Sha Ji沙棘
Hippophae Fructus · Sea Buckthorn Fruit · Seaberry
Overview
The small orange berry of sea buckthorn, a thorny shrub of the dry high country of the Himalayan and Mongolian plateaus. It came into the Chinese materia medica from the Tibetan and Mongolian traditions rather than from the classical Han literature, and it is now a pharmacopoeial herb in its own right. Sour, astringent and warm, entering Spleen, Stomach, Lung and Heart, it strengthens the Spleen and disperses lodged food, thins and expels phlegm so a cough loosens, and moves stagnant blood. It is also sold widely as a juice, oil and food supplement, which are different preparations at different strengths from the dispensed dried fruit.
Nature & Flavor
Sweet, sour · WarmChannels
Spleen · Stomach · Lung · HeartTypical Dosage
3–9 g in decoctionActions
4 core actions
- Strengthens the Spleen and disperses food stagnationA heavy, bloated abdomen after eating, poor appetite, belching and irregular stools in someone whose digestion is weak rather than merely overloaded.
- Settles cough and expels phlegmA cough with phlegm that is hard to bring up, including the lingering cough at the end of a chest infection.
- Moves stagnant bloodFixed, stabbing chest or abdominal pain, menstrual pain with clots and bruising from injury — the action that makes its drug interactions worth checking.
- Food products are not the herbSea buckthorn juice, oil and capsules are made from the same fruit but concentrate it differently; do not treat a supplement dose as equivalent to the dispensed decoction, or add both without telling the practitioner.
In Formulas
Formulas containing Sha Ji
No published formula lists this herb yet — the library is growing.
Indications & Clinical Uses
- Poor appetite, bloating and food stagnation with a weak Spleen
- Cough with phlegm that is difficult to expectorate
- Fixed chest or abdominal pain of blood stasis
- Menstrual pain with clots
Western Medical Keywords
Searchable condition terms
Contraindications
Cautions
Markedly sour: it can aggravate heartburn, acid reflux and an active gastric or duodenal ulcer, so it is taken after food and avoided where acid is already a problem. Because it moves blood, anyone on an anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication should have it reviewed by the prescribing doctor, and it is normally stopped before planned surgery on the practitioner's instruction. Our dispensary data flags no toxicity and no allergy risk for the herb, but the concentrated juices and oils sold as supplements have their own dosing and should not be stacked on top of a prescription unnoticed.
Contraindicated in pregnancy: Medicinal doses are avoided in pregnancy unless a practitioner has assessed the case — the herb moves blood. Ordinary culinary amounts of the berry or its juice are a separate question; ask the practitioner.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only
References
- 《中华人民共和国药典》.
2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
3. Cura x Cura dispensary monograph record.
Professional reference notice. Entries are scholarly references for licensed TCM practitioners and students — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to self-prescribe. Chinese herbal formulas should be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. Content is an original editorial compilation by Cura x Cura, cross-checked against the cited references.