Half-month talk on Chinese medicine | Cornus officinalis

· Interesting stories ·

Wang Ji, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, wrote in his poem “After Eating” that chewing some kudzu flowers can help relieve drunkenness, and eating some cornus officinalis powder is also very delicious. After a full meal, we can chat happily. What a blessing it is to be in a prosperous era!

"The kudzu flower dispels the poison of alcohol, and the cornus calyx makes soup fragrant. I fill my stomach and enjoy myself, knowing that I will be prosperous in the world."

A Tang Dynasty poem makes people understand immediately that Cornus officinalis is also a delicious wild fruit that can be eaten.

It should be noted that Cornus officinalis is also a good medicine for curing diseases. "Medicinal Date" is its alias. It has long been listed among the 365 medicines in "Shennong's Herbal Classic" and classified as a medium-grade medicine.

Cornus officinalis is the daughter of the mountains. In February and March of the spring, its flower buds sprout earlier than its leaf buds, and clusters of yellow flowers bloom on the branches. When autumn comes, it shows people a tree full of bright red fruits! If you pick a bunch and put it in your temples, it is better than fresh flowers! The ancient custom of inserting dogwood on September 9th should include Cornus officinalis. As for the special highlight of the word "mountain" in its name, it is obviously to emphasize that its habitat is most closely related to the mountain. The real reason for the name, even the erudite Li Shizhen was confused: "I don't know why it was named this way."

Cornus officinalis is shade-tolerant, but it also likes plenty of sunlight. It grows naturally in the middle and lower parts of the hillside. Its fruit is too small, so the ancients called it "Shu jujube" or "meat jujube". When used as medicine, it was initially used with the core, but it was gradually discovered that the tonic effect of using only the pulp was better, so the core was removed and only the pulp was used. The medicinal material of Cornus officinalis can also be specifically called "Cornus meat".

Liuwei Dihuang Wan is the most well-known Chinese patent medicine. Its six-flavor medicine composition is composed of three tonics and three laxatives, and Cornus officinalis is one of the tonics. It has the function of nourishing the liver and kidneys, and can astringe and consolidate.

Zhang Xichun, a famous doctor in modern times, used Cornus officinalis to treat severe and critical illnesses. He once treated a young man who was "smoky-skinned". The young man had a cold, and other doctors prescribed him a medicine to relieve the symptoms. After taking the medicine, he felt slightly better, but a day later, he suddenly broke out in cold sweats, palpitations, and felt that he could not breathe. His family was terrified and quickly invited Zhang Xichun. Zhang Xichun diagnosed that the patient's pulse was weak and rootless on both hands, which was obviously a manifestation of deficiency syndrome. The patient's body had not recovered and was facing the risk of Qi deficiency. For this dangerous sign of collapse, astringent drugs must be used immediately and Qi must be replenished at the same time. So Zhang Xichun asked the patient's family to quickly buy "Four liang of Cornus officinalis and Five qian of Ginseng". After buying it, he first boiled two liang (100 grams) of Cornus officinalis into a decoction for the patient to take. Soon the patient's heart and Qi were stabilized, the sweating stopped, and the breathing gradually returned to normal. Zhang Xichun boiled the remaining cornus officinalis into a decoction, cut the ginseng into small pieces, and asked the patient to take the ginseng with the decoction. After taking it, the patient's symptoms disappeared. This is a successful case of using a heavy dose of cornus officinalis to treat a critical collapse.

Foping in Hanzhong, Shaanxi, Linqi in Chun'an, Zhejiang, and Xixia in Nanyang, Henan are famous production areas of Cornus officinalis. By planting Cornus officinalis, they provide high-quality Chinese medicinal materials and pave the way for farmers in mountainous areas to get rich.

· Source of medicinal materials ·

The dried mature pulp of the Cornus officinalis plant of the Cornaceae family. The fruits are harvested when the peel turns red in late autumn and early winter, baked over a low heat or slightly blanched in boiling water, and the pits are removed in time and dried.

· Nature and flavor ·

It tastes sour and astringent, is slightly warm in nature, and acts on the liver and kidney meridians.

· Efficacy and indications·

Nourishes the liver and kidneys, astringes semen and stops loss of essence.

It is suitable for vertigo and tinnitus, soreness of waist and knees, impotence and spermatorrhea, enuresis and frequent urination, metrorrhagia and leukorrhea, profuse sweating and collapse, internal heat and thirst.

· Usage and Dosage·

For internal use: decoction, 6-12 g.

· Diet therapy recommendation ·

Cornus officinalis porridge

Ingredients: 10 grams of Cornus officinalis, 50 grams of polished rice, and appropriate amount of white sugar.

Preparation method: Wash the cornus fruit and cook it into porridge with the glutinous rice in a casserole. When the porridge is almost cooked, add sugar and cook for a while.

Usage: Eat for breakfast and dinner.

This cornus officinalis pulp porridge has the nourishing effect of nourishing the liver and kidneys, astringing semen and sweating, and is suitable for weak people. It can be used as a dietary prescription, especially for those who suffer from dizziness, tinnitus, backache, spermatorrhea, enuresis, frequent urination, and leukorrhea due to liver and kidney deficiency. When selected for specific diseases, a course of treatment can be three to five days, and the medicine can be stopped after the effect is achieved. It can be taken intermittently on a daily basis to adjust the physical condition or consolidate the therapeutic effect.

Note: Not suitable for people with hot constitution.

· Kind tips·

Cornus officinalis has the effects of warming, nourishing and astringing. Therefore, Chinese medicine clinical practice emphasizes that it should not be used by people with burning fire in the life gate or who suffer from dampness and heat, or difficult urination.