Shan Zha
StarCrataegus pinnatifida Bge. var. major N.E.Br.
☯ TCM Properties
Promotes Digestion and Resolves Food Stagnation; Invigorates Blood and Dispels Stasis; Moves Qi and Alleviates Pain; Transforms Turbidity and Lowers Lipids
Traditional Chinese Uses
Shan Zha (hawthorn fruit) is the most important digestive herb in Chinese medicine for food stagnation — particularly from overconsumption of meat and fatty foods. It moves Blood, disperses clots, and relieves pain in addition to its digestive role, making it useful for postpartum abdominal pain and menstrual irregularity from Blood stagnation. Modern Chinese medicine also widely uses hawthorn for cardiovascular support, including elevated blood lipids and early-stage hypertension.
Western Herbalism Properties
Botanical Description
Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge (Rosaceae), known as Chinese hawthorn or shan zha, is a deciduous tree or large shrub native to northern China, Korea and the Russian Far East, reaching 6 to 9 meters tall with a rounded crown and few or no thorns in the cultivated form (var. major). The bark is gray-brown and shallowly fissured. The leaves are alternate, broadly ovate, 5 to 10 cm long, distinctively pinnately lobed with three to five pairs of deep, sharply toothed lobes and a pair of leaf-like stipules at the base of the petiole. White, five-petalled flowers about 1.5 cm across are borne in many-flowered, flat-topped terminal corymbs in spring. The fruit, ripening in autumn, is a globose to slightly pear-shaped pome 2 to 3 cm across, bright red with small pale lenticels, containing three to five stony nutlets in a mealy, sour-sweet flesh. The ripe fruits, sliced and dried, constitute Shan Zha in Chinese medicine.
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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