The efficacy and function of hawthorn

In daily life, people are not only very familiar with various foods, but also come into contact with a lot of medicines in daily life. Among them, Quercus chinensis is a relatively common Chinese medicinal material. Given that there are still many people who don’t know much about Quercus chinensis, let’s take a detailed look at it below.

[Other names] Plum (The Book of Songs), Manzha, Itchy Hawthorn (Supplement to Compendium of Materia Medica), Pear (Bi Ya), Begonia (Flora of Guangzhou), and Papaya (Compilation of Medicinal Materials).

[Source] It is the fruit of the Rosaceae plant Crataegus pinnatifida . The ripe fruits are picked in October and November, cut longitudinally into 2 or 4 pieces, and dried in the sun with the inner surface facing upward.

[Original form] Deciduous shrub or tree, up to about 10 meters high. The twigs are thornless and hairy when young. The leaves are simple and alternate, elliptic-ovate, or oblong, or obovate, 5-8 cm long, 3-5 cm wide, with sharp apex, cuneate base, finely serrated margin, glandular teeth at the end of the teeth, glabrous above, densely covered with light brown hairs when young, hairy below or becoming bald later, with glands on both sides of the petiole and the margins of the stipules; the stipules are lanceolate, membranous, and fall off early. The flowers are solitary at the ends of branches, blooming at the same time as leaves or before leaves, with a diameter of about 3 cm; the calyx has 5 lobes, the lobes are ovate-lanceolate, 8-10 mm long, curled outward, hairy on the inside, with fine serrations on the edges, and glands on the tips of the teeth; the petals are light pink, obovate-elliptical, about 15 mm long, rounded or slightly concave at the apex, and slightly wavy on the edges; there are many stamens; the ovary has 5 chambers, and there are 5 styles. The pear fruit is oblong or obovate, 10 to 15 cm long, yellow, fragrant, and has hard flesh. The seeds are flat, triangular, dark brown. Flowering period is from April to May. The fruiting period is from September to October.

【Habitat distribution】 Cultivated or wild. Distributed in Jiangsu, Shandong, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei, Yunnan, Guangxi, Gansu and other places.

[Properties] The dried fruit is oblong, often semi-ovate when sectioned longitudinally, 5-10 cm long, 3.5-4.5 cm wide, and 2-2.5 cm thick. The outer surface is smooth and wrinkle-free or slightly rough, purple-red in color, sometimes with a fruit stalk, with a calyx depression at the top, non-curled or slightly curled edges, thick flesh, and hard and heavy texture. The cross section is flat, with locule septa and dry seeds. The seeds are flat triangular, reddish brown, and tightly arranged. There are 20 to 30 seeds in each chamber. It tastes sour and astringent, with a faint smell. The larger the size and the purple-red color, the better.

【Nature and flavor】 Sour, flat.

【Functions and indications】 Eliminate phlegm and eliminate rheumatism. Treats nausea, heartburn, vomiting, diarrhea, dysentery, rheumatism, and muscle and bone pains.

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoct in water, 1 to 3 qian.

[Remarks] This product is used as papaya in some areas of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Anhui, Shandong, Henan, Yunnan, Guangxi, Gansu and other places, and its trade name is "smooth-skinned papaya". See the entry for papaya.

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

[Source] From "Bencao Jing Jizhu"; 1. "Bencao Jing Jizhu": Hawthorn is large and yellow and can be eaten with wine.

The above are some little knowledge about Hawthorn. If you feel it is suitable for your physical condition, you might as well give it a try. I believe it will bring about a significant improvement to your body.