Shan Zhu Yu (Common Macrocarpium Fruit)

Name

Shan Zhu Yu (Fructus Corni), from Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (Shen Nong's Herbal)

Source and quality

The ripe pulp of the perennial woody plant Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc. of the family Cornaceae. It is produced in Zhejiang, Henan and Anhui provinces, and is plucked in late autumn or early winter.

It has a slight odor and is sour, astringent and slightly bitter. The best grade has thick flesh and is soft and purplish red.

It is baked over a gentle fire, or dipped in boiling water. Squeeze out the juice promptly and dry it.

Nature and action

Sour and slightly warm. It enters the liver and kidney meridians.

It tonifies the liver and kidney, secures essence and astringes sweat, and stops bleeding.

Indications

Insufficiency of the liver and kidney

It is sour, warm but not dry in nature, and mildly tonifying. It is an important herb for tonifying yin and yang evenly, because it tonifies the liver and kidney and, in particular, nourishes essence.

• For dizziness, dim vision, lumbar soreness and tinnitus due to deficiency of liver and kidney yin, it is combined with yin tonics, such as Shu Di Huang and Shan Yao in Liuwei Dihuang Wan from Xiao Er Yao Zheng Zhi Jue.
• For lumbar soreness, intolerance of cold, and difficult or frequent urination, it is combined with herbs that warm the middle and tonify yang, such as Rou Gui and Fu Zi in Shenqi Wan from Jin Kui Yao Lue.
• For impotence due to deficiency of kidney yang, it is combined with kidney yang tonics to relieve the impotence, such as Bu Gu Zhi, Ba Ji Tian and Yin Yang Huo.

Seminal emission, spermatorrhea, enuresis and frequent urination

It tonifies the kidney and essence, and it also secures essence and reduces urination. It is therefore an important herb for astringing essence to relieve emission, because it treats both the branch and the root of emission due to kidney deficiency.

• For seminal emission due to kidney yin deficiency, it is combined with herbs that nourish yin and tonify the kidney, such as Shu Di Huang, Gou Qi Zi and Shan Yao.
• For seminal emission, spermatorrhea and impotence due to kidney yang deficiency, it is combined with kidney-warming herbs and astringents, such as Bu Gu Zhi and Dang Gui in Cao Huan Dan from Fu Shou Jing Fang (Essential Prescriptions for Preserving Health and Longevity).
• For enuresis and frequent urination due to kidney deficiency with insecurity of the bladder, it is combined with kidney tonics and astringents, such as Fu Pen Zi, Jin Ying Zi and Sang Piao Xiao.

Metrorrhagia and metrostaxis

It tonifies the liver and kidney, strengthens the Chong Mai and the Ren Mai, and astringes to stop bleeding.

• For metrorrhagia and metrostaxis due to deficiency of the liver and kidney with insecurity of the Chong Mai and the Ren Mai, it is combined with herbs that tonify the liver and kidney and regulate menstruation, such as Shu Di Huang, Bai Shao and Dang Gui in Jia Wei Si Wu Tang from Fu Qing Zhu Nv Ke.
• For metrostaxis due to spleen qi deficiency with insecurity of the Chong Mai and the Ren Mai, it is combined with herbs that tonify qi and stop bleeding, such as Huang Qi, Bai Zhu, Wu Wei Zi and Zong Lv Tan in Gu Chong Tang from Yi Xue Zhong Zhong Can Xi Lu.

Profuse sweating and collapse due to deficiency

It astringes to stop sweating. For collapse of the original qi due to sweating, and collapse of deficiency due to long-term illness, it is combined with herbs that tonify qi and restore yang, such as Ren Shen, Fu Zi and Long Gu in Lai Fu Tang from Yi Xue Zhong Zhong Can Xi Lu.

It is also indicated for diabetes when combined with herbs that nourish yin and generate fluids, such as Tian Hua Fen and Sheng Di Huang.

Dosage and administration

Decoct 5~10 g; 20~30 g when used to secure collapse and for first aid.