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Chapter 11 of 20
本草纲目
The Fruits Section of the Compendium of Materia Medica systematically documents the properties and medicinal applications of dozens of common fruits, including plums, apricots, mume, peaches, chestnuts, jujube dates, pears, tangerines, persimmons, hawthorn, loquat, lychee, longan, walnuts, ginkgo, lotus root, and fox nut (Euryale ferox). Li Shizhen followed the format of "qi-flavor — chief indications," recording each fruit's four qi (cold, hot, warm, cool), five flavors (sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, salty), and specific uses.
In terms of content, the medicinal approach in the Fruits Section bears a distinctive hallmark of "medicine and food share the same origin":
🌿 Fruit pulp tends toward promoting fluid production, quenching thirst, and strengthening the spleen and stomach (e.g., pear for thirst, jujube for harmonizing the stomach, longan for tonifying the heart and spleen);
🥜 Kernels tend toward descending qi, moistening the intestines, and promoting diuresis (e.g., apricot kernel for cough, peach kernel for relieving constipation, borage bushcherry kernel for reducing edema);
🌳 Root bark and tree bark tend toward clearing and soothing, as well as astringing (e.g., plum root white bark for quenching consumptive thirst, pomegranate rind for dysentery);
🍂 Leaves, flowers, and calyces each have their specialized functions (e.g., loquat leaf for clearing the lungs, lotus leaf for elevating the clear, persimmon calyx for arresting hiccups).
These experiences encapsulate ancient observations and summaries of the medicinal patterns of fruits, representing the concrete application of the "analogical association" and "four qi and five flavors" theories of Chinese medicine within the fruit category.
Although the medicinal substances in the Fruits Section seem ordinary, they embody a rigorous logic of properties and flavors:
This system of correspondence between "four qi and five flavors — viscera — actions" constitutes the core academic framework of the Fruits Section of the Compendium of Materia Medica.
The Fruits Section extensively reflects the ancients' mode of thinking—"treating like with like in form, deriving use from appearance":
This mode of thinking is a distinctive feature of traditional materia medica studies, representing the product of classical "natural observation—empirical induction." Modern scholarship should neither entirely reject it nor stretch it into far-fetched analogies.
From the "chief indications" entries of various fruits, several important therapeutic strategies can be summarized:
| Therapeutic Strategy | Representative Fruits | Core Principle |
|---|---|---|
| Moistening the lungs and arresting cough | Apricot kernel, pear, loquat leaf, ginkgo, walnut | Sweet-moistening and bitter-descending, purifying the lungs and downbearing qi |
| Securing the intestines and arresting dysentery | Pomegranate rind, dark mume, acorn, oak nut, bayberry | Sour-astringent, securing and binding the intestines |
| Warming the middle and dispelling cold | Sichuan pepper, black pepper, Evodia fruit, cubeb | Pungent-warm and penetrating, warming the stomach and relieving pain |
| Promoting diuresis and reducing edema | Plum kernel, grape, peach bark | Bitter-descending and sweet-mild, percolating dampness and promoting urination |
| Invigorating blood and unblocking menstruation/meridians | Peach kernel, peach root, hawthorn | Bitter-pungent, entering the blood, breaking stasis and removing obstruction |
| Inducing vomiting of phlegm and food | Melon pedicel, sweet melon pedicel | Bitter-cold, emetic and purging, guiding out by following its tendency |
| Killing parasites and expelling worms | Torreya nut, betel nut, sour pomegranate root, black pepper | Pungent-warm and bitter-descending, killing parasites and settling roundworms |
| Tonifying the heart and spleen | Longan, Chinese date, lotus seed | Sweet-warm and gentle, nourishing qi and blood |
These therapeutic strategies reflect the flexible application of the eight methods of Chinese medicine—"sweating, vomiting, purging, harmonizing, warming, clearing, reducing, and tonifying"—within the fruit category.
An important feature of the Fruits Section of the Compendium of Materia Medica is: the same plant, with different parts possessing differing natures, flavors, and actions.
Take peach as an example:
This approach of "one plant, divided by parts" reflects the ancients' meticulous observation of different parts of a plant, and serves as the precursor to the later theory of "using specific plant parts" in Chinese pharmacology.
Similarly, take tangerine as an example:
These distinctions remain widely applied in contemporary Chinese pharmacology, serving as clear evidence that the theoretical framework of the Fruits Section is still of reference value today.
Dietary fiber and pectin: The numerous records of "arresting dysentery" and "securing the intestines" (e.g., pomegranate rind, dark mume, acorn, torreya nut) are associated with the tannins and pectin these fruits contain. Tannins can bind with intestinal mucosal proteins to form a protective layer, reducing inflammatory exudation and producing certain astringent anti-diarrheal effects. Modern research has isolated ellagic acid, punicalagin, and other compounds from pomegranate rind; in vitro experiments show inhibitory effects against various intestinal pathogens.
Oils in nuts and laxative effects: Apricot kernels, peach kernels, pine nuts, and walnuts used for "undifferentiated constipation" and "moistening the intestines" are related to their abundance of fatty acids. These unsaturated fatty acids serve a lubricating function in the intestinal tract, representing a physically understandable laxative mechanism.
Sour flavor and promoting fluid to quench thirst: The experience of mume, hawthorn, and citrus fruits in "generating fluids and quenching thirst" is directly related to the physiological reflex of sour taste stimulating salivary gland secretion. Sour substances activate taste buds, promoting saliva and gastric juice secretion through neural reflexes—this has a clear physiological basis.
Nutritional components of certain fruits: Longan contains glucose, sucrose, and various vitamins; jujube contains cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and iron; walnuts contain α-linolenic acid. These nutritional components resonate with certain contemporary "tonifying" effects. However, it should be noted: the functional positioning of "tonifying heart and spleen" or "supplementing kidney" in ancient terminology cannot be equated with modern nutritional concepts.
Emetic action of melon pedicel: Sweet melon pedicel contains cucurbitacins B and E, and modern pharmacology has confirmed its strong emetic action and certain hepatoprotective activity. The emetic mechanism of "Gua Di San" (Melon Pedicel Powder) as a representative emetic formula has been partially elucidated in modern times. However, cucurbitacins are quite toxic, and improper use may cause poisoning—this is precisely why strict professional physician oversight is mandatory.
Dosage and safety: Many dosage statements in the original text, such as "half a liang of apricot kernel," "2,700 peach kernels," or "one sheng of Evodia fruit," partially exceed modern safety ranges. For instance, apricot kernels contain amygdalin, which hydrolyzes to produce hydrocyanic acid; ingestion in large quantities may cause poisoning. The original recommendation of "swallow 7 apricot kernels raw, increasing daily up to 49" poses safety hazards from a modern perspective and must never be imitated.
Claims such as "killing parasites" and "dissolving copper": Statements like water chestnut dissolving "swallowed copper tablets... capable of dissolving copper into water," or betel nut against "intestinal parasites," involve exaggerations or observational errors from pre-scientific eras. Betel nut does indeed contain arecoline, which has a paralyzing effect on tapeworms and roundworms, but the "dissolving copper" claim does not conform to chemical principles.
"Sterilization (contraception)"-type entries: Statements such as "constant chewing of Java bonduc nut... over time, the uterus becomes cold and pregnancy cannot occur" are observational descriptions lacking scientific foundation; their unreliability should be clearly recognized, and they should certainly not serve as a means of contraception.
Formulas combining cinnabar, calomel, and cantharides: Some formulas in the original text employ toxic substances such as cinnabar (mercuric sulfide), calomel (mercurous chloride), and cantharides (containing cantharidin)—for example, jujube formulas combining cantharides, or formulas for skin lesions using calomel. These substances are either banned or strictly restricted in modern medicine. It must be emphasized that these should be studied solely as historical literature and their unsupervised preparation is strictly forbidden.
The limits of "analogical association": The concept of "like treats like" (e.g., walnuts tonifying the brain) reflects more the epistemological characteristics of antiquity and should not be conflated with the "targeted effects" of modern medicine. The beneficial effects of walnuts on the cardiovascular system derive from their unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E, and other components, not from "resembling the brain."
Despite the aforementioned limitations, the core value of the Fruits Section of the Compendium of Materia Medica lies in:
The following are general lifestyle and daily-care insights, not directed at any specific disease:
🌿 Eating according to season: Fruits have cold or warm natures, and eating follows seasonal rhythms. The ancients' approach of "eating pears and lotus root in summer to clear summer-heat, and chestnuts and jujube in winter for warming nourishment" aligns with the modern concept of "eating seasonal foods." In summer, moderate consumption of pears, watermelon, sugarcane, and other sweet-cold foods helps clear and moisten; in winter, moderate consumption of chestnuts, jujube, and walnuts helps warm and nourish.
🍎 Moderation in diet: Although fruits are beneficial, overconsumption is harmful. The original text notes that "eating too many melons causes discomfort," indicating fruits also cannot be consumed excessively. Plums eaten in excess easily damage the spleen and stomach; mume is too sour and damages the teeth; lychee, warm in nature, easily causes "excessive internal heat" with overconsumption—these experiences remind us that balance and moderation are fundamental principles of dietary health cultivation.
🧘 Emotions, heart, and spleen: Longan, cited for "excessive rumination, overworking the heart and spleen," indicates that the ancients long noted the connection between prolonged mental preoccupation and digestion and sleep. Maintaining peace of mind and avoiding overexertion are the foundations of daily health maintenance.
🚶 Lower back and legs: The use of chestnuts for "weakness of the lower back and legs" conveys the Traditional Chinese Medicine principle that "the kidney governs the bones, and the lower back is the residence of the kidney." Regular moderate exercise, avoiding prolonged sitting or standing, and keeping the lower back and legs warm resonate with this notion at the level of daily living.
💧 Fluid maintenance: The many records of "quenching thirst" and "generating fluids" in the Fruits Section highlight the importance of adequate hydration and maintaining sufficient body fluids. Especially in dry weather or after profuse sweating, moderate consumption of high-water-content fruits or warm water helps maintain fluid balance in the body.
⚠️ The above are general health insights only; please consult professional physicians for specific medical conditions.
| Concept | Definition |
|---|---|
| Four Qi and Five Flavors | The core theory of Chinese medicinal properties. Four qi refer to cold, hot, warm, and cool; five flavors refer to sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty. The classification and actions of Fruits Section medicinals all follow this framework |
| Channel Tropism | The selective action of a medicinal on specific viscera, channels, and collaterals. For example, in the Fruits Section, sour flavors enter the liver, sweet flavors enter the spleen, and bitter flavors enter the lungs and large intestine |
| Medicine-Food Homology | Many fruits are both food and medicine, embodying the Chinese medical tradition of "embedding medicine within food," which parallels the modern concept of "functional foods" |
| Emesis Method | One of the eight methods in Chinese medicine; uses emetic-inducing substances (such as melon pedicel) to expel pathogenic factors from above, suitable for phlegm-fluid or retained food stagnating in the chest and diaphragm |
| Securing the Intestines and Arresting Diarrhea | Using sour-astringent medicinals to astringe and bind the intestines, applied in chronic diarrhea and prolonged dysentery. In the Fruits Section, pomegranate rind, dark mume, and acorn all belong to this category |
| Descending Qi and Arresting Cough | Using bitter-descending substances to bring rebellious lung qi downward, thereby arresting cough and calming wheezing. Apricot kernel, loquat leaf, and ginkgo are representative |
| Divided-Part Medication | Different parts of the same plant—fruit, kernel, leaf, flower, bark, root—are used separately with differing natures, flavors, and effects, reflecting ancient refined knowledge of plant anatomy |
This content is based on classical Chinese medical texts and is provided solely for traditional cultural study and appreciation. It does not constitute any medical diagnosis, medication, or therapeutic recommendation. Please consult a physician promptly if you experience discomfort.