Spinosae sour jujube Wild Jujube Sour Jujube Semen Zizyphi Spinosae
Description
English Name:Spine Date seed
Common name: Wild or Sping Jujuba Seed,suan zao ren,chinese Sleeping Elixir,Sour Jujube,Zizyphus Seed
Botanical Source: Semen Ziziphi Spinosae, dry seeds of Ziziphus spinosa Hu
Synoms: Zizyphus spinosa (Spine Date) seed,Semen Ziziphi Spinosa,Sour Jujube,Zizyphus Seed,Zizyphus spinosa; Zizyphus jujuba; Sour Jujuba Seed; Suan Zao Ren.
Botanical Description: low shrub, height 1-3m, sticky branch. Cross leaves,2~3.5cm length, 6~12mm width. Flower yellow to green color,fruit september.Origin from west and north china.
Properties: Sweet and acid in flavour, neutral in nature, it acts on the heart, liver and gallbladder channels. This herb is sweet in flavour and moist in nature. The sweetness and sourness can tonify Yin and nourishing liver and bladder, nourishing the heart and calming the mind. It is often used of insomnia and dreaminess due to deficiency of both Qi and blood and insufficient nourishing of heart and mind. This herb is sour in taste and astringing sweating. It can be used for treatment of hyperhidrosis due to general deficiency.
Name Identification:
Zizyphus refers to the seed of Zizyphus jujuba, var. spinosa, often labeled simply as Zizyphus spinosa.
The Chinese name for the herb is suanzaoren [suan = sour; zao = date; ren = seed; hence, seed of the sour date], or just zaoren.
This herb is related to the one commonly called jujube, which comes from the fruit of Zizyphus jujuba; the Chinese name for jujube is dazao (da = large; a smaller, red variety is called hongzao; hong = red).
Both zizyphus and jujube are said to have sedative properties, with zizyphus being the primary sedative derived from a plant in the practice of traditional Chinese medicine (the mineral cinnabar has long been relied upon as a sedative).
Sedative and hypnotic activity of Zizyphus spinosa seed:
Flavonoids and saponins from Zizyphus spinosa (Chinese 'suan zao ren') seeds were tested for sedative activity. All compounds tested showed activity in potentiating hexobarital induced hypnosis as well as reducung ladder climbing and caffeine induced hyperactivity. Swertisin was the most potent and was tested for type of action. It was found that these compounds produced sleep but were not anticonvulsant or muscle relaxant.Shin, Woo and Lee: Sedative action of flavonoids and saponins from the seeds of Zizyphus vulgaris var. spinosa Bunge.
Alkaloids from Zizyphus spinosa seeds were examined for sedative activity. Compounds included sanjoinine, zizyphusine and nuciferine (a compound also found in the Chinese herb lotus- Nelumbo nucifera). Both sanjoinine A and nuciferine prolonged the sleeping time produced by hexobarbital. When the sanjoinine A was heated it was found to produce an isomer with even greater sedative activity. This may support the traditional practice of roasting or boiling the seeds before use.
The alkaloids sanjoinine A, nuciferine and their cogeners were found to have sedative activity. Upon heat treatment sanjoinine A produced sanjoinine Ah1, which had greater activity. This may support the traditional practice of roasting or boiling the seeds before use.
Suan Zao Ren has significant sedative and hypnotic effects. Suan Zao Ren oil emulsion and Suan Zao Ren total flavone are shown to inhibit autonomous activities in mice. Combined use of Suan Zao Ren oil emulsion and pentobarbital on mice can lengthen the subjects' sleep time. Similarly, combined use of Suan Zao Ren total flavone and pentobarbital inhibits the central nervous system, and can counteract benzedrine-induced central excitation. Suan Zao Ren's central inhibitory effect appears to be dosage-dependent.
Experiments show that administered to mice at 0.1g/kg for 16 consecutive days, Suan Zao Ren can enhance the subjects' humoral and cell-mediated immune functions. Furthermore, Suan Zao Ren has a protective effect against radiation damage in mice.Administered to mice at 5g/kg for 20 consecutive days, alcohol-based extract of Suan Zao Ren can counteract cyclophosphamide-induced suppression of delayed hypersensitivity reaction in mice.
