Medicinals

mù guā / 木瓜 / 木瓜 / chaenomeles [fruit];

Latin pharmacognostic name: Chaenomelis Fructus

Alternate English names: Chinese quince [fruit] Japanese quince [fruit]

Alternate Chinese names: 木瓜实 mù guā shí; 铁脚梨 tiě jiǎo lí; 宣木瓜 xuān mù guā

Origin: Plant

Use: medicinal

Category: Wind-damp–dispelling agents / Wind-cold-damp–dispelling agents

Properties: Sour; warm.

Channel entry: liver and spleen channels.

Indications:

Dosage & Method:

Oral: 10–15g in decoctions.

Warning:

Unsuitable for patients with excessive stomach acid. It is contraindicated in internally depressed heat with short voidings of reddish urine, in unresolved exterior patterns, and in initial-stage dysentery.

Notes:

The mù guā used clinically in Chinese medicine is unrelated to the papaya fruit, which is also known in Chinese as mù guā.

Product Description:

The dry fruit is oval, 4–8 cm long, and 3.5–5 cm in diameter, with a purple red, 2–8 mm thick exocarp that has a slight sheen and deep wrinkles. It is often sold cut in half, the pieces curling at the edges. Inside are flat or depressed ovaries, with reddish-brown seeds, which are often missing. The fruit is soaked, steamed, and cut into slices 1–2 mm thick.

Quality:

Large wrinkled reddish fruits are the best.

Product Area:

ānhuī, Zhèjiāng, Húběi, Sìchuān.

Etymology:

The name mù guā 木瓜, literally ""tree melon,"" a melon-like fruit that grows on a tree. This name is also a common abbreviation for fān mù guā 番木瓜, the papaya, native to tropical America, now extensively grown in southern China.

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