The efficacy and function of European plum

Chinese medicine has different effects on our body and can regulate our body. Today we will introduce a Chinese medicine: European plum. What are its specific effects and functions? Let’s take a look.

【English name】 Semen Pruni Humilis

【Other names】 Mountain plum, small plum kernel

[Source] It is the seeds of Prunus humilis Bunge, a plant of the Rosaceae family. Harvest the ripe fruits in summer and autumn, remove the pulp and shell, take out the seeds and dry them.

[Original form] Deciduous shrub, 1 to 1.5 meters high. The bark is gray-brown and the twigs are pubescent. Leaves are alternate, oblong or elliptic-lanceolate, 2.5-5 cm long, 1-2 cm wide, pointed at the tip, with shallow serrations on the edges, and scattered short soft hairs along the main veins on the underside; stipules are linear and fall off early. The flowers and leaves bloom at the same time, solitary or in pairs, with sparse, short, soft pedicels; 5 sepals, reflexed after flowering; 5 petals, white or pink; many stamens; 1 carpel. The drupe is nearly spherical, about 1.5 cm in diameter, bright red when ripe, flowering from April to May, and fruiting from May to June.

[Habitat distribution] Growing on barren mountain slopes or beside sand dunes. The main producing areas are Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Hebei and Shandong.

[Properties] The seeds are oval, 5-8 mm long and 3-5 mm in diameter. The surface is yellowish white or light brown, with one end pointed and the other blunt. There is a linear hilum on one side of the tip, a dark chalaza in the center of the round end, and multiple longitudinal vascular veins running upward from the chalaza. The seed coat is thin, the cotyledons are milky white and rich in oil. The taste is slightly bitter.

【Chemical composition】 Contains amygdalin, fatty oil, saponin, etc.

【Function and indications】 Same as Prunus mume

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

This is all I have to say about the effects of European plum. I hope it will be helpful to you. Although the value of European plum is very high, we must be cautious when eating it.