Sha Ren Ke砂仁壳
Amomi Pericarpium · Amomum Fruit Husk
Overview
What is left of Sha Ren once the seed cluster has been taken out — the husk on its own, kept and prescribed in its own right. It runs in the same direction as the whole fruit, transforming damp and moving stalled qi through the middle burner, but with much less warmth and much less penetrating fragrance. Practitioners reach for it when the picture is a mild one, or when a patient's dryness or heat makes the full-strength seed too warming to give.
Nature & Flavor
Acrid, aromatic · WarmChannels
Spleen · StomachTypical Dosage
3–6 g in decoction, added in the last few minutesActions
3 core actions
- Transforms damp, moves qiEpigastric and abdominal distension with no appetite and a greasy coating — the light version of the picture Sha Ren treats.
- Warms the middle, settles nauseaMild nausea and retching from cold-damp in the Stomach, and the queasiness that follows a cold or greasy meal.
- Thinner than the seedThe husk carries little of the seed's warming strength and none of its standing as a herb that steadies a restless fetus. Where either of those is what the case needs, the seed is prescribed and the husk is not a substitute.
In Formulas
Formulas containing Sha Ren Ke
No published formula lists this herb yet — the library is growing.
Indications & Clinical Uses
- Mild damp obstruction of the middle with epigastric fullness
- Poor appetite with a white greasy tongue coating
- Nausea and retching from cold-damp in the Stomach
- Cases where the whole fruit would be too warming
Western Medical Keywords
Searchable condition terms
Contraindications
Cautions
Acrid and warm, if gently so: unsuitable where there is yin deficiency with heat, or a dry, red, peeled tongue. Like the whole fruit it is added in the last few minutes of a decoction — boiled from the start, the fragrance goes and the action goes with it.
Contraindicated in pregnancy: No classical pregnancy restriction. The whole fruit is a traditional choice for morning sickness and a restless fetus; the husk is milder and is not a substitute for that use. In pregnancy, take it only on a practitioner's prescription.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only
References
- Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
2. 《中华本草》.
3. 《中药大辞典》.
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.