Ardisia japonica Whole Plant Source & Identity
The botanical entity is Ardisia japonica (Thunb.) Blume, a creeping, shade-loving shrub with glossy leaves and red berries, known in Chinese herbal practice as zijinniu. The part used is the whole plant, meaning stems, leaves and roots together. The family was formerly called Myrsinaceae and is now placed in Primulaceae.
Ardisia crenata, the coral ardisia, is a taller relative with persistent red berries and is sold as a separate herb. The name bergenin, a gallic-acid-derived C-glycoside reported from A. japonica, resembles Bergenia, but the two plants belong to different families.
Phenolics, bergenin and triterpenoid saponins are the constituent families to expect.












