White Ji Li is a Chinese herbal medicine with strong medicinal properties, used to treat some difficult-to-cure diseases. What else do you know about the medicinal herb White Ji Li? Let's take a look together with the editor!
White Ji Li
Formed by the aggregation of five small fruits, it is a pentagonal shape with a diameter of 0.6-1cm.
Some split into single fruit segments, which are dance-shaped, with a green-white or gray-white surface, raised with many reticulations and small thorns, and symmetrical long and short thorns on the back.
It is hard in texture and prickly. The cut surface shows white or yellow-white oily seeds. It is odorless, bitter, and pungent in taste.
The best quality is uniform, full, and solid, with a gray-white color.
Preparation Method of White Ji Li
Remove impurities from the raw White Ji Li.
Fried Ji Li: Put the cleaned Ji Li in a pan and fry it over low heat until it turns slightly yellow. Take it out and let it cool. Then, place 1-2 copper coins on the grinding stone, and grind the Ji Li to remove the hard thorns. Sieve out the thorn debris and remove the stem impurities.
Salted Ji Li: Take the thornless Ji Li and mix it with saltwater (3kg of salt per 100kg of Ji Li, dissolved and clarified with appropriate amount of boiling water). Let it sit until thoroughly moistened, then fry it in a pan over low heat until it turns slightly yellow. Take it out and sun-dry it.
After frying, the medicinal properties of White Ji Li are mild. It can not only calm the liver but also tonify the kidneys, and it is easy to remove thorns and crush.
Usage of White Ji Li
1. Calming the liver and relieving depression: Used for liver yang hyperactivity, with symptoms of headache, dizziness, irritability, restless sleep. White Ji Li can be used together with Mulberry Leaf, Chrysanthemum Flower, Hedyotis Diffusa, and Uncaria Rhynchophylla.
2. Promoting Qi circulation and activating blood: Used for lower abdominal distension and pain. White Ji Li can be used together with Evodia Fruit, Paeoniae Radix Alba, Melia Toosendan, and Cyperus Rotundus.
3. Used for liver heat affecting the eyes: With symptoms of red eyes, excessive tearing, congested and painful white part of the eye, light sensitivity. White Ji Li can be used together with Mulberry Leaf, Chrysanthemum Flower, Vaccaria Seed, Forsythia Suspensa, and Licorice Root.
4. Used for discomfort in the chest and hypochondrium, and blocked milk flow: If it is caused by liver qi stagnation, White Ji Li can be used together with Qing Pi, Citrus Leaf, and Curcuma.
Contraindications of White Ji Li
White Ji Li should not be used together with Sha Yuan Zi, also known as Tuan Ji Li or Sha Yuan Ji Li. Sha Yuan Zi is the seed of Astragalus complanatus, a legume plant, which tonifies the kidneys, consolidates essence, and nourishes the liver and improves eyesight. It should not be mixed with White Ji Li.
