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Caryophylli Fructus
Clove fruit
母丁香 〔母丁香〕 mǔ dīng xiāng
Alternate Chinese names: 鸡舌香 jī shé xiāng
Kingdom: Plant
Origin in PRC Pharmacopoeia: Eugenia caryophyllata Thunb. (PRC Pharmacopoeia)
Origin in unofficial sources: Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. et Perry [= Eugenia caryophyllata Thunb.]
Use: Medicinal
Category: Interior-warming agents
Properties: As for
Actions and indications: Mǔ dīng xiāng has the same actions as dīng xiāng, but it is weaker.
Dosage and method: Oral: 1.5–6 g in decoctions; also used externally.
Product description: The dried fruit is oval or elliptical, 2–3 cm long, and 0.6–1 cm in diameter. The outside is brown in color, rough with markings, and covered with a earth-red powder. At the upper end is a persistent calyx with four lobes. This fruit is hard and brittle, and when broken open, it often splits into two portions. Within are a small number of seeds, but since the immature fruit is used, these often appear shrunken and hard to see.
Production area: Guǎngdōng), Indonesia, Malaysia (Penang), the Moluccas, Zanzibar, and Madagascar.
Etymology: Mǔ dīng xiāng 母丁香, literally mother clove
or female clove,
is probably so called because it looks like a swollen (or pregnant
) clove.