| Shan Zhu Yu Shān Zhū Yú | |
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| Alias | Shu Zao, Shu Shi, Ji Zu, Shan Yu Rou, Shi Zao Er, Rou Zao, Zao Pi, Yu Rou, Yao Zao, Yu Shi, Hong Zao Pi |
| Functions | Tonifies the liver and kidneys, astringes essence and stops sweating. Symptoms include dizziness, tinnitus, spontaneous sweating, soreness of the lower back and knees, impotence, nocturnal emissions, and frequent urination. |
| English Name | Common Macrocarpium Fruit, Fruit of Common Macrocarpium, Fruit of Japanese Cornel Dogwood, Fruit of Asiatic Cornelian Cherry |
| First Recorded In | Shennong Bencao Jing |
| Toxicity | Non-toxic |
| Meridian Affinity | Liver Meridian, Kidney Meridian |
| Nature | Warm |
| Taste | Sour |
Pinyin Shān Zhū YúEnglish Name Asiatic Cornelian Cherry FruitAlias Shu Zao (Bencao), Shu Shi, Ji Zu (Wuxi Bencao), Shan Yu Rou (Xiao Er Yao Zheng Zhi Jue), Shi Zao Er (Jiu Huang Bencao), Rou Zao (Gangmu), Zao Pi (Hui Yue Yi Jing), Yu Rou (Yixue Zhongzhong Canxi Lu), Yao Zao (Sichuan Zhongyao Zhi).Source The fruit flesh of the plant Shan Zhu Yu (Cornus officinalis). The fruit is harvested when it ripens and turns red between October and November, after which the stems and pedicels are removed, and it is dried over a low flame. It should be stored in a dark, dry place to prevent mold and deterioration.Plant Description A deciduous small tree, about 4 meters tall. The bark is gray-brown, and the young branches are hairless. The leaves are opposite; the leaf blades are oval or long oval, 5-7 cm long and 3-4.5 cm wide, with a narrow, long, sharp apex and a rounded or broad wedge-shaped base, entire margin, nearly smooth above, occasionally with very fine hairs, and covered with white hairs below. The leaf axils have tufts of yellow-brown hairs, with 5-7 pairs of lateral veins arranged in an arc. The petiole is about 1 cm long. Flowers bloom before the leaves, in umbellate clusters at the tips of the young branches, with several scale-like bracts below; the flowers are small; the calyx has 4 lobes, not prominent; the petals are 4, yellow; there are 4 stamens; the ovary is inferior. The drupe is elongated oval, 1.2-1.5 cm long and about 7 mm in diameter, hairless, turning red when mature; the pedicel is 1.5-2 cm long. The flowering period is from May to June, and the fruiting period is from August to October.Habitat Distribution Grows in mixed shrub forests on hillsides. Cultivated in various regions including Shaanxi, Henan, Shanxi, Shandong, Anhui, Zhejiang, and Sichuan. It is produced in Zhejiang, Henan, Anhui, Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Sichuan.Characteristics The fleshy fruit skin is cracked and wrinkled, incomplete or flattened, about 1.5 cm long and 0.5 cm wide. Fresh products are purple-red, while older ones are often purple-black and shiny, with the base sometimes showing a pedicel mark and the top having a four-lobed calyx scar. The texture is soft and moist, not easily broken. It is odorless, with a sour and slightly bitter taste. The best quality is seedless, with thick flesh, red color, and oily sheen.Chemical Components Contains morroniside, 7-O-methylmorroniside, sweroside, loganin, and cornus tannins 1, 2, 3.Preparation Shan Yu Rou: Clean, remove seeds and impurities, and dry in the sun. Wine Shan Yu: Take clean Shan Yu Rou, mix with yellow wine, seal in a container, place in a water bath, and heat until the wine is absorbed, then dry (20-25 jin of yellow wine for every 100 jin of Shan Yu Rou). Steamed Shan Yu: Take clean Shan Yu Rou, steam until blackened, then dry in the sun.Taste and Properties Sour, slightly warm.① Bencao: “Taste sour, neutral.”
② Wupu Bencao: “Shennong, Huangdi, Leigong, Bianque: sour, non-toxic. Qibo: pungent.”
③ Bielu: “Slightly warm, non-toxic.”
④ Yaoxing Lun: “Taste salty and pungent, very hot.”
Meridian Affinity Enters the Liver and Kidney Meridians.① Tangye Bencao: “Enters the Foot Jueyin and Shaoyin Meridians.”
② Yaopin Huayi: “Enters the Liver, Heart, and Kidney Meridians.”
③ Bencao Jingjie: “Enters the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian and Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian.”
Functions and Indications Tonifies the liver and kidneys, astringes essence and qi, stabilizes prolapse. Treats soreness and pain in the lower back and knees, dizziness, tinnitus, impotence, nocturnal emissions, frequent urination, liver deficiency with cold-heat, and persistent spontaneous sweating.Tonifies the liver and kidneys, astringes essence and stabilizes prolapse. Used for dizziness and tinnitus, soreness and pain in the lower back and knees, impotence and nocturnal emissions, frequent urination, menorrhagia, excessive sweating, and internal heat with thirst.① Bencao: “Mainly treats cold and heat evil in the heart, warms the middle, expels cold and dampness, and eliminates the three worms.”
② Leigong Paozhi Lun: “Strengthens vital energy, secretes essence.”
③ Bielu: “Wind evil in the intestines and stomach, cold and heat hernia, headache, wind qi coming and going, nasal congestion, yellow eyes, deafness, facial sores, warms the middle, descends qi, induces sweating, strengthens the yin, benefits essence, calms the five organs, opens the nine orifices, stops frequent urination, brightens the eyes, and strengthens the body.”
④ Yaoxing Lun: “Treats pain in the brain and bones, stops irregular menstruation, tonifies kidney qi; invigorates the yang pathway, adds essence, treats tinnitus, eliminates facial sores, induces sweating, and stops elderly urinary incontinence.”
⑤ Rihua Zi Bencao: “Warms the lower back and knees, assists the water organs, expels all wind, expels all qi, breaks up masses, and treats drunkenness.”
⑥ Zhenzhu Nang: “Warms the liver.”
⑦ Bencao Qiuyuan: “Stops chronic diarrhea, heart deficiency with heat and sweating.”
Dosage and Administration Internal use: decoction, 5-10 g; or in pills or powders.Precautions Avoid use in cases of excessive fire in the Mingmen, strong yang without impotence, and those with damp-heat and painful urination. Bencao Jing Jizhu: “Liao Shi is used as a guide. Avoid Jie Geng, Fang Feng, and Fang Ji.”
Formulas ① For five types of lower back pain, wind-cold in the lower jiao, and weakness in the lower back and legs: 1 liang of Niu Xi (remove the sprouts), 1 liang of Shan Zhu Yu, and 3 fen of Gui Xin. Grind the above herbs into a fine powder and take 2 qian with warm wine before meals. (Sheng Hui Fang)
② To benefit the original yang, tonify original qi, stabilize original essence, and strengthen the original spirit: 1 jin of Shan Zhu Yu (wine-soaked), 0.5 jin of Po Guo (wine-soaked for one day, then dried), 4 liang of Dang Gui, and 1 qian of musk. Grind into a fine powder, make into honey pills the size of a wutong seed. Take 81 pills with wine and salt soup before bed. (Fushou Jing Fang: Caohuan Dan)
③ For foot qi entering the lower abdomen causing numbness: 8 liang of Gan Di Huang, 4 liang each of Shan Zhu Yu and Shu Yu, and 3 liang each of Ze Xie, Fu Ling, and Mu Dan Pi, and 1 liang each of Gui Zhi and Fu Zi (processed). Grind the eight ingredients into a powder, make into honey pills the size of a wutong seed, take 15 pills with wine, twice daily. (Jinkui Yaolue: Cui Shi Ba Wei Wan)
④ For kidney deficiency causing loss of voice, open fontanelle not closing, insufficient spirit, excessive white in the eyes, and pale complexion: 8 qian of Shu Di Huang, 4 qian each of Shan Yu Rou and Gan Shan Yao, and 3 qian each of Ze Xie, Mu Dan Pi, and Bai Fu Ling (peeled). Grind into a powder, make into honey pills the size of a wutong seed. Take three pills on an empty stomach with warm water. (Xiao Er Yao Zheng Zhi Jue: Di Huang Wan)
⑤ For elderly urinary incontinence or involuntary urination: 2 liang of Shan Zhu Yu, 1 liang of Yi Zhi Zi, and 8 qian each of Ren Shen and Bai Cai. Divide into ten doses and decoct in water. (Fang Long Tan Jia Mi)
⑥ For symptoms of cold and warm external invasion, inability to recover after a major illness, alternating cold and heat, and spontaneous sweating: 2 liang of Yu Rou (remove seeds), 1 liang of Sheng Long Gu (finely ground), 1 liang of Sheng Mu Li (finely ground), 6 qian of Sheng Hang Shao, 4 qian of Ye Tai Shen, and 3 qian of Gan Cao (honey-fried). Decoct in water. (Yixue Zhongzhong Canxi Lu: Lai Fu Tang)Toxicity The water decoction of the fruit flesh and seeds was tested for acute toxicity, and both showed very low toxicity, with an LD50 of 53.55 g (raw herb)/kg for the fruit flesh and 90.8 g (raw herb)/kg for the seeds.Identification Thin-layer chromatography: Take about 1 g of the powdered product, reflux with ether for 2 hours to defat, then reflux with petroleum ether (60-90°C) for 4 hours. After recovering the solvent from the extract, dissolve the solution in a chloroform-absolute ethanol (1:1) mixed solvent for testing. Another sample of ursolic acid is used as a control, prepared in a chloroform-absolute ethanol (1:1) mixed solvent. Apply both solutions on the same silica gel G thin-layer plate, develop with hexane-chloroform-ethyl acetate (20:5:8), dry, and spray with 10% sulfuric acid ethanol reagent, then heat at 110°C for 5 minutes to develop color. The test solution should show the same position and color as the control solution.Preparation Shan Yu Rou: Clean, remove seeds and impurities, and dry in the sun. Wine Shan Yu: Take clean Shan Yu Rou, mix with yellow wine, seal in a container, place in a water bath, and heat until the wine is absorbed, then dry (20-25 jin of yellow wine for every 100 jin of Shan Yu Rou). Steamed Shan Yu: Take clean Shan Yu Rou, steam until blackened, then dry in the sun.Taste and Properties Taste sour; nature slightly warm.Meridian Affinity Enters the Liver and Kidney Meridians.Functions and Indications Tonifies the liver and kidneys; astringes and stabilizes prolapse. Main indications include dizziness, tinnitus, deafness, soreness in the lower back and knees, nocturnal emissions, frequent urination, persistent spontaneous sweating, and menorrhagia.Dosage and Administration Internal use: decoction, 5-10 g; or in pills or powders.Precautions Avoid use in cases of excessive fire in the Mingmen, strong yang without impotence, and those with damp-heat and painful urination. Bencao Jing Jizhu: “Liao Shi is used as a guide. Avoid Jie Geng, Fang Feng, and Fang Ji.”
Various Discussions 1. “Mianshui Yantan Lu”: Shan Zhu Yu can tonify the marrow, as its seeds are warm and astringent, which can secrete essence. Essence does not leak, thus it can tonify the marrow. Modern people often discard the seeds and only use the flesh, which is not the original intention of the ancients. This is a misinterpretation; it should be used as stated in the Bencao. If there are other main treatments, it should be changed to use the roots and rhizomes.
2. The Bencao states that it stops frequent urination due to its sour taste, as seen in the Eight Flavor Pill where it is the main ingredient, indicating its properties.
3. “Yixue Rumen”: Shan Zhu Yu is primarily an astringent agent; how can it also expel evils? All diseases are related to deficiency and cold in the lower part. Using it to nourish the liver and kidneys benefits the source, thus stabilizing the five organs and ensuring smoothness and benefit.
4. “Bencao Jing Shu”: Shan Zhu Yu treats cold and heat evil in the heart, wind evil in the intestines and stomach, cold and heat hernia, headache, wind qi coming and going, nasal congestion, and facial sores, all of which are governed by the liver and kidneys. When these two meridians are deficient and hot, the above symptoms appear. This medicine can warm and circulate, disperse wind evil, and thus eliminate cold and heat in the heart and intestines, clearing the head and relieving nasal congestion and facial sores. It can also expel cold and dampness, using its warming and dispersing properties to supplement.
5. “Yaopin Huayi”: Shan Zhu Yu nourishes yin and benefits blood, mainly treating dizziness, tinnitus, bitter mouth, dry tongue, pale complexion, and spontaneous sweating due to deficiency. The heart is the son of the liver; when the heart is scattered and disordered, it prefers to gather. Gathering leads to tranquility, and tranquility leads to clarity, thus treating heart deficiency and weak qi, calming anxiety and palpitations.
6. “Bencao Xinjian”: For people with five o’clock diarrhea, use 2 liang of Shan Zhu Yu as powder, make pills with rice, and take them all at once before sleep, using rice to suppress it. Avoid alcohol and sexual activity, and the diarrhea will resolve in three days. This is due to kidney qi deficiency, and Shan Zhu Yu tonifies kidney water while also being astringent, thus achieving dual effects.
7. “Bencao Fengyuan”: Shan Zhu Yu is said to induce sweating, which is a misunderstanding; it actually astringes sweat due to its sourness. The use in the Eight Flavor Pill indicates that kidney qi benefits, thus sealing and storing appropriately, and nourishing liver yin ensures smoothness.
8. “Yixue Zhongzhong Canxi Lu”: Shan Zhu Yu can greatly gather and stabilize vital energy, invigorate the spirit, and astringe and stabilize. It has a unique property of being astringent while also promoting smoothness, thus benefiting the nine orifices and circulating blood. It treats liver deficiency with spontaneous sweating, liver deficiency with flank pain, and internal wind arising from liver deficiency, while gathering upright qi without trapping evil qi, which distinguishes it from other astringent medicines. Therefore, the Bencao states it expels cold and dampness. The seeds and flesh have opposite properties, so the seeds must be removed when used. Recent medical reports suggest that the seeds have astringent taste and properties, which may lead to urinary difficulties. It is believed that the essence of the person is lost in the liver. Thus, when a person is extremely deficient, the liver wind must first move, indicating that the vital energy is about to leak. The liver and gallbladder are interdependent; the gallbladder is Shaoyang, which governs cold and heat alternation, while the liver is Jueyin. Extreme deficiency also leads to cold and heat alternation, resulting in sweating. Yu Rou can both astringe sweat and tonify the liver, making it most effective for those with extreme liver deficiency and impending loss of vital energy. I initially tested this medicine’s ability and thought it was my own discovery, but upon further examination of the Shennong Bencao, it is clear that Shan Zhu Yu primarily governs cold and heat, which are symptoms of extreme liver deficiency. The Bencao states: “It governs cold and heat evil in the heart, warms the middle, expels cold and dampness, and eliminates the three worms.”
9. “Yaoxing Lun”: Treats pain in the brain and bones, stops irregular menstruation, tonifies kidney qi, invigorates the yang pathway, adds essence, treats tinnitus, eliminates facial sores, induces sweating, and stops elderly urinary incontinence.
10. “Rihua Zi Bencao”: Warms the lower back and knees, assists the water organs, expels all wind, expels all qi, breaks up masses, and treats drunkenness.
11. “Zhenzhu Nang”: Warms the liver.
12. “Bencao Qiuyuan”: Stops chronic diarrhea, heart deficiency with heat and sweating.Disclaimer:This content is added and organized by users for learning and reference purposes. The information on this site may not be accurate, comprehensive, or up-to-date, and the content should not be considered the final basis for diagnosing or treating diseases.Shanhe Traditional Chinese Medicine NetworkReminds users that if there are any physical discomforts, please seek medical attention promptly. Thank you for your support and love; we will strive to do better~!!!
