According to traditional Chinese medicine, Ka Kou is a warm and drying herb that can dispel cold. It not only has the effects of tonifying the spleen and stomach, dispelling cold and stopping diarrhea, but can also be used as a spice to enhance the flavor. Let's take a look at the benefits and usage of Ka Kou!
【Recommended Usage of Ka Kou】
Ka Kou, also known as Jia Sha Ren or Gui Sha Ren, is the seed of the perennial plant Ka Kou. It is usually harvested between August and November each year and dried for use as a spice. It can enhance flavor, remove odors, and have various other effects.
Ka Kou can warm and dry the body, dispel phlegm and malaria, and tonify the spleen and warm the stomach. It is used for cold and painful abdomen, bloating and fullness in the chest and abdomen, intermittent phlegm accumulation, indigestion, vomiting, and diarrhea. It also has the function of appetizing and is often used as a seasoning.
Ka Kou can remove the fishy and strange smell of poultry such as beef and lamb, and enhance the aroma of dishes. It can be used together with cardamom or as a substitute in Sichuan-style cold braised dishes to remove odors, enhance flavor, prevent spoilage, and stimulate appetite.
【Identification of Ka Kou】
The capsule is oval, elliptical, or olive-shaped, 1.5-3cm long and 1-2cm in diameter. It is yellow-brown or reddish-brown, with slightly pointed ends, thick and without thorns, with raised longitudinal ridges, and cracked into brown lines, exposing the seeds.
The seeds are irregularly polygonal, gray-brown or brownish-brown, with a white false seed coat. They have a short stem and a weak aroma and a slightly pungent taste.
The fruit is spherical, 1.5-2cm in diameter, with a yellowish-brown to light brown surface, a near cylindrical rare calyx at the top, and a pedicel or pedicel scar at the base. The fruit skin is smooth, easily broken, and contains seed clusters. It has a pleasant aroma and a pungent and cool taste.
【Application of Ka Kou in Prescriptions】
Dispelling cold and stopping diarrhea:
Indications: Weakness of the spleen and stomach, lack of appetite caused by dampness, depression, and cold stagnation, nausea, and pain in the epigastrium.
Treatment of stomach cold, abdominal pain, vomiting, pale lips and tongue, clear saliva, and loss of appetite (equivalent to certain types of acute gastritis and peptic ulcers). It can be used with 6g of this herb, along with 6g of Wu Zhu Yu, Yan Hu Suo, Gao Liang Jiang, Xiang Fu, decocted in water and taken orally to dispel cold, relieve pain, and stop vomiting.
Treatment of chronic diarrhea caused by deficiency and cold:
Example prescription: Ka Dou Kou Tang: Decoct 3g of Ka Kou, 3g of Mu Xiang, 2.4g of He Zi, 9g of Tian Qin, and 9g of Huo Tan Mu, and take orally.
