☯ TCM Properties
Regulates Qi, relieves the Middle Jiao, descends Qi and stops epigastric pain; Kills intestinal parasites
Traditional Chinese Uses
Suo Luo Zi (Fructus/Semen Aesculi) is the seed of the Chinese horse-chestnut or buckeye, Aesculus chinensis. Sweet and warm, entering the Liver and Stomach channels, it is a Qi-regulating herb that spreads constrained Liver Qi and harmonizes the Stomach. It is used chiefly for Liver-Stomach disharmony with Qi stagnation: distending pain of the chest, hypochondrium, epigastrium and abdomen, belching, and poor appetite, and it descends Qi to relieve epigastric pain and fullness.
It is classically noted that a single buckeye seed can ease stubborn epigastric pain, and it is often combined with Qi-movers such as Xiang Fu, Yu Jin or Chuan Lian Zi. Some texts add that it kills intestinal parasites. It is decocted or powdered. Because it is warm and moving, it is used with care where there is marked Yin deficiency with Heat.
Botanical Description
Aesculus chinensis Bunge (Chinese horse-chestnut) is a deciduous tree in the Sapindaceae (formerly Hippocastanaceae), 10-25 m tall, native to northern and central China and traditionally planted around temples and palaces. The trunk has greyish-brown, longitudinally fissured bark and bears a broadly rounded crown. Leaves are opposite, long-petiolate, and palmately compound with 5-7 oblanceolate to obovate leaflets 8-25 cm long, finely serrate at the margins, glabrous and dark green above and somewhat pubescent on the veins beneath. In late spring the tree produces showy upright terminal panicles 20-30 cm long of small whitish flowers with four spreading petals. The fruit is a thick-walled, smooth or warty pyriform capsule 4-6 cm across, splitting at maturity to release one to three large, glossy, chestnut-brown seeds with a pale broad scar ("eye").
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 3-9g | 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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