Mustard Seed – 1 lb (454 g)

Mustard Seed, known in Chinese as 芥子 (Jièzǐ) and scientifically as Semen Sinapis, 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 Mustard Seed carefully sourced to preserve its therapeutic properties.

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

Trusted for centuries, Mustard Seed 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 Mustard Seed, 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 Mustard Seed or Green Mustard Seed. It is the mature seed of plants in the Cruciferae family: Sinapis alba L. (commonly called White Mustard Seed), mainly produced in Shanxi, Shandong, Anhui, Xinjiang, Sichuan, Yunnan, etc.; and Brassica juncea (L.) Czern. et Coss. (commonly called Yellow Mustard Seed), produced throughout China. The plants are harvested when the fruits mature in late summer to early autumn, dried in the sun, threshed to obtain seeds, and impurities are removed.

[Properties] Pungent in taste, warm in nature. Enters the Lung meridian.

[Actions] Resolves phlegm and promotes qi circulation; warms the middle burner and disperses cold; dissipates nodules and unblocks collaterals.

[Applications] 1. Used for cough and asthma caused by cold-damp phlegm retention, chest fullness, and hypochondriac pain. For cold-phlegm obstructing the lungs with cough and abundant clear thin sputum, White Mustard Seed is often combined with Perilla Seed (Suzi) and Radish Seed (Laifuzi), as in the formula Sanzi Yangqin Tang (Three Seeds Nourishing the Parent Decoction). For phlegm-fluid retention in the chest and diaphragm with chest fullness, hypochondriac pain, coughing, wheezing, it can be combined with Euphorbia kansui (Gansui) and Euphorbia pekinensis (Daji), as in the phlegm-resolving formula Kongxian Dan. Preparations made from this herb applied externally are used in the treatment of winter diseases during summer, showing good efficacy for asthmatic bronchitis and cough variant asthma.

2. Used for vomiting due to stomach cold and umbilical or abdominal colic pain. The seed can be ground into powder and made into pills for oral administration. If abdominal pain is accompanied by cold extremities, the powder can be placed in the navel and then warmed through clothing to induce sweating and disperse cold.

3. Used for shoulder, arm, and limb joint pain caused by phlegm stagnation in the collaterals; yin sores and swelling toxins; scrofula. To treat phlegm stagnation causing joint pain, it is often combined with Cinnamon (Rougui), Myrrh (Moyao), and Costus (Muxiang), as in the formula Bai Jie Zi San (White Mustard Seed Powder). For phlegm-dampness flowing and yin sores with swelling toxins, it is combined with Deer Horn Glue (Lujiao Jiao), Cinnamon, and Ephedra (Mahuang), as in Yanghe Tang (Yang Harmony Decoction). For scrofula, mustard seed is mashed with scallion white into a paste and applied externally to the affected area.

4. Used for deafness, throat obstruction, and nosebleed. For qi obstruction causing deafness, mustard seed is crushed and mixed with human breast milk, then wrapped in cotton and inserted into the ear canal. For throat obstruction, mustard seed powder is mixed with honey and water into a paste and applied externally to the neck over the throat. For nasal bleeding, mustard seed powder mixed with water is applied to the fontanelle to stop bleeding.

[Dosage and Administration] Internal use: decoction, 3–9 g; or incorporated into pills or powders. External use: appropriate amount, ground into powder and applied as a paste.

[Cautions] Excessive internal use may cause vomiting. Contraindicated in lung deficiency cough and yin deficiency with fire hyperactivity. External application should generally not exceed 10–15 minutes; prolonged application may cause blistering and suppuration.

[Modern Research] 1. Chemical Constituents: White mustard seed contains sinigrin, which includes sinalbin, as well as fixed oil, myrosinase enzyme, mustard alkaloids, and amino acids such as lysine, arginine, and histidine. It also contains 4-hydroxybenzoylcholine and 4-hydroxyphenethylamine. Yellow mustard seed contains sinalbin, myrosinase, mustard acid, mustard alkaloids, fixed oil, proteins, and mucilage. The fixed oil is composed of glycerides of various fatty acids including erucic acid, eicosenoic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, palmitic acid, arachidic acid, and stearic acid.

2. Pharmacological Actions: The volatile oil obtained from enzymatic hydrolysis of sinalbin is called mustard oil, containing various isothiocyanate esters. When applied to the skin, it produces a warming sensation, redness, and may cause blisters and pustules. Typically, mustard powder with the fixed oil removed is made into mustard plaster and used as a counterirritant to treat neuralgia, rheumatic pain, pleurisy, and sprains. Small amounts of mustard powder taken internally as a flavoring agent can stimulate the gastric mucosa to increase secretion of gastric and pancreatic juices.