Ziziphus spinosa Seeds | Sour Jujube
LATIN NAME: Ziziphus spinosa
COMMON NAME: Sour Jujube, Spiny Jujube
Plant Profile
Sour Jujube (Ziziphus spinosa) is a deciduous shrub in the buckthorn family, native to dry hillsides and steppes of the east and the central Asia, while it has been used in traditions for its seeds for a very long time. At maturity it stands about Three metres. Its appeal to pollinating insects adds a second, ecological layer to its ornamental one. Add these qualities together and you have a species well worth a place in the garden.
Science & Biotechnology
Sour jujube seed (suan zao ren) is the premier sleep herb of Chinese medicine, standardised in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia on the flavonoid spinosin and the saponin jujuboside A. Both compound classes modulate GABAergic and serotonergic neurotransmission in animal models, prolonging sleep and reducing sleep latency, and the seed is a core component of the classical Suan Zao Ren Tang, which has shown benefit over placebo in small modern trials for insomnia. It is among the safest of sedative herbs, with a centuries-long record and no dependence signal.
The species features in the wider study of the buckthorn family, and its traits make it a useful subject for work on germination biology, cultivation and ornamental selection. Sour jujube has a real and distinguished place in research. Because it has been grown for so long, its garden habits are thoroughly documented.
Uses & Benefits
In the garden, Sour Jujube earns its place in borders, containers and mixed plantings, and it also rewards growers who raise plants for cutting, drying or kitchen use. Sour jujube is a spiny, deciduous shrub of dry hillsides, bearing glossy, bright-green leaves and small, dark-red, sour fruits in the autumn. To raise sour jujube, sow fresh seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a cool, bright place, keep them gently watered, and grow little shrubs on in the light. Routine care after establishment is refreshingly light.
Sour jujube seed, Suan Zao Ren, is the supreme Chinese herb for nourishing sleep and calming the mind, its jujubosides and spinosin widely studied; it anchors the famous classical formula Suan Zao Ren Tang.
Growing from Seed
Sour Jujube grows readily from seed. Fill a pot with a light seed compost, sow evenly on the surface, cover thinly and stand it somewhere warm, bright and evenly moist. Prick the seedlings out once they are large enough to handle, grow them on in bright light, and plant out when conditions allow.
Our Take
Sour Jujube, Spiny Jujube earns its space through character rather than fuss. From then on, routine care is all that is required.
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