Cherokee rose

A man with frequent seminal loss, a sore low back, pale tongue, and weak pulse, whose emissions occur without dreams

A child past six who wets the bed most nights, sleeps deeply, and has cold feet and a pale face

An older patient with loose stools every morning for months, urinary dribbling, and no signs of infection or heat

Overview. Rosa laevigata is the Cherokee rose, a vigorous evergreen climber with glossy three-part leaves and large white single flowers, native to southern China and naturalized across the American South, where it is Georgia's state flower. The bristly orange-red hips, dried and cleaned of their hairs and seeds, are jin ying zi, golden cherry fruit. It is sour, sweet, astringent, and neutral, entering the Kidney, Bladder, and Large Intestine channels, and it is the astringent that holds what leaks below: semen, urine, stool, blood, and discharge.

Clinical Notes. Jin ying zi is the astringent for chronic leakage below the waist without heat: emissions, bed-wetting, urinary frequency, watery stools, and thin discharge. It does nothing to the cause, so it is always yoked to a tonic that repairs the underlying deficiency.

Chinese Medicine Profile. Temperature: neutral. Taste: sour, sweet, astringent. Channels: Kidney, Bladder, Large Intestine. Actions: Secures the essence and stops seminal loss; Restrains the bladder and reduces frequent urination and bed-wetting; Binds the intestines and stops chronic diarrhea; Checks uterine bleeding and vaginal discharge; Lifts and holds prolapsed tissue when combined with qi tonics.