English: Jujube seeds
Chinese: 酸枣仁
Parts used: Dried ripe seed
TCM category: Herbs that nourish the Heart and calm the Spirit
TCM nature: Neutral
Organ affinity: Gallbladder Heart Liver
Scientific name: Ziziphus jujuba
Other names: Red date seed, Chinese date seed, Korean date seed, Indian date seed
Use of Suan Zao Ren (jujube seeds) in TCM
Please note that you should never self-prescribe TCM ingredients. A TCM ingredient is almost never eaten on its own but as part of a formula containing several ingredients that act together. Please consult a professional TCM practitioner, they will be best able to guide you.
Preparation: Harvest mature fruits, remove flesh and seed shells, collect seeds and dry them
Dosage: 6 - 18 grams
Main actions according to TCM*: Nourishes the Heart Yin and calms the spirit. Contains Fluid leakage.
Primary conditions or symptoms for which Suan Zao Ren may be prescribed by TCM doctors*: Insomnia Palpitations Restlessness Night sweats
Contraindications*: Should not be used when there is extreme Fire in the body nor in cases of severe diarrhea.
Common TCM formulas in which Suan Zao Ren is used*
Suan Zao Ren Tang
Source date: 220 AD
Number of ingredients: 5 herbs
Formula key actions: Nourishes the Blood. Calms the Mind and eliminates irritability . Clears Heat.
Conditions targeted*: InsomniaSleep walking and others
Suan Zao Ren is a king ingredient in Suan Zao Ren Tang. Like the name indicates, it means it has more power than other ingredients in the formula.
In Suan Zao Ren Tang, Suan Zao Ren is sweet, sour, and bland. It nourishes the Liver while calming the Mind. It also regulates the Qi, moistens the Liver to nourish the Yin, warms the Middle Burner to facilitate water metabolism, restrains the Qi to stop sweating, strengthens the resolve to settle angry outbursts, enhances the hearing and brightens the eyes.
Gui Pi Tang
Source date: 1529 AD
Number of ingredients: 12 herbs
Formula key actions: Tonifies and nourish Qi and Blood. Tonifies Heart and Spleen.
Conditions targeted*: Nervous exhaustionMyasthenia gravis and others
Suan Zao Ren is a deputy ingredient in Gui Pi Tang. This means it helps the king ingredient(s) treat the main pattern or it serves to treat a coexisting pattern.
Zhen Zhu Mu Wan
Source date: 1132 AD
Number of ingredients: 11 herbs
Formula key actions: Nourishes the Yin and Blood . Sedates the Heart and calms the Mind . Calms the Liver. Anchors the yang.
Conditions targeted*: EpilepsyCataract and others
Suan Zao Ren is a deputy ingredient in Zhen Zhu Mu Wan. This means it helps the king ingredient(s) treat the main pattern or it serves to treat a coexisting pattern.
In Zhen Zhu Mu Wan, Suan Zao Ren sweet, sour, and balanced.
The three deputy herbs, Jujube seeds, Biota seeds and Host-wood Poria are often used together. Their combination is able to nourish the Heart, regulate its physiology and calm the Mind.
They do so primarily by harmonizing the physiology and nature of the Nutritive Qi and Blood on which the Heart depends for its nourishment.
Key TCM concepts behind Suan Zao Ren's properties
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Suan Zao Ren belongs to the 'Herbs that nourish the Heart and calm the Spirit' category. These herbs are substances that tranquilize the Mind and treat symptoms such as restlessness, palpitations, anxiety or insomnia. They tend to have sedative properties by tonifying Heart Yin and Blood as in TCM it is believed that the Heart is the store of the Mind.
Furthermore Suan Zao Ren is Neutral in nature. This means that Suan Zao Ren typically doesn't affect the balance in your body. Balance between Yin and Yang is a key health concept in TCM. Eating too many "Hot" (Yang) ingredients can lead to an imbalance whereby one has a Yang Excess. The inverse is true as well: too many "Cold" (Yin) ingredients can lead to a Yin Excess. The Neutral nature of Suan Zao Ren means that you don't have to worry about that!
Suan Zao Ren also tastes Sour and Sweet. The so-called 'Five Phases' theory in Chinese Medicine states that the taste of TCM ingredients is a key determinant of their action in the body. Sour ingredients like Suan Zao Ren helps with digestion and restrain abnormal discharges of Fluids from the body, such as diarrhea or heavy sweating. On the other hand Sweet ingredients tend to slow down acute reactions and detoxify the body. They also have a tonic effect because they replenish Qi and Blood.
The tastes of ingredients in TCM also determine what Organs and Meridians they target. As such Suan Zao Ren is thought to target the Gallbladder, the Heart and the Liver. Similar to modern medicine, in TCM the Gallbladder stores and releases bile produced by the Liver. It also controls the emotion of decisiveness. In addition to regulating Blood flow, the Heart is believed to be the store of the 'Mind' which basically refers to someone's vitality. The Liver is often referred as the body's "general" because it is in charge of regulating the movements of Qi and the Body Fluids. It also takes a leading role in balancing our emotions.
Research on Suan Zao Ren
A study on mice suggested that Jujube seeds possess anxiolytic effect at lower doses and sedative effect at higher doses1
Sources:
1. WH Peng, MT Hsieh, YS Lee, YC Lin, J Liao (2000). "Anxiolytic effect of seed of Ziziphus jujuba in mouse models of anxiety". Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Volume 72, Issue 3, Pages 435-441.