Medicinals
huǒ má rén / 火麻仁 / 火麻仁 / cannabis fruit
Latin pharmacognostic name: Cannabis Fructus
Alternate English names:
Alternate Chinese names: 麻仁 má rén; 麻子仁 má zǐ rén; 大麻子 dà má zǐ;
Origin: Plant
Use: medicinal
Category: Draining-precipitant agents / Moist precipitant agents
Properties: Sweet; balanced.
Channel entry: spleen, stomach, and large intestine channels.
Indications:
- Moistens the intestines and frees the stool: Constipation due to
intestinal dryness . - Additional uses: Huǒ má rén kills worms and treats lài sores. The term ""lài sores"" refers to a skin condition of scab and lichen characterized by hair loss on the affected area (and may also refer to leprosy in some contexts). Huǒ má rén also frees strangury (lìn) and may be used for heat strangury, but this application is uncommon.
Dosage & Method:
Oral: Decoct (9–15g) or use in pills or powders. Topical: Apply crushed seed or extracted oil.
Warning:
Huǒ má rén can lead to poisoning if eaten in excessive quantities, particularly if it is eaten raw. The symptoms of poisoning are nausea and vomiting, numbness and tingling of the extremities, lack of strength, mental confusion, and clouded spirit.
Product Description:
The dried seed is flat and ovate, 4–5 mm long, and 3–4 mm thick. The exterior surface is smooth, and grayish green or grayish yellow in color, with fine white, brown, or black markings. The marginal ridge on both sides is paler in color. One end is dull, while the other end has a depression where the fruit stalk was attached. The exocarp is extremely thin, and the endocarp is hard and brittle. The green seed coat is often stuck to the mesocarp and is hard to remove. The endosperm is grayish white, and very thin. There are two thick, oleaceous cotyledons.
Quality:
Fat yellowish seeds without shells are the best.
Product Area:
Shāndōng, Jílín.
Etymology:
The name huǒ m2 rén 火麻仁 means ""fire hemp kernel."" The older name was dà má zǐ 大麻子, ""greater hemp seed.""