Wild Jujube seeds Sour Jujube seeds Semen ziziphi spinosae

LATIN NAME: ZIZIPHUS JUJUBA VAR. SPINOSA

COMMON NAME: Wild Jujube, Sour Jujube, Suan Zao Ren

The Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa, or wild jujube, is one of the most important and widely used of the medicinal plants, and its small, sour, red fruits and its spiny, branching habit have made it a plant of the dry hillsides and the traditional medicine across the regions of the East Asia. It grows as a spiny, deciduous shrub or a small tree of the buckthorn family, reaching up to five metres or more, with the spiny, branching stems bearing alternate, glossy, bright-green, oval leaves, and bearing, in the late spring, the small, yellow-green flowers in the clusters, followed by the small, round, red, sour fruits which ripen in the autumn. It is a variety of the jujube, native to the dry hillsides and the thickets of the East Asia, while it has been used in the traditions for its seeds for a very long time, and it is known as the wild jujube or the sour jujube.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The wild jujube has a real and distinguished place in research. It has been studied in the chemistry and the natural-products science, since the Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa contains a range of compounds including the saponins and the flavonoids in its seeds, and the researchers have examined the seeds, their constituents and their composition, while the study of the medicinal plants has drawn attention in the international natural-products press, and the plant is best appreciated as a subject of study and a traditional material rather than a casual remedy. The plant has also been studied in the horticulture and the economic botany, since the wild jujube is a useful, drought-tolerant shrub for the dry landscape and the traditional medicine, and the researchers have examined its cultivation, its propagation and its value, while the study of the medicinal shrubs has been of continuing interest. The species has also been studied in the ecology, since it is a plant of the dry hillsides and a food source for the birds and the wildlife which eat its fruits, and its role in the ecosystems has been examined, while the small, red, sour fruits and the spiny habit of the wild jujube have been of interest to the botanists and the ethnobotanists. For a plant of such tradition, the Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa has a rich and distinguished record of research.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

To grow the Wild Jujube from seed, the wild jujube is a spiny, deciduous shrub of the dry hillsides, bearing the glossy, bright-green leaves and the small, red, sour fruits in the autumn. Its fruits are a food for the birds and the wildlife, and its spiny, branching habit gives a fine presence in the dry landscape and the medicinal garden, while its tolerance of the drought and the poor soil makes it a valuable plant for the arid landscape. Its economic value is real: the wild jujube is prized for its seeds used in the traditional medicine and as a drought-tolerant shrub for the dry landscape, and its value has drawn attention in the international natural-products and horticultural press, while the small, sour fruits and the easy cultivation have made it a favourite of the medicinal gardens and the dry landscapes, and the shrub is a fine addition to the medicinal garden, the dry landscape and the shrub border. To raise the wild jujube, sow the seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a cool, bright place, keep them gently watered, and grow the little shrubs on in the sun.

sow the seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a cool, bright place, keep the young jujube gently watered, and grow the little shrubs on in the sun.

Common name:Choerospondias axillaris seed Its estimated that while 10% of the population suffers from chronic insomnia, fully 50% experience significant insomnia at some time, originating from emotional upsets, pain, or physical disorders. While some people turn to drugs or alcohol, which often exacerbates the problem, others find help through meditation or exercise. Those consumers in-the-know are finding healthy solutions on the herbal products shelf as well. However, there has been some negative press recently about kava kava, one of the most widely used herbs for relaxation. It seems that there is some possibility of its role in a few cases of liver damage, although the brevity of the adverse event reports has left many insiders with questions about the quality of the evidence. Even so, the bad press has damaged kavas reputation and left many manufacturers to consider alternatives. It has recently been discovered that Valerian, another commonly used relaxation herb, may also negatively impact liver health in specific cases. Wild Jujube seed is a very interesting solution to this problem. The herb has been highly regarded by the Chinese for centuries for its excellent relaxation properties and extremely low toxicity, yet has remained for the most part undiscovered by western consumers. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Wild Jujube seed is the most popular sedative herb, calming the heart and spirit, and reinforcing liver yin. That is, it actually enhances liver function in the process of reducing anxiety.. The Wild Jujube herb is the seed from the fruit of the subspecies Zizyphus jujuba var. spinosa (also spelled Ziziphus), which is a spiny deciduous tree native to East Asia. The seed is removed from the ripe drupe collected during late autumn and early winter and is dried in the sun. “Sour Date Seed” or “Suanzaoren” is believed in Traditional Chinese Medicine to be the best herb in the TCM repertoire for calming disturbed “shen” (spirit) with symptoms of nervous exhaustion, fatigue, irritability, and insomnia. Classified as a nutritive sedative, it calms the mind, relaxes and nourishes muscles, nourishes the blood, spleen and liver, helps to conserve energy, and is analgesic. Scientific studies with animals have shown Wild Zizyphus seed to have anti-anxiety and hypnotic effects, causing a reduction in the speed of conditioned reflexes, a reduction in hyperactivity, and a lowering of blood pressure. Other effects of Wild Jujube seed augment its calming and sleep inducing effects, revealing potential for additional product applications. Because of its muscle relaxing effects, the herb is sometimes used as an anticonvulsant. Animal studies have demonstrated it effectiveness in reducing pain sensation and increasing pain tolerance, further substantiating its use as an analgesic. The herb could be useful in products for arthritis, backache, headache or any type of pain that interferes with sleep. In addition, for those with hypertension, Wild Jujube seed has been shown to produce significant, persistent and prolonged reductions in blood pressure. The phytocompounds found in significant quantities in Wild Jujube seed are triterpene saponins, jujubosides A and B, flavone glycosides, and ferulic acid. The triterpene constituents include betulinic acid, betulin, ceanothic acid, alphitolic acid and daucosterol. The fleshy fruit surrounding the seed also contains triterpene saponins and has sedative effects, but the effects are milder than those from the seed. Wild Jujube can be used alone or in the context of a formula. The renowned TCM Zizyphus formula, “Suanzaoren Tang”, containing calming herbs like Poria cocos, has been confirmed scientifically in its ability to treat insomnia and restlessness.