This product is the mature seed of the deciduous shrub or small tree plant, sour jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill. var. spinosa (Bunge) Hu ex H. F. Chou.), belonging to the Rhamnaceae family. It is mainly produced in Hebei, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Shandong, and other regions. The fruits are harvested when they mature in late autumn and early winter. The flesh is removed, the pits are crushed, and the seeds are extracted and then dried in the sun. They are used either raw or stir-fried, and are crushed before use.

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Sweet and sour, neutral. act on heart, liver and gallbladder channels.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Nourishes the heart and benefits the liver, calms the mind, and stops sweating.

bubble_chart Indications

1. Used for palpitation and insomnia. This herb has a sweet taste, enters the heart and liver meridians, and can nourish heart yin, benefit the blood of the heart and liver, and has a calming effect. Therefore, it is often used for symptoms such as palpitation, severe palpitation, insomnia, and forgetfulness due to yin blood deficiency and the heart losing its nourishment. It is mainly used for palpitation and insomnia due to heart-liver blood deficiency, often combined with Chinese Angelica, Fleeceflower, Longan Aril, and other medicinal combinations. For insomnia due to liver deficiency with heat, it is often combined with Anemarrhena, Poria, Sichuan Lovage Rhizome, and other medicinal combinations, such as Sour Jujube Decoction. For palpitation and insomnia due to heart-spleen qi deficiency, it is often combined with Chinese Angelica, Astragalus Root, Tangshen, and other medicinal combinations, such as Returning to Spleen Decoction. For palpitation, insomnia, forgetfulness, and nocturnal emission due to heart-kidney insufficiency and yin deficiency with yang hyperactivity, it can be combined with Ophiopogon Tuber, Unprocessed Rehmannia Root, Milkwort Root, and other medicinal combinations, such as Celestial Emperor Heart-Tonifying Pill.
2. Used for profuse sweating due to physical weakness. This herb has a sour taste and can astringe and stop sweating. It is used to treat spontaneous sweating and night sweats due to physical weakness, often combined with Schisandra Fruit, Asiatic Cornelian Cherry Fruit, Astragalus Root, and other similar herbs.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Benjing: "Governs cold and heat in the heart and abdomen, dispels evil qi and resolves qi stagnation, relieves pain in the limbs and fixed arthralgia."
2. Bielu: "Alleviates restlessness and insomnia, ... treats deficiency sweating, thirst, tonifies the middle, benefits liver qi, strengthens tendons and bones, and supports yin qi."
3. Bencao Gangmu: "Its kernel is sweet and moist, thus when cooked, it treats gallbladder deficiency with insomnia, thirst, and deficiency sweating; when used raw, it treats gallbladder heat and excessive sleepiness, and it is a medicine for the foot Jueyin and Shaoyang channels."

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

Decoct and take 10-20g. Grind into powder and swallow, 1.5-3g each time.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

This product contains a large amount of fatty oil and protein, as well as two sterols, two triterpenoids (betulin and betulinic acid), Sour Jujube saponins, and a significant amount of vitamin C. Sour Jujube decoction has sedative and hypnotic effects, counteracts the excitatory state induced by coffee beans, and exhibits synergistic effects with barbiturates. It significantly reduces the number of defensive motor conditioned reflexes, spreads internal inhibition, and extinguishes conditioned reflexes. The decoction also has analgesic, anticonvulsant, and hypothermic effects. Water-soluble components of Sour Jujube can cause a sustained decrease in blood pressure and heart block, as well as stimulate the uterus.