大棗
Jujube (Dazao)
Pharmaceutical Name: Fructus Jujubae
Botanical Name: Ziziphus jujuba Mill.
Common Name: Jujube, Chinese date
Source of Earliest Record: Shennong Bencao Jing
Part Used: The ripe fruit is gathered at the beginning of autumn and dried in the sun.
Natural Properties & Taste: Sweet and warm
Meridians: Spleen and stomach
Therapeutic Effects:
1. To replenish qi in the middle jiao (spleen and stomach);
2. To nourish the blood and soothe the mind;
3. To moderate the action of herbs
Indications:
1. Weakness of the spleen and stomach manifested as lassitude, poor appetite and loose stool. Jujube (Dazao) is used with Ginseng (Renshen) and White atractylodes (Baizhu).
2. Hysteria manifested as grief, weeping and sighing. Jujube (Dazao) is used with Licorice root (Gancao) and Light wheat (Fuxiaomai) in the formula Gan Mai Dazao Tang.
3. Moderating the action of other herbs. Jujube (Dazao) is used with Peking spurge root (Daji), Kansui root (Gansui) and Genkwa flower (Yuanhua) in the formula Shizao Tang.
Dosage: 3-12 g, or 10-30 g
Cautions & Contraindications: This herb is contraindicated in conditions of excessive dampness, epigastric and abdominal distension and fullness, retention of food, intestinal parasites, pain of decayed teeth and cough due to phlegm-heat.
