Medicinals
suān zǎo rén / 酸枣仁 / 酸棗仁 / spiny jujube [kernel];
Latin pharmacognostic name: Ziziphi Spinosi Semen
Alternate English names: sour jujube [kernel]
Alternate Chinese names: 枣仁 zǎo rén; 酸核 zǎo hé; 酸枣核 suān zǎo hé
Origin: Plant
Use: medicinal
Category: Spirit-quieting agents / Heart-nourishing spirit-quieting agents
Properties: Sweet, sour; balanced.
Channel entry: heart and liver channels.
Indications:
- Nourishes the heart and quiets the spirit: Insomnia and heart palpitation.
- Constrains sweat: Spontaneous sweating and night sweating.
- Additional uses: When properly combined, suān zǎo rén may also be used to treat repletion patterns.
Dosage & Method:
Oral: 6–15g in decoctions; use in pills or powders.
Warning:
Because suān zǎo rén is a seed, it lubricates the intestines and should be used with care in efflux diarrhea (diarrhea with incontinence). It also promotes contraction, and thus should be used with care in patterns of interior repletion evil and depressed fire.
Product Description:
The dried ripe seed is elliptical and flat, 5–9 mm long, 5–7 mm wide, and 3 mm thick. The exterior surface is reddish brown or maroon, and shiny. If unripe, it is lighter and more yellow in color. One side is flatter than the other and has ridge running longitudinally down the center. The other side bulges in the middle. The hilum is distinctly visible at one end, and a protuberant chalaza is visible at the other end. An indistinct raphe runs along one side. The white endosperm sticks to the seed coat when the latter is removed. Beneath are two elliptical yellowish-white oily cotyledons. This seed has only a faint smell.
Quality:
Large, fat, maroon seeds without epicarp are the best.
Product Area:
Produced mainly in Héběi, Shǎnxī (Shaanxi), Liáoníng, Hénán, and less importantly Inner Mongolia, Gānsū, Shānxī, Shāndōng, ānhuī, and Jiāngsū.
Etymology:
The name suān zǎo rén 酸棗仁, literally ""sour jujube kernel,"" in reference to its sour flavor.