Medicinals
zào jiá / 皂荚 / 皂莢 / gleditsia [fruit];
Latin pharmacognostic name: Gleditsiae Fructus
Alternate English names: Chinese honey locust [fruit]; soap bean pod
Alternate Chinese names: 大皂荚 dà zào jiá; 长皂荚 cháng zào jiá; 长皂角 cháng zào jiǎo; 大皂角 dà zào jiǎo; 皂角 zào jiǎo
Origin: Plant
Use: medicinal
Category: Phlegm-transforming cough-relieving panting-calming agents / Phlegm-transforming agents
Properties: Acrid; warm; slightly toxic. (Some sources also say salty.)
Channel entry: lung and large intestine channels. (some books include spleen channel.)
Indications:
- Dispels stubborn phlegm: Stubborn phlegm obstructing the lung, manifesting in chest oppression, cough and panting, and ungratifying expectoration of phlegm.
- Frees the orifices and opens blocks: Epilepsy and wind stroke patterns with exuberant phlegm and clenched jaw.
- Disperses binds and swellings: swollen
sore s. - Additional uses: Zào jiá is also said to free the lung and large intestinal qì in the treatment of constipation. In this application, it can be ground together with xì xīn (细辛 Asari Rhizoma et Radix, asarum) and mixed with honey to make an enema.
Dosage & Method:
Oral: 1.5–5g in decoctions, or 1–1.5g as a powder. More commonly taken in powder form. It is also used externally.
Warning:
The dosage should not be excessive for internal use, otherwise vomiting and diarrhea may result. Zào jiá is acrid and dispersing as well as mobile and penetrating; it is extremely powerful in nature and is only suitable for stubborn phlegm patterns in patients with a robust constitution. It is contraindicated in pregnancy, qì vacuity, and yīn depletion and in those with a tendency towards expectoration of blood.
Product Description:
The dried pod is a long, flat cylinder, usually slightly curved and sometimes fatter at one end. It is 15–25 cm long, 2–3.5 cm wide, and 0.8–1.4 cm thick. The surface is smooth, and dark brown with a red or purple hue. It is covered in a grayish-white bloom, which can be wiped away to leave a shiny surface. Both ends are pointed. At the base is the stalk or what remains of it. The dorsal suture protrudes to form a ridge-like spine. It is hard and rattles when shaken. It can be broken open to reveal a light-yellow interior, sometimes with seeds.
Quality:
Hard fat pods are the best.
Product Area:
Shǎnxī (Shaanxi), Shāndōng, and Sìchuān.
Etymology: