This product is the nearly mature fruit of the deciduous tree plant of the Rosaceae family, the plum (Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.). It is mainly produced in Zhejiang, Fujian, Yunnan, and other regions. The fruit is harvested when it is nearly mature in summer, then dried at low temperature and kept in a closed container until the skin wrinkles and turns black. It is used either with the pit removed or stir-fried to scorch.

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Sour and astrigent, neutral. act on liver, spleen, lung and large intestine channels.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Astringing lung and relieving cough, astringing intestines and checking diarrhea, quieting ascaris to stop pain, promoting fluid production to quench thirst.

bubble_chart Indications

1. Used for lung deficiency chronic cough disease. Smoked Plum is sour and astringent, capable of astringing the lung and relieving cough. It is suitable for lung deficiency chronic cough disease with scanty phlegm or dry cough without phlegm. It is often used with Poppy Capsule, Bitter Apricot Seed, etc., such as in Shiyi Dexiao Fang Just-One-Serving Powder.
2. Used for chronic diarrhea and prolonged dysentery. This product can also astringe the intestines and check diarrhea. For treating chronic diarrhea and prolonged dysentery, it is often used with Poppy Capsule, Chebula Fruit, etc., such as in Zhengzhi Zhunsheng Intestine-Astringing Pill.
3. Used for gallbladder ascariasis abdominal pain and vomiting. Ascaris worms are subdued by sourness, and this product is extremely sour, possessing the effects of quieting ascaris to relieve pain and downbearing counterflow to stop vomiting. It is suitable for abdominal pain, vomiting, and cold limbs caused by gallbladder ascariasis. It is often used with Asarum, Pricklyash Peel, Coptis Rhizome, Aconite Lateral Root, etc., such as in Mume Pill.
4. Used for consumptive thirst due to deficiency heat. This product is sour and promotes fluid production to quench thirst. For treating consumptive thirst due to deficiency heat, it can be decocted alone or used with Snakegourd Root, Ophiopogon Tuber, Ginseng, etc., such as in Yüquan Powder.
5. In addition, this product can also be taken internally to stop bleeding, treating menorrhagia and metrostaxis; applied externally, it can eliminate sores and treat protruding granulation tissue.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Benjing: "Lowering qi, relieving heat and fullness, calming the heart, alleviating limb pain, hemiplegia and numbness, dead flesh, removing blue-black hemorrhoids, and eroding malignant flesh."
2. "Compendium of Materia Medica": "Astringing the lungs and intestines, stopping chronic cough, diarrhea, dysentery, regurgitation, and diaphragmatic obstruction, gallbladder ascariasis with vomiting and diarrhea."
3. Benjing Fengyuan: "Smoked Plum is sour and astringent, benefiting essence and stimulating the appetite, capable of astringing the lungs and intestines, stopping vomiting and sweating, calming asthma and quieting ascaris... Nowadays, it is essential for treating bloody dysentery... For incessant bloody dysentery, use Smoked Plum charred with its properties retained, taken with rice water to gradually stop it. For malignant sores and overgrown flesh, also burn to ashes and grind for application, the malignant overgrowth will naturally dissipate, this is the verification of
4. Neijing's method of removing dead flesh and malignant tissue."

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

Decoct and take 3-10g, with a maximum dose of up to 30g. For external use, apply an appropriate amount by mashing or stir-frying to scorch and grinding into powder for topical application. For stopping diarrhea and bleeding, it is advisable to use after stir-frying to scorch.

bubble_chart Cautions and Contraindications

It is not suitable for those with exterior pathogens or internal excess heat due to food retention.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

This product mainly contains citric acid, malic acid, amber acid, carbohydrates, sitosterol, waxy substances, and oleanolic acid-like substances. The decoction of this product with water has an inhibitory effect on various disease-causing bacteria and skin fungi in vitro. The decoction can inhibit the movement of isolated rabbit intestines. It can promote the secretion of bile. In vitro, it has an inhibitory effect on the activity of roundworms. It can enhance the body's immune function.