Skip to content
Cura x Cura

Suo Luo Zi娑罗子

Aesculi Semen · Chinese Horse Chestnut Seed · Buckeye Seed

Herbs that Regulate the Qi 理气药《本草纲目》

Overview

The seed of the Chinese horse chestnut, sweet and warm, entering the Liver and Stomach. It soothes a constrained Liver and harmonises the Stomach, and it is chosen when the constraint shows itself as distension and dull pain rather than as pain that grips — chest and epigastric fullness, and premenstrual breast distension. Unlike most herbs in this chapter it is sweet rather than acrid, so it moves without scattering, and it is often used where a patient is depleted but still tight.

Nature & Flavor

Sweet · Warm

Channels

Liver · Stomach

Typical Dosage

3–9 g in decoction
娑罗子Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

2 core actions

  • Soothes the Liver, regulates qiLiver qi constraint with distension of the chest, flanks and breasts, worse before menstruation and with frustration.
  • Harmonises the Stomach, stops painEpigastric distension and dull pain with belching and reduced appetite from Liver qi pressing on the Stomach.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Suo Luo Zi

No published formula lists this herb yet — the library is growing.

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Distension of the chest, flanks and epigastrium
    - Premenstrual breast distension and tenderness
    - Dull epigastric pain with belching
    - Poor appetite from Liver-Stomach disharmony

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

Functional dyspepsiaPremenstrual syndromeMastalgiaBloating

Contraindications

Cautions

Keep to the pharmacopoeia range: the seed is rich in escin-type saponins, and larger amounts irritate the stomach and may cause nausea, vomiting or loose stools. It is not for qi or yin deficiency without a real stagnation pattern. Raw, unprocessed horse chestnut material is not food — it should not be eaten as a nut, and preparations for internal use come from a dispensary, not from foraged seed. A new breast lump, one-sided breast pain or nipple discharge needs medical assessment, not a qi-moving herb.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: Not established as safe in pregnancy — use only under the direction of the treating practitioner.

For licensed practitioners’ reference only

References

  1. Ben Cao Gang Mu《本草纲目》(classical source, public domain; recorded as 天师栗).
    2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
    3. 《中华人民共和国药典》(2020 edition).
    4. 《中药学》(新世纪第二版), chapter on herbs that regulate the qi.

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.