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory properties of Chrysanthemum morifolium and Chrysanthemum indicum — reviewView study →}.

Pectin from the Hangbaiju cultivar promoted the growth of Bacteroides gut bacteria in vitro ^{19Reference 19Wang et al. · 2024In vitroSimultaneously efficient dissolution and structural modification of chrysanthemum pectin: targeting at proliferation of Bacteroides — in vitroView study →}.

There is no clinical data.

A flower extract protected hippocampal cells from oxidative stress and prolonged sleep in animal models, partly through GABA-A receptors. Its flavone galuteolin (luteolin-7-glucoside) had a similar effect ^{13Reference 13Kim et al. · 2026In vitroChrysanthemum morifolium extract protects HT22 cells from oxidative stress and enhances sleep via GABAergic modulation: contribution of luteolin-7-glucoside — in vitro / animalView study →}.

The essential oil reduced migraine-like behaviour in mice given nitroglycerin, lowering CGRP and endothelin-1 and raising brain serotonin and 5-HT1B receptor levels ^{14Reference 14Meng et al. · 2026AnimalEssential oil from Chrysanthemi Flos alleviates the nitroglycerin-induced migraine in mice by regulating the vasoactive substances and the PI3K/AKT signal pathway — mouse modelView study →}.

A formula of reishi, Gastrodia tuber and chrysanthemum flower shortened sleep latency and prolonged sleep in mice ^{15Reference 15Chen et al. · 2025AnimalSedative-hypnotic effects of an herbal formulation comprising Ganoderma, Gastrodiae Rhizoma, and Chrysanthemi Flos in mice — mouse modelView study →}.

Polysaccharides from the Gongju cultivar inhibited acetylcholinesterase, an enzyme targeted by Alzheimer’s drugs ^{16Reference 16Wang et al et al. · 2024In vitroAcidic polysaccharides from C. morifolium cvView study →}.

Carbon dots made from the charred flower decoction reduced anxiety-like behaviour in mice ^{17Reference 17Cui et al et al. · 2023AnimalAnxiolytic effects of C. morifolium Carbonisata carbon dots (mouse model)View study →}.

Gap: there is no human data.

A docking study found that linarin, a flavone glycoside from C. morifolium, bound strongly to SARS-CoV-2 proteins in silico ^{20Reference 20Mahmoudi S et al. · 2021The Novel Drug Discovery to Combat COVID-19 by Repressing Important Virus Proteins Involved in Pathogenesis Using Medicinal Herbal CompoundsView study →}.

No whole-extract antiviral study, in cells or animals, exists.

Chrysanthemum’s use for the eyes is its most distinctive traditional use.

A flower extract reduced VEGF and HIF-1α and strengthened Nrf2 antioxidant signalling in human retinal cells. In zebrafish and in a rat model of choroidal neovascularisation it reduced the area of abnormal blood-vessel growth, the process behind wet age-related macular degeneration ^{12Reference 12Jiang et al. · 2026In vitroChrysanthemum morifolium extract attenuates pathological angiogenesis of age-related macular degeneration via VEGF and Nrf2 pathway modulation — in vitro / zebrafish / ratView study →}.

A review of flower flavonoids links luteolin and apigenin to protection against oxidative stress in eye disease ^{6Reference 6Xiong et al. · 2025ReviewResearch progress on pharmacological effects against liver and eye diseases of flavonoids present in Chrysanthemum indicum, Chrysanthemum morifolium, Buddleja officinalis and Sophora japonica — reviewView study →}.

Gap: no clinical study has tested chrysanthemum for any eye condition.

Clearing heat is central to the TCM use of the flower, and reviews list it as antipyretic ^{2,11Reference 2Zhu et al. · 2026In vitroChrysanthemum morifolium Ramat. water extract prevents and treats metabolic-associated fatty liver disease via pan-PPAR activity — mouse / in vitroView study →Reference 11Liang et al. · 2025ReviewExploring the antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory properties of Chrysanthemum morifolium and Chrysanthemum indicum — reviewView study →}. Dedicated fever studies are scarce.

Gap: no dedicated antipyretic study was identified.

Tea amounts. The flower is drunk widely as a tea, with no significant toxicity reported at normal amounts.

Allergy and skin. As a daisy-family plant, chrysanthemum can cause allergic reactions in sensitive people. Contact with the foliage can cause a mild rash, and eating the leaves or roots of the garden plant can cause stomach upset and vomiting ^{25Reference 25North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Chrysanthemum × morifolium — species profileView study →}.

Interactions. No herb–drug interaction study has been done.