Gallnut – 1 lb (454 g)

Gallnut, known in Chinese as 五倍子 (Wǔbèizǐ) and scientifically as Galla Chinensis, 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 Gallnut carefully sourced to preserve its therapeutic properties.

As a herbal supplement, Gallnut 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, Gallnut provides a safe, natural way to experience the benefits of traditional Chinese medicine.

Trusted for centuries, Gallnut 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 Gallnut, 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 Baicangchong, Mufuzi, Qibeizi, and Hanbeizi. It is the insect gall formed on the leaves of plants in the Anacardiaceae family: Rhus chinensis Mill., Rhus potaninii Maxim., or Rhus punjabensis Stew. var. sinica (Diels) Rehd. et Wils., mainly caused by the parasitic aphid Melaphis chinensis (Ball) Baker. It is found throughout most regions of China. Harvested in autumn, the galls are briefly boiled in water or steamed until the surface turns gray to kill the aphids, then removed and sun-dried or shade-dried. According to shape, it is classified into “Dubei” (belly gall) and “Jiaobei” (horn gall).

[Properties] Taste: sour and astringent; nature: cold. Channels entered: Lung, Kidney, Large Intestine.

[Actions] Astringes the Lung and clears fire; astringes the intestines to stop diarrhea; restrains sweating and stops bleeding; detoxifies and promotes healing of sores.

[Applications]
1. Used for cough and hemoptysis. For chronic cough due to Lung deficiency with blood in sputum, it can be combined with Schisandra, Papaveris Pericarpium, Asparagus, Scrophularia, etc.; for Lung-heat cough with yellow sputum and dryness of mouth and nose, often combined with Trichosanthes, Scutellaria, Fritillaria, etc.; for heat injuring Lung collaterals causing cough with blood, combined with Bletilla and Lotus rhizome.
2. Used for spontaneous sweating and night sweating. For qi deficiency spontaneous sweating or yin deficiency night sweating, it can be taken as cakes with buckwheat; also combined with Dragon bone, Oyster shell, and floating wheat; or used alone as a powder mixed with water and applied to the navel.
3. Used for chronic diarrhea, chronic dysentery, and prolapse of rectum. For chronic diarrhea and dysentery, it can be used alone as vinegar-fried powder taken with rice soup, or combined with Schisandra, Psoralea, Clove, etc.; for prolapse of rectum that does not retract, combined with alum and used as a decoction for fumigation and washing.
4. Used for bleeding disorders. For uterine bleeding, it can be used alone or combined with palm charcoal and blood residue charcoal; for bloody stools and hemorrhoidal bleeding, combined with Sophora flower and Sanguisorba; for epistaxis and bleeding gums, used externally as a powder.
5. Used for Kidney qi deficiency and instability of the lower origin causing spermatorrhea, enuresis, and leukorrhea; combined with Schisandra, Poria with astringent property, and Cicada slough, as in the formula Yusuo Dan.
6. Used for sores, ulcers, swelling, and damp eczema. For sores and carbuncles, combined with Lonicera and Trichosanthes for poultice or external wash; for damp eczema with oozing and unhealed ulcers, combined with alum powder externally. Currently commonly used to prevent and treat paddy field dermatitis and fissures on hands and feet.

[Dosage and Administration] Internal use: decoction, 3–6 g, or incorporated into pills or powders; external use: appropriate amount, decoction for fumigation and washing, or powdered for topical application.

[Cautions] Contraindicated in diarrhea and dysentery due to damp-heat accumulation. Do not overdose internally.

[Modern Research]
1. Chemical constituents: Contains gallotannins, gallic acid, fats, resins, waxes, and condensed gallotannins.
2. Pharmacology: Gallotannins and gallic acid precipitate proteins; when in contact with skin ulcers or mucous membranes, they coagulate tissue proteins, inhibit secretions, dry mucosa, and form a protective film producing astringent, hemostatic, anti-exudative, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic effects. Decoctions show significant inhibitory effects on Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus, Pneumococcus, Salmonella typhi, Salmonella paratyphi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and influenza A PR8 virus. Water extracts exhibit certain antitumor activity.
3. Clinical reports:
1) Acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding: 100 g Chinese Gall boiled with 400 ml water to 100 ml; sprayed 5–30 ml into stomach via gastroscope, observed for 5–10 minutes; 64 cases treated with hemostatic effect. [Shaanxi Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1995,16(1):6]
2) Spermatorrhea: finely powdered Chinese Gall mixed with saline to paste, applied on 3 cm × 4 cm adhesive tape, placed on Sifeng acupoint, changed every 3 days; 35 cases treated, 9 markedly effective, 19 effective. [Xinjiang Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1986,(4):封四]
3) Stomatitis: 3 galls each cut with a small slit, filled with equal parts brown and white sugar, sealed, wrapped in dough, baked, then ground to powder and applied to lesions; 159 cases of fungal stomatitis treated, 150 cured, total effective rate 99%. [Hebei Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1991,(5):21]
4) Asthma: 120 g Chinese Gall decocted in 10 volumes water for 30 minutes, juice cooled, 10 eggs soaked for 7 days; one egg fried with sesame oil taken on empty stomach each morning for 10 days per course; 26 cases treated, symptoms disappeared after 3–4 courses, no relapse in 3 years follow-up. [Chinese Folk Therapy, 2001,9(6):37]
5) Night sweating: 60 g Chinese Gall, 30 g alum, 30 g astringent Polygonum multiflorum finely powdered, mixed with water into cakes, applied to navel and fixed with gauze, changed every 48 hours for 3 times; 28 cases treated, 22 cured (78.6%), 4 effective (14.3%), 2 ineffective (7.1%), total effective rate 92.9%. [Guangming Journal of Chinese Medicine, 2003,18(105):43]
6) Acute soft tissue inflammation: 100 g Chinese Gall powdered, mixed with 30 g honey into a hard paste about 0.2–0.3 cm thick, applied externally and fixed with gauze, changed every 3 days; 214 cases treated, 168 cured, 39 effective, 7 ineffective. [Chinese Community Physician, 2003,19(5):35]
7) Athlete’s foot: 20 g Chinese Gall, 10 g alum powdered, mixed with 50% acetic acid to 100 ml, applied 1–2 times daily; 500 cases treated, total effective rate 99.6%. [Sichuan Medical Journal, 1981,2(4):232]