Jujube kernel is a common Chinese medicinal material. The earliest documented use of it can be traced back to the Shennong Bencao Jing in the Han Dynasty.
Common ways of eating it include brewing and cooking it into "jujube kernel soup, jujube kernel tea, and nourishing tea", which have the effects of calming the mind, nourishing the heart, and promoting sweating and producing body fluids. Fresh and dried jujube kernels are also rich in dietary fiber, which can help gastrointestinal digestion.
The Golden Guide to Essentials states: "When the liver blood is sufficient and the soul can stay in the body, one will sleep peacefully at night." The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine states: "The Wei Qi cannot enter the Yin and always stays in the Yang. If it stays in the Yang, the Yang Qi will be full, and if the Yang Qi is full, the Yang Qi will be strong. If it cannot enter the Yin, the Yin Qi will be deficient, so it is said that one cannot sleep peacefully."
People who are usually too tired have insufficient liver blood in their bodies, and their souls cannot stay in their bodies. Because the liver is a rigid organ, it contains the fire element, and the deficiency of yin blood causes internal heat. The deficiency heat disturbs the mind and makes it restless, so "deficiency and restlessness make it difficult to sleep" occurs. This kind of insomnia means that you are clearly very tired, but you can't sleep.
Based on the Five Elements, the liver belongs to wood and the heart belongs to fire. The liver wood can generate the heart fire. When the liver blood is insufficient, the wood cannot generate fire, and the heart fire is not nourished, which will cause palpitations and anxiety.
When the liver yin is insufficient, the yin cannot restrain the yang and "liver yang rises", and the yang rises and the wind moves along the liver meridian to disturb the head, so dizziness occurs.
Yin deficiency in the body generates internal heat, and the virtual fire rises, so the mouth is dry and parched. When Yin blood is insufficient, Yin deficiency causes internal heat, and it is easy to sweat, have a red tongue, and have a thin and stringy pulse. These are all symptoms of liver blood deficiency and Yin deficiency internal heat.
The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine mentions the treatment principles of "replenishing the deficiency" and "benefiting the damage". Since the liver blood is insufficient and the deficiency heat is disturbing, it is necessary to "nourish the blood and replenish the liver, clear away heat and eliminate restlessness, and calm the mind and soothe the nerves".
3 benefits of sour jujube kernels
Chinese ancestors discovered the unique effects of jujube kernels very early. With the help of modern science, scientists have discovered that the effects of jujube kernels come from jujube kernel saponins and flavonoids.
Jujube kernel saponins have a wide range of health benefits including helping with mood, fighting anxiety, fighting depression, and even preventing disease.
According to the "Taiwan Chinese Pharmacopoeia 4th Edition", Ziziphus jujuba seed is one of the important ingredients of "tranquilizer" and has the effect of nourishing the heart and calming the nerves.
Regarding modern scientific research on jujube kernels, the following is a selection of relevant domestic and foreign literature, summarizing the three common effects of jujube kernels and jujube kernel soup:
1. Anti-anxiety, calming
Jujube kernels have good anti-anxiety and calming effects, and their efficacy is widely recognized by both Chinese and Western medicine.
In some areas, jujube kernel extract is considered one of the important sedatives.
Why can sour jujube kernels help fight anxiety?
Because the "jujube kernel saponins and flavonoids" in the jujube kernel can cause changes in neurotransmitters in the brain, it can achieve the effects of soothing nerves, anti-anxiety, and anti-depression. However, scientists have not yet fully understood the details of the sedative effect of jujube kernels, and more research is still needed to verify it.
According to an animal experiment in 2000, mice were observed to take jujube kernel extract orally, and it was found that jujube kernel can produce calming and anxiety-reducing effects. It is even as effective as some anti-anxiety drugs.
It was also found that the sedative effect of jujube kernel extract would produce a strengthened synergistic effect with certain serotonin drugs (such as 5-HTP).
2. Helps you sleep
In an animal experiment, "jujube kernel saponins" can help increase sleep quality from 20% to 90%; in another study, it was found that high doses of jujube kernel extract can prolong the sleep time caused by anesthesia during surgical operations.
But can jujube kernels really help with sleep effectively?
Scientists currently agree that the calming effect of jujube kernels may be the reason for helping people sleep. It may be more effective for insomnia caused by anxiety.
In addition, to date, there have been no clinical trials on humans using jujube kernels to help with sleep, and there is even less evidence that they can help with sleep.
3. Other effects
Jujube kernels have many other potential health benefits that have attracted much attention:
Antioxidant: Jujube kernels are rich in antioxidants and have a wide range of health benefits, including benefits for the liver, cardiovascular system, and immune system.
Help digestion: The natural compounds in sour jujube kernels can help gastrointestinal motility.
Lowering blood sugar: Jujube kernels have a high concentration of vitamin A, which increases the secretion of insulin, lowers blood sugar, and helps prevent diabetes and metabolic diseases.
Jujube kernel saponins and flavonoids are the main sources of health benefits.
Side effects of sour jujube kernel
Jujube kernel is a relatively mild health-care ingredient with few side effects.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, the recommended dosage of jujube kernel is 3-18 grams of dry powder, taken 2 to 3 times a day. There are also a few points to note:
1. Jujube kernel soup
The traditional way to eat sour jujube kernels is to brew them into "sour jujube kernel tea" with hot water or boil them into "sour jujube kernel soup".
According to the Chinese medicine recipe of "Ren Zhai Zhi Zhi", the formula of "Yang Xin Tang" is as follows:
3g (1 liang) of Astragalus root roasted with honey
3g of Poria cocos (1 liang)
3g of Poria cocos (1 liang)
3g (1 liang) of Angelica sinensis washed with wine
3g of Chuanxiong (1 liang)
3g of Pinellia tuber koji (one liang)
Roasted licorice root 1g (one yuan)
2g of degreased pine nuts (2.5 yuan)
2g fried sour jujube kernels (2.5 yuan)
2g Schisandra chinensis (2.5 yuan)
2g of fried Yuanzhi (remove the core of the herb) (2.5 yuan)
2 grams of ginseng (2.5 yuan)
2 grams of cinnamon (2.5 yuan)
Sour jujube kernel soup and nourishing heart soup can help nourish the heart and replenish blood, calm the mind and stabilize the spirit. They are mainly used to treat insufficient heart blood, restlessness, insomnia and excessive dreaming.
2. Pregnant women should avoid eating sour jujube kernels
Jujube kernels are natural plant sources. Compared with many "sleeping pills and anti-anxiety drugs", they have fewer side effects and lower dependence, and are relatively mild and harmless to the body.
However, two studies in 2004 and 2010 found that:
Date foods (including sour date kernels) may have anti-fertility effects
In experiments, feeding pregnant female mice a date diet rich in polyphenols and flavonoids appeared to reduce ovarian weight and suppress the estrous cycle.
Although this is just an animal experiment and cannot be inferred to pregnant women, it is still recommended that female friends who are "planning to get pregnant in the near future" avoid consuming sour jujube kernels and sour jujube kernel soup.
Different causes of insomnia require different Chinese medicine prescriptions for different constitutions
In fact, Jujube Seed Soup is a Chinese medicine, and since it is a medicine, it cannot be taken randomly. Chinese medicine doctor Wu Jiandong said that when Chinese medicine doctors treat diseases, they do not simply prescribe a prescription for insomnia as soon as they see the symptoms of insomnia, and let the patient take it to improve sleep!
There are many theories and mechanisms behind insomnia. Each person has a different constitution, and the factors that cause insomnia are different. The reactions to drugs are also different. Therefore, personalized prescriptions will be given according to each person's different conditions, and the drugs taken by each person are slightly different. This is the spirit of "differential diagnosis and treatment", which is also the core value of traditional Chinese medicine.
For example, the indications of sour jujube kernel soup are "feeling irritable and insomniac, palpitations and frequent dreams, and excessive sweating due to weakness". It is mainly aimed at insomnia patients who "overuse their brains", and the symptoms are usually inconsistent with those of patients who have been taking sleeping pills for many years to fall asleep. Simply put, the medicine is not used for the right symptoms, and the effect of using this prescription may not be as expected.
Many organ disorders can cause insomnia, including liver, heart, spleen, kidney, etc. Different body constitutions can cause different insomnias. Some people have excessive fire energy and deficiency of vital energy, while others have deficiency of yin, etc. In addition, some diseases can also cause insomnia, such as chronic rhinitis, indigestion, prostate hypertrophy, menopausal syndrome, etc.
Huangdi Neijing Suwen mentioned: "Liver is the root of the end, the residence of the soul... It produces blood and qi, and its taste is sour", so the prescription uses a lot of sour jujube seeds, which are mild in nature and sour in taste. They enter the heart and liver meridians, nourish the liver blood, and calm the mind. Mingyi Bielu proposed that sour jujube seeds "treat restlessness and insomnia... sweating and thirst, nourish the middle, and benefit the liver qi".
Poria cocos is sweet and mild in nature, and enters the heart, spleen, and kidney meridians. The Rihuazi Bencao states that it can "replenish the seven injuries caused by deficiency, fatigue, and injury...it can open up the mind, improve intelligence, stop forgetfulness, and calm the mind." Poria cocos is paired with sour jujube kernel to enhance the effect of calming the mind.
Huangdi Neijing Suwen mentioned: "When the liver wants to disperse, eat spicy food to disperse it, use spicy food to nourish it, and sour food to purge it." The spicy, warm and aromatic nature of Sichuan peony root is used to enter the liver meridian to regulate the qi and relieve liver qi. It is combined with sour jujube kernel to use sour and spicy food to disperse it, which complement each other and have the wonderful effects of nourishing blood, regulating the liver and calming the mind.
"Compendium of Materia Medica" mentions that "Chuanxiong is a blood-qi medicine. It can replenish the liver with pungent taste, so it is suitable for those with blood deficiency. It can disperse the qi, so it is suitable for those with depressed qi."
Anemarrhena asphodeloides is bitter, sweet and cold in nature. It enters the lung, stomach and kidney meridians. The "Bencao Gangmu" states that it "moistens the heart and lungs, replenishes deficiency, calms the mind and stops palpitations". The "Jingyue Quanshu" says that it "can remove heat and preserve yin, which is the so-called nourishing yin" and is "an essential medicine for nourishing yin and reducing fire".
Licorice can not only replenish the middle qi, but also strengthen the spleen when combined with Poria cocos, and nourish the liver yin and relieve liver urgency when combined with sour jujube kernel. It can also relieve the pungent and dryness of Chuanxiong and prevent it from excessively dispersing liver qi. The whole formula can nourish blood and calm the mind, clear away heat and eliminate restlessness, and can cure symptoms of restlessness, insomnia and palpitations.
This recipe originated from the Han Dynasty's "Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases", which has a profound impact on the application of blood-nourishing, liver-regulating and mind-calming methods in later generations!
Both Sour Jujube Seed Soup and Guipi Soup have the effect of nourishing blood and calming the mind, and are used to treat insomnia and palpitations caused by insufficient heart blood. Sour Jujube Seed Soup uses the sour taste of jujube seeds to nourish blood and calm the mind, and is mainly used to treat insomnia caused by insufficient liver blood and internal fire disturbing the mind.
Guipi Decoction is used to treat deficiency of both the heart and spleen, with the emphasis on the spleen, making the spleen strong and the production of qi and blood active, replenishing both qi and blood, with the emphasis on replenishing qi and the intention of producing blood.
"Tianwang Buxin Dan" is also a similar prescription, which makes heavy use of raw Rehmannia root, and is combined with Erdong and Scrophularia, etc. to nourish yin and clear heat, and is matched with a large number of blood-nourishing and mind-soothing products. It is mainly used to treat deficiency of yin and blood in the heart and kidney, and internal disturbance of virtual fire, resulting in insomnia accompanied by hot hands and feet, red tongue with little coating, and a thin and rapid pulse.
Add or subtract: If the patient is restless and cannot sleep, it is due to liver blood deficiency and severe internal heat due to yin deficiency. Combine Erzhi Pills or add Radix Rehmanniae, Scrophulariae, White Peony Root, etc. to nourish blood, nourish yin and clear heat. If the patient also has severe sweating, add Schisandrae Chinensis, White Peony Root, and Wheat Herb to calm the mind and stop sweating.
For those with severe palpitations, add dragon tooth, tortoise shell, mother of pearl, etc. to calm nerves. For those with palpitations and frequent dreams, occasional awakenings, pale tongue, and thin and stringy pulse, which are caused by deficiency of heart and gallbladder qi, add dangshen and dragon tooth to replenish qi and calm nerves. For those with depression and severe insomnia, add sweet wheat and jujube soup with night clover and julibrissin bark to relieve liver and calm nerves, or add julibrissin flowers, night clover, calamus, tulips, etc. to relieve depression and calm nerves, and the therapeutic effect will be better.
Sour jujube kernel soup is now used to treat neurasthenia, hypertension, cardiac neurosis, paroxysmal tachycardia, menopausal syndrome, mental disorders (depression, anxious neurosis, schizophrenia delusional disorder), and patients with blood deficiency in the heart and liver, and internal disturbance of deficiency heat can use this prescription with modifications for treatment.
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