Shan Zhu Yu山茱萸
Corni Fructus · Asiatic Cornelian Cherry Fruit · Dogwood Fruit
Overview
The dried flesh of the cornelian cherry, dark red and slightly sticky, with the stone removed — the stone is traditionally held to work against the flesh and must not be left in. Sour, astringent and slightly warm, entering Liver and Kidney, it is unusual among the astringents in that it supplements as firmly as it holds: it fills Liver and Kidney while checking the leakage of essence, urine, sweat and menstrual blood. That is why it sits among the supplementing herbs of the classic Kidney prescriptions rather than only among the stoppers. Steaming is the standard cure; wine-preparing warms it further and strengthens the Liver-Kidney supplementing side.
Nature & Flavor
Sour, astringent · Slightly warmChannels
Liver · KidneyTypical Dosage
5–10 g in decoctionActions
4 core actions
- Supplements Liver and KidneyDizziness, tinnitus, a sore weak lower back and knees, and impotence — the deficiency behind the leakage rather than the leakage alone.
- Secures essence and reduces urinationSeminal emission, spermatorrhoea, frequent or night-time urination and dribbling incontinence.
- Checks flooding and dischargeHeavy or prolonged uterine bleeding and persistent vaginal discharge where the pattern is deficiency and failure to hold.
- Restrains sweat, holds collapseProfuse sweating in a depleted patient. Classically it was given in much larger amounts to hold a collapsing yang, but that is an emergency use, decided and supervised by a practitioner — not a dose to reach for at home.
In Formulas
Formulas containing Shan Zhu Yu
Indications & Clinical Uses
- Dizziness, tinnitus and sore weak lower back from Liver-Kidney deficiency
- Seminal emission, frequent or night-time urination
- Heavy or prolonged uterine bleeding of deficiency type
- Profuse sweating in a depleted patient
Western Medical Keywords
Searchable condition terms
Contraindications
Cautions
Warm and strongly astringent, so it is withheld while anything still needs to be cleared: damp-heat in the lower burner with burning, urgent or cloudy urination, an unresolved exterior pattern, or marked fire from yin deficiency. Astringing an active infection drives it inward rather than resolving it. Check that the material has been de-stoned — dispensary practice is to remove the seed, and fruit sold with the stone still in is not correctly prepared. Our dispensary data flags no toxicity and no allergy risk for this herb.
Contraindicated in pregnancy: No specific restriction — practitioner judgment applies
For licensed practitioners’ reference only
References
- Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing《神农本草经》(classical source, public domain).
2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
3. 《中华人民共和国药典》.
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.