The efficacy and function of Camellia oleifera

Many people are not very clear about the effects and functions of the Chinese medicine Camellia oleifera. Let’s take a look below.

【Other name】 Tea tree flower

[Source] Medicinal material source: The flower of Camellia oleifera Abel, a plant of the Theaceae family.

[Original form] Camellia oleifera is an evergreen shrub or small tree, 3-4m high, rarely up to 8m. The bark is light yellow-brown, smooth and uncracked; the twigs are slightly covered with short soft hairs. Simple leaves are alternate; petioles are 4-7mm long and hairy; leaf blades are thick leathery, ovate-elliptical or ovate, 3.5-9cm long, 1.8-4.2cm wide, obtuse at apex, cuneate at base, serrulate at margin, bright green above, glabrous or with stiff hairs on midrib, hairy or glabrous at base of midrib below, and lateral veins inconspicuous. Flowers are bisexual, 1-3 flowers grow at the top of branches or in leaf axils, 3-5cm in diameter, sessile; sepals are usually 5, nearly round, and covered with silky hairs on the outside; petals are 5-7, white, separate, obovate to lanceolate, 2.5-4.5cm long, often with a notch at the apex and hairy on the outside; stamens are numerous, glabrous, and the outer filaments are only fused at the base; ovary is superior, densely covered with white silky hairs, and the style has three shallow lobes at the apex. The capsule is nearly spherical, 3-5cm in diameter, with thick peel, woody, and 2-3-lobed locules. The seeds are round on the back and flat on the belly, up to 2.5 cm long. The flowering period is October-November, and the fruiting period is October of the following year.

[Habitat distribution] It is widely cultivated in the Yangtze River Basin and areas to the south of my country. It is an important woody oil plant.

[Properties] Identification of properties: The buds are obovate, the flowers are irregular, the sepals are 5, sub-round, slightly thick, and covered with grayish-white silky hairs; the petals are 5-7, sometimes scattered, light yellow or yellow-brown, obovate, concave at the tip, and covered with sparse hairs on the outer surface; the stamens are numerous, arranged in 2 whorls, and the filaments are bundled at the base; the pistil styles are separate. It has a slight fragrance and a slightly bitter taste.

【Nature and flavor】 Bitter; slightly cold

【Functions and indications】Cooling blood and stopping bleeding. Mainly used for vomiting blood, coughing up blood, epistaxis, blood in stool, uterine bleeding, and burns

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decocted in water, 3-10g. For external use: take appropriate amount, grind into powder, mix with sesame oil and apply on the affected area.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

The above is an introduction to Camellia oleifera. Through this introduction we can understand that Camellia oleifera has high medicinal value and can effectively relieve many diseases, but remember not to take it indiscriminately.