Zhu Ya Zao猪牙皂
Gleditsiae Fructus Abnormalis · Small Gleditsia Pod · Chinese Honeylocust Abnormal Fruit · Ya Zao
Overview
- ·.*
The small, curved, seedless pods of Gleditsia sinensis — the tree's abortive fruit, quite different from the large fertile pod, and traded separately. Acrid, salty and warm, marked, it is one of the most abrupt herbs in the phlegm chapter: it drives out thick, congealed phlegm that will not shift, forces the blocked orifices open, and disperses hard swellings.
Its classical setting is emergency rather than routine — the collapsed, clenched-jaw, phlegm-choked patient of a sudden stroke, in whom the powdered pod was blown into the nostril to provoke a sneeze and restore some movement of qi. Everything about it is forceful and irritating, so the dose is very small, it goes into pills and powders rather than a decoction, and it is contraindicated in pregnancy and in anyone who has been coughing or vomiting blood.
Nature & Flavor
Acrid, salty · Warm · Slightly toxicChannels
Lung · Large IntestineTypical Dosage
1–1.5 g a day, in pills or powder — not a decoction herb, and not one to increase. External use in appropriate amounts: ground fine and blown into the nose to induce sneezing, or mixed into a paste for topical application.Actions
4 core actions
- Expels phlegm, opens the orificesThe sudden collapse of a stroke with clenched jaw, unconsciousness and a rattling chest full of phlegm; phlegm-heavy epilepsy and mania. The classical route is powder blown into the nostril to induce sneezing — Tong Guan San 通关散 pairs it with Xi Xin for exactly this. It belongs to emergency first aid in the classical record; a collapsed patient today needs emergency medical services first, without exception.
- Dislodges stubborn phlegmEntrenched cough and wheezing with thick phlegm that cannot be brought up, and phlegm blocking the throat with a tight, obstructed sensation.
- Disperses swellings and hardnessAbscesses and boils before they open, and swellings that will not soften, treated by external application of the powder.
- Moves a stopped bowelDry, obstructed stool where the blockage is attributed to congealed phlegm and stagnation — used sparingly, and never in a weak patient.
In Formulas
Formulas containing Zhu Ya Zao
Indications & Clinical Uses
- Sudden collapse with clenched jaw and copious phlegm, in the classical emergency record
- Phlegm-type epilepsy and mania
- Stubborn cough and wheeze with thick phlegm that will not come up
- Abscesses and hard swellings, by external application
- Obstructed stool from phlegm and stagnation
Western Medical Keywords
Searchable condition terms
Contraindications
Cautions
Zhu Ya Zao is a slightly toxic, strongly irritating herb. It is contraindicated in pregnancy, and in anyone who has coughed or vomited blood.
- Contraindicated in pregnancy — the Chinese Pharmacopoeia lists it as, and its forceful, downward-driving action is the reason.
- Contraindicated with any bleeding. It must not be given to a patient who has coughed up or vomited blood, or who has an active bleeding tendency: its violence can restart bleeding.
- Why it is irritating. The pod is rich in saponins. They irritate every mucous membrane on contact, which is precisely how the sneeze is provoked, and if enough is absorbed into the bloodstream they rupture red blood cells. This is a real, not theoretical, mechanism, and it is why the dose stays in the range of a gram.
- Overdose. Too much taken internally causes burning in the throat, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea, and in severe cases haemolysis with kidney injury. Seek medical attention rather than waiting it out.
- Not for the depleted. Avoid in qi deficiency, yin deficiency, in the frail and elderly, and in children. There is no place for it in a weak patient — the herb works by force.
- Handling. The powder makes people sneeze and irritates the eyes; grind it with the airway and eyes protected, and keep it away from broken skin.
- Not a home remedy. A collapsed or unconscious person needs emergency medical services immediately. Nothing in the classical record about blowing powder into the nose changes that, and using it in place of calling for help costs time that matters.
Contraindicated in pregnancy: Contraindicated in pregnancy. Avoid during breastfeeding as well — it is a forceful, irritant herb whose safety in nursing has not been established.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only
References
- Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing《神农本草经》(classical source, public domain) — the parent drug 皂荚.
2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
3. 《中华人民共和国药典》— 1–1.5 g, pills and powders; 孕妇禁用; contraindicated with haemoptysis or haematemesis.
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.