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Cura x Cura

Sha Ren砂仁

Amomi Fructus · Amomum Fruit · Villous Amomum Fruit

Aromatic Herbs that Transform Dampness 化湿药《药性论》

Overview

A small aromatic pod-fruit of the ginger family, crushed just before it goes into the pot. Acrid and warm, entering Spleen, Stomach and Kidney, it is the everyday aromatic for a middle burner clogged with damp: it wakes a dulled appetite, disperses the fullness that sits under the ribs after eating, warms a cold Spleen so that loose stools firm up, and moves stuck qi — and, unusually for a warming aromatic, it is also used to settle nausea and a restless fetus in pregnancy. Its work is done by a volatile oil, so it is added in the last few minutes of the decoction; boiled from the start it loses most of its effect. The salt-prepared form is directed downward into the Kidney.

Nature & Flavor

Acrid · Warm

Channels

Spleen · Stomach · Kidney

Typical Dosage

3–6 g in decoction
砂仁Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

5 core actions

  • Transforms damp and wakes the appetiteNo appetite, a bland or sticky taste in the mouth, a thick greasy tongue coating and fullness in the epigastrium — damp sitting on the Spleen.
  • Moves qi and relieves fullnessDistension and discomfort of the upper abdomen after eating, belching and a feeling that food is not moving on.
  • Warms the Spleen and stops diarrhoeaLoose stools or early-morning diarrhoea with cold in the abdomen that eases with warmth and pressure.
  • Settles nausea and steadies the fetusNausea, vomiting and a restless fetus in pregnancy with a cold, damp middle burner — on a practitioner's prescription.
  • Preparation and cookingCrush the pods and add them at the end of the decoction. Salt-preparing steers the herb downward into the Kidney and is used where the practitioner wants that direction rather than the plain middle-burner action.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Sha Ren

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Poor appetite and epigastric fullness with a greasy tongue coating
    - Abdominal distension and belching after meals
    - Loose stools or morning diarrhoea from Spleen cold
    - Nausea and restless fetus in pregnancy (on prescription)

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

Functional dyspepsiaBloatingNauseaMorning sickness

Contraindications

Cautions

Acrid, warm, aromatic and drying — it is the wrong herb where the problem is dryness rather than damp: yin deficiency with heat signs, a red peeled tongue, a dry mouth and dry stools all worsen under it. Keep to the dispensed amount and to the short cooking time; a longer boil does not make it stronger, only weaker. Its use as a kitchen spice involves far smaller quantities than a prescription and is a different matter. Our dispensary data flags no toxicity and no allergy risk for this herb.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: Traditionally used during pregnancy for nausea and a restless fetus — but at a practitioner's direction, not self-prescribed.

For licensed practitioners’ reference only

References

  1. 《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.