The efficacy and function of Mingzha

As a very common Chinese medicinal material in daily life, Zhazakaria has high medicinal and nutritional value to the human body, and it is not too difficult to purchase. Let’s analyze several aspects of Mingzha below.

【English name】 Fructus Chaenomelis Sinensis

[Other names] Smooth-skinned papaya, wild papaya

[Source] It is the fruit of Chaenomeles sinensis (Thouin) Koehne, a plant of the Rosaceae family. The fruits are picked when they are green and yellow in summer and autumn, cut longitudinally, blanched in boiling water and then dried in the sun.

[Original form] Deciduous shrub or small tree, up to 7m high, with thornless branches and young branches with light yellow soft hairs. The leaves are alternate, elliptic-ovate or oblong, 5-8cm long, 2.5-6cm wide, with thorn-like serrations on the edges, glandular dots on the tips of the teeth, and pubescent when young. The flowers are solitary in the leaf axils; 5 sepals; 5 petals, light red; many stamens; inferior ovary, 5-chambered, with 3-5 styles, fused at the base and pubescent. The pear fruit is oblong, up to 15 cm long, dark yellow, woody and aromatic. The flowering period is from April to May, and the fruiting period is from September to October.

【Habitat distribution】 Commonly cultivated in various places. The main producing areas are Shaanxi, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hubei, Jiangxi and Guangxi.

[Properties] The fruit is oblong or oval, usually divided into 2 to 4 lobes when longitudinally sectioned, 4 to 9 cm long and 3.5 to 4.5 cm wide. The outer surface is reddish brown or brown, smooth without wrinkles, or slightly rough; the flesh is rough and granular in cross section. Seeds numerous, densely packed, usually mostly deciduous. Seeds flat triangular. It has a slight odor, a slightly sour and astringent taste, and feels like sand when chewed.

【Chemical composition】 Contains malic acid, pectin acid, tartaric acid, saponins, flavonoids, etc.; the seeds contain hydrocyanic acid.

【Nature and flavor】Warm in nature, sour and astringent in taste.

【Functions and indications】 Relaxes muscles and tendons, activates collaterals, harmonizes the stomach and eliminates dampness. It is mainly used to treat rheumatic pain, bacillary dysentery, vomiting and diarrhea.

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

I believe that friends who were not very clear about Mingzha at the beginning should now have mastered the relevant knowledge about Mingzha. I hope this article can be helpful to you.