Gleditsia Fruit – 1 lb (454 g)

Gleditsia Fruit, known in Chinese as 猪牙皂 (Zhūyázào) and scientifically as Fructus Gleditsiae Abnormalis, is a valued herb in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This TCM herb has been traditionally used to support natural wellness, maintain vitality, and encourage holistic balance. At TCMforyou.com, we provide premium-quality Gleditsia Fruit carefully sourced to preserve its therapeutic properties.

As a herbal supplement, Gleditsia Fruit helps promote overall well-being and supports natural energy, immunity, and balance. Integrating this herb into your wellness routine offers a gentle, time-tested approach to enhancing daily health. Whether brewed as tea, added to herbal remedies, or taken as part of a TCM formula, Gleditsia Fruit provides a safe, natural way to experience the benefits of traditional Chinese medicine.

Trusted for centuries, Gleditsia Fruit has been used in TCM to harmonize the body and encourage optimal functioning of key systems. At TCMforyou, we prioritize authenticity and quality. Each batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure purity and potency, delivering an herbal product aligned with traditional practices.

Experience the natural support of Gleditsia Fruit, promoting immune health, vitality, and holistic well-being. Embrace the wisdom of TCM and incorporate this gentle, effective herbal remedy into your daily wellness journey.

[Overview] This herb is also known as Zaojiao, Zaojia, and Xiao Zaojiao. It is the sterile fruit of Gleditsia sinensis Lam., a leguminous plant. It is mainly produced in Shandong, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Shaanxi, Henan, and other regions. Harvested in autumn, impurities are removed, and then it is sun-dried.

[Properties] It has a pungent and salty taste, a warm nature, and is slightly toxic. It enters the Lung, Liver, Stomach, and Large Intestine meridians.

[Actions] Resolves phlegm and opens orifices; disperses nodules and reduces swelling.

[Applications]
1. Used for stubborn phlegm obstructing the lungs, cough and asthma with excessive phlegm, chest fullness, and shortness of breath. It can be used alone as a powder, refined with honey into Chuanxiao Wan (Asthma Pills), taken with jujube decoction; or combined with apricot kernel and croton seed powder. For cough and asthma with yellow phlegm, it can be combined with shell of sea clam, Zao Xiu, Ephedra, and pig bile.
2. Used for stroke, epilepsy, phlegm syncope with qi obstruction, unconsciousness, clenched teeth, and convulsions of hands and feet. It is often combined with white alum powder for oral administration, as in the formula Jiujixi Yan San (Emergency Saliva-Reducing Powder); or combined with Pinellia and Asarum powder for nasal insufflation to induce sneezing, as in Tongguan San.
3. Used for throat obstruction due to phlegm, and headache caused by wind. For throat obstruction, the herb is powdered and blown into the throat or applied topically with vinegar on the neck; for headache, it can be combined with Angelica and Ligusticum for internal use, or used alone as powder for nasal insufflation to open orifices.
4. Used for abscesses, sores, scabies, and tinea. For early-stage abscesses and swelling, it is mashed with castor seed and applied topically; for abscesses after ulceration, it is combined with Arisaema, rice, and charred Chen Xiaofen powder, mixed with honey water and applied topically, as in Jiedu Wanyong Gao (Detoxifying Universal Ointment). For wind tinea and scabies, it can be used alone as a decocted paste for topical application or powdered and mixed with lard for topical use.
Additionally, this herb has qi-regulating and intestinal lubricating effects, useful for dry constipation and mild intestinal obstruction with abdominal distension. It can be combined with Asarum powder and honey to make suppositories for external use.

[Dosage and Administration] Internal use: stir-fried with fat or honey, powdered, 1–1.5 g; mostly used in pills and powders, less often in decoctions. External use: appropriate amount, powdered for throat insufflation or nasal insufflation; or mixed for topical application; or boiled into a paste for topical application.

[Cautions] This herb is toxic. It is contraindicated in pregnancy, deficiency conditions, and hemoptysis.

[Modern Research]
1. Chemical constituents: Fructus Gleditsiae Abnormalis mainly contains triterpenoid saponins, gleditsiosides, and gleditsia saponins. It also contains tannins, wax alcohols, nonacosane, stigmasterol, and beta-sitosterol.
2. Pharmacological effects: The saponins in this herb stimulate the gastric mucosa and reflexively promote secretion of respiratory mucosa, producing expectorant effects (an emetic expectorant). Decoction at 1 g/kg administered orally to anesthetized cats significantly increased respiratory tract secretions compared to before administration; it has inhibitory effects on certain Gram-negative enteropathogenic bacteria; aqueous extracts inhibit Trichophyton violaceum and Asteroloma; it inhibits Trichomonas vaginalis and kills filarial larvae in vitro.
3. Clinical reports: 1) Advanced gastric cancer: One large Zaojiao (fire processed) decocted to yield 200–250 ml of liquid, taken in 1–2 doses daily. Concurrently, red ginseng 15 g, Pinellia 10 g, Atractylodes 30 g decocted and taken in 3 doses daily, with a small amount of honey added. Used for phlegm resolution, one case showed symptom improvement after one week, increased appetite, disappearance of mass and cough pain after six months, and no abnormalities on gastroscopy after 3 years follow-up. [Sichuan Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1988, 6(2): 22]
2) Pediatric anorexia: calcined Zaojiao powdered finely, 1 g per dose, twice daily, mixed with sugar. Treated 110 cases with 86 cured, 18 improved, 6 ineffective, total effective rate 94.5%, average effective course 5 days. [Hubei Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1987, (1): 25]
3) Facial neuritis: large Zaojiao stir-fried, powdered, mixed with vinegar into a paste, applied to affected mouth corner. Treated 300 cases with 250 cured, 40 improved, 10 ineffective. [Journal of Shaanxi College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1995, (4): 25]