Chinese herbal medicine Acidum Fructus is the dried mature fruit of the plant Acidum Fructus, also known as Acidum Caulis, Acidum Fructus, Xintongzi, or Xiansuan Guo. The branches, leaves, or roots of Acidum Fructus are known as Acidum Caulis in traditional Chinese medicine, and both have the effect of converging and stopping bleeding.
Image of Acidum Fructus
【Morphological Characteristics of Acidum Fructus】
Chinese medicine believes that Acidum Fructus has the effects of nourishing blood, converging, and stopping bleeding, and is commonly used for blood deficiency and gum bleeding.
Acidum Fructus, also known as Acidum Fructus, is a climbing shrub or vine. The fruit is spherical, with a diameter of about 5mm, and the glandular dots are not obvious. It flowers from December to March of the following year, and the fruit ripens from April to June.
Acidum Fructus grows in grasslands, shrubs, or under forests at an altitude of 100-1800m, and is distributed in Jiangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan, and other places.
The berries are spherical and red or purple-black when ripe. When dried, they turn dark brown and have a diameter of 5-6mm. They are smooth, with longitudinal wrinkles and a few glandular dots. It has a mild aroma and a sour and sweet taste.
The leaves of Acidum Caulis are often curled, and when flattened, they are inverted egg-shaped to elliptical, 3-5.5cm long and 1-2.5cm wide. The apex is blunt or slightly concave, the base is wedge-shaped, the margin is entire, and the lateral veins are not obvious.
The petiole is short, about 5-8mm long. Sometimes small cylindrical branches can be seen, with varying lengths and purplish-brown color. It has a mild aroma and a sour taste.
Image of Acidum Fructus
【Nutritional Value of Acidum Fructus】
Immature Acidum Fructus is green in color and very sour to taste, so it is generally not edible. However, when Acidum Fructus is ripe, it turns blood red and has a sour-sweet taste, which is very delicious.
It is understood that Acidum Fructus contains rich vitamin C and anthocyanins, which are beneficial to the body when consumed in moderation and have the effects of delaying aging and beauty.
However, due to the improvement of living conditions in rural areas, more and more people are unfamiliar with this wild fruit. Therefore, Acidum Fructus is now rarely regarded as a wild fruit, but more as a medicinal herb.
The fruit, leaves, and roots of Acidum Fructus can all be used as medicine. The fruit has the function of strengthening and nourishing the blood, and the leaves have the effects of dispersing stasis, relieving pain, and treating injuries and swelling.
In addition to these values, it is also used as a veterinary medicine in folk medicine. When cattle have fever, they can be fed Acidum Fructus leaves.
Image of Acidum Fructus
【Medicinal Applications of Acidum Fructus】
Formula 1: Vermifuge Powder
100g of iron club, 550g of Acidum Fructus, 200g of Hexuanzi, 100g of Muxiang, 100g of Zangchangpu, and 50g of musk. Except for musk, grind the six medicinal ingredients into fine powder, sift, and mix with musk powder.
It has the effect of expelling parasites and is used for head worms, tooth worms, internal parasites, roundworms, and skin parasites, etc. It has a special effect on malarial worms and malarial intestinal colic. Take it with boiling water.
Formula 2: Seven-Ingredient Acidum Fructus Powder
Acidum Fructus, Awei, purple ore, garlic, Tianxianzi, cardamom, and Guangzao, etc. Grind them into fine powder. Boil and take the juice of Qianghuo, which can treat heartworm disease.
Formula 3: Compound Acidum Fructus Hemorrhoid Capsules
95g of Hexuanzi, 47g of Acidum Fructus, 47g of Duanwei Tielian, 47g of dried ginger, 47g of Zhixiaomuzi, 47g of small spicy pepper. It has the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, cooling blood, and reducing swelling. It is used for hemorrhoids and swelling caused by damp heat and blood stasis in the large intestine.
