ABSTRACT
The ancient herbal books, and literatures were reviewed, and the textual research and origin of Caryophylli flos were explored from the differences between Caryophylli flos and Caryophylli fructus, the alias of Caryophylli flos and Caryophylli fructus, the origin and introduction of Caryophylli flos, and its efficacy and indications. The results indicated that Caryophylli flos and Caryophylli fructus were different from each other in terms of synonyms, chemical components and pharmacological effects. Caryophylli flos was brought to China as a spice in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and the efficacy of Caryophylli flos was almost same in ancient and modern time. Caryophylli flos is widely used in digestive and dental diseases, and Caryophylli flos is also one of the seven natural spices, which can be used for food preservation.