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Cura x Cura

Shan Zha山楂

Crataegi Fructus · Chinese Hawthorn Fruit

Herbs that Relieve Food Stagnation 消食药《神农本草经集注》

Overview

The sliced, dried fruit of Chinese hawthorn — sour, sweet and slightly warm, entering Spleen, Stomach and Liver. It is the herb for food that will not move, and specifically for meat and greasy food: a heavy, distended abdomen hours after a rich meal, sour belching, a coated tongue and stools that smell foul. Alongside that it moves stagnant blood, which is why it appears in prescriptions for post-partum abdominal pain and for period pain with clots, and the modern pharmacopoeia adds a lipid-lowering, turbidity-resolving indication to its entry. Processing changes it substantially: dry-frying is easier on the stomach, the charred fruit turns astringent for diarrhoea and bleeding, and honey-preparing tempers the sourness for a weak middle burner.

Nature & Flavor

Sour, sweet · Slightly warm

Channels

Spleen · Stomach · Liver

Typical Dosage

10–15 g in decoction
山楂Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

4 core actions

  • Disperses food stagnationDistension and heaviness after eating, particularly after meat, fried or fatty food; sour belching, no appetite for the next meal, foul-smelling stools.
  • Moves qi and dissolves stasisPost-partum abdominal pain with retained lochia, period pain with dark clots, and fixed pain in the lower abdomen.
  • Resolves turbidity, used for raised lipidsA modern indication carried in the pharmacopoeia, used as part of a prescription rather than on its own — it does not replace monitoring or prescribed lipid treatment.
  • Processed formsDry-fried is gentler on the stomach and still disperses food; the charred fruit becomes astringent and is used for diarrhoea and for bleeding; honey-preparing softens the sourness where the middle burner is weak.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Shan Zha

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Food stagnation after meat, fried or fatty meals, with distension
    - Sour belching, foul stools and loss of appetite
    - Post-partum abdominal pain, period pain with clots
    - Raised blood lipids as part of a prescription

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

IndigestionBloatingHyperlipidaemiaDysmenorrhoea

Contraindications

Cautions

Strongly sour: it aggravates heartburn, acid reflux and an active gastric or duodenal ulcer, is best not taken on an empty stomach, and over a long course the acidity is hard on tooth enamel — rinse the mouth after taking it. It is not the herb for a weak Spleen and Stomach with no food stagnation, where it can further wear down the digestion. It also moves blood, so anyone on an anticoagulant or antiplatelet drug should have it reviewed by the prescribing doctor. Hawthorn extracts are separately sold in the West as cardiovascular supplements: anyone taking heart medication should tell their doctor before adding either form. Our dispensary data flags no toxicity and no allergy risk for this herb.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: Avoid medicinal doses in pregnancy — it moves blood and is traditionally held to stir the uterus. Small culinary amounts of the fruit are a separate question; ask the practitioner.

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.