The efficacy and function of camphor pear

Camphor pear fruit is a famous traditional commonly used Chinese medicinal material in my country with a long history of application. Today we will learn about camphor pear.

[Other names] Camphor pear, camphor fruit, camphor tree pear

[Source] Medicinal material source: The diseased fruit of the camphor plant of the Lauraceae family.

【Original form】 Camphor, an evergreen tree, 20-30m high. The bark is gray-brown or yellow-brown and cracked longitudinally; the twigs are light brown and smooth; both the branches and leaves have a camphor smell. The leaves are alternate, leathery, ovate-elliptical or even ovate, 6-12cm long, 3-6cm wide, gradually pointed at the apex, obtuse or broadly cuneate at the base, entire or wavy, dark green and shiny above, gray-green or pinkish-white beneath, glabrous, light red for young leaves, with three veins above the base, and raised glands in the vein axils; the petiole is 2-3cm long. Panicles are axillary; flowers are small, greenish-white or light yellow, about 2 mm long; perianth is 6-lobed, elliptical, about 2 mm long, with dense fine pubescence on the inside; 9 fertile stamens, 4 anthers; ovary is ovate, smooth and glabrous, style is short; stigma is capitate. The drupe is spherical, about 1 cm wide, purple-black when ripe, and surrounded by persistent, enlarged perianth tubes at the base. Flowering period is from April to June. Fruiting period is from August to November.

[Habitat distribution] Ecological environment: cultivated or wild beside rivers, or growing in relatively moist flat land.

[Properties] Identification of properties: The fruit is irregularly spherical, with a diameter of 0.5-1.4cm, a yellowish earth surface with yellow powder, uneven, and with pedicel marks or residual pedicels at the base. It is hard, with a reddish-brown cross-section when crushed, and has no seeds or cores. It has a unique aroma and tastes spicy and slightly astringent.

[Preparation] Wash the original medicine quickly with clean water, pick it up, dry it in the sun, pick out impurities, and sieve out ash. Crush when using.

【Nature and flavor】 Spicy; warm

【Meridian】 Stomach; Liver meridian

【Functions and indications】 Strengthens the stomach and warms the middle; regulates qi and relieves pain. It is used for stomach cold, abdominal pain, food stagnation, abdominal distension, vomiting, diarrhea, and sores.

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoction, 6-12g. For external use: Take appropriate amount, grind the juice and apply to the affected area.

【Discussions by Various Scholars】 "Supplement to Compendium of Materia Medica": "Zhangli, which is the seed of the camphor tree, comes from the park of Xianrenba Zhou in Fuluowu, Suichang County, the prefecture. The big ones are the most valuable, and the small ones are the second. It is said that it can cure heart and stomach pain, and the effect is immediate after taking it. It is the camphor seed, which is slightly larger than those from other places. Ye Nanjiao came back from Chuzhou and asked about the camphor pear. It is said that this is not a seed, but a tumor between the branches of a thousand-year-old camphor tree, like a tumor, and it is named because it looks like a pear. So this is a camphor tumor. However, it is different from what I have seen, so I will keep the theory for the time being and wait for further research."

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

This is all about the effects of camphor pear fruit. I hope it will be helpful to you. Although the value of camphor pear is very high, we must be cautious when eating it.