CHINESE HERB: SHAN ZHA

Asian hawthorn fruit

Name

Pinyin name: Shan Zha

Latin name: Fructus Crataegi

English name: Hawthorn Fruit, Asian Hawthorn Fruit, Crataegus Fruit, Hawthorn Berry

Origin

The hawthorn fruit is the ripe fruit of Crataegus pinnatifida Bge.var.major N.E.Br or Cractaegus pinnatifida Bge., a deciduous shrub or short arbor plant of the Rosaceae family.

Location and Harvest

In China, it is mainly produced in Hebei, Shandong, Liaoning and Henan provinces.

The fruit is gathered in late autumn or in the beginning of winter.

Properties

Taste: Sour and sweet

Nature: Slightly warm

Entering Meridians: Liver, Spleen and Stomach

Best qualities

Big, red scarfskin; thick sarcocarp and less stone

Processing

Dry in the sun. Fried or raw fruit may be used.

Major Chemical Constituents

Hawthorn fruit contains organic acids (cratagic acid, ursolic acid, citric acid, malic acid…), flavonoids (quercetin, vitexin, rutin), tannins, amino acid, trace elements, vitamin C…

Actions

-Reduce food stagnation and transform accumulation

- Promote blood circulation and dissipate clumps

- Stop diarrhea

- Treat cardiovascular diseases

Indications

a) Food stagnation

Hawthorn fruit is a usual ingredient for digestive problems, especially indigestion caused by overeating meat and greasy foods. For meat stagnation manifested as gastric and abdominal distention, abdominal pain and loose stool, the herb can be used alone or in combination with other digestion- stimulating herbs.

b) Chest and abdominal pain, dysmenorrhea due to blood stasis

It promotes the blood and Qi circulation, stop pain and resolve stagnation.

c) Hypertension, high cholesterol level angina and coronary artery disease

Hawthorn fruit can improve the heart function, lower blood pressure, reduce blood lipid and reverse atherosclerosis.

Dosage

10- 15 grams each time for decoction

Popular recipes

- Stir- fried hawthorn

- Strawberry hawthorn tea

Contraindications and Cautions

- Use with care for those with Spleen and Stomach Deficiency with no food stagnation

- Contraindicated for pregnant women ( overdoses can lead to death)

- Do not use with Digoxin