Witnessed by: TCM
Garden balsam (Impatiens balsamina), of the Balsaminaceae family. Erect succulent-stemmed annual with showy spurred flowers; native range: native to southern Asia, long cultivated as an ornamental across China. Globally recognized as ji xing zi (急性子) in Chinese, and touch-me-not seed, garden balsam seed in English. The part used is ripe seed. Small dark-brown flattened seeds, acrid and bitter, with a faintly warming pungency.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
GARDEN BALSAM
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- garden balsam
- Scientific name
- Impatiens balsamina L.
- Family
- Balsaminaceae
Form
- Part used
- ripe seed
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- pungent · bitter
Temperature
- TCM
- warm
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Liver · Lung
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- breaks up blood stasis, softens hardness, dispels accumulation, unblocks the gullet
Cautions
- Contraindications
- contraindicated in pregnancy and in the weak without stasis
- Toxicity
- slightly toxic; keep to the stated dose
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