Su Ya (Gu Ya)
StarSetaria italica (L.) P.Beauv.
Synonyms: Panicum italicum L.
☯ TCM Properties
Reduces Food Stagnation, strengthens and opens the Stomach and h armonizes the Center; Strengthens the Spleen and encourages the appetite
Traditional Chinese Uses
Fructus Setariae Germinatus (Su Ya / Gu Ya) is the sprouted grain of foxtail millet Setaria italica, a sweet, warm herb that relieves food stagnation and enters the Spleen and Stomach channels. It gently reduces accumulation of starchy and grain foods, harmonizes the middle burner, and strengthens the Spleen to restore appetite, making it one of the mildest digestive herbs in the materia medica. It is favored for chronic poor appetite and indigestion rooted in Spleen deficiency, and is well suited to children, the elderly, and those recovering from illness whose digestion is fragile. It is usually decocted about 10-15 g (larger for stronger effect) and commonly combined with Mai Ya (barley sprout) to reinforce its action, or with Shan Zha and Shen Qu for broader food stagnation. It is distinct from Dao Ya, the rice sprout of Oryza sativa.
Botanical Description
Su Ya (also Gu Ya, 粟芽) is the sprouted, dried ripe grain of foxtail millet, Setaria italica (L.) P.Beauv. (Poaceae), an annual cereal grass cultivated throughout China and temperate Eurasia. The plant forms erect, tufted culms 0.6-1.5 m tall with flat linear leaves and a dense, bristly, cylindrical panicle bearing numerous one-flowered spikelets that mature into small rounded to ovoid yellow, orange or reddish caryopses about 1-2 mm across. To prepare the drug, cleaned mature grain is steeped in water until uniformly imbibed, then germinated in warm, moist conditions until the radicle reaches 2-5 mm, and dried. The malted grain reduces food stagnation, opens and harmonizes the Stomach, strengthens the Spleen and encourages appetite.
Cultivated as a cereal on dry farmland; wild progenitor (green foxtail) grows on disturbed, open ground.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 6-12g | Daily | — | — | — |
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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