Pinyin: Wuhuaguo
Aliases
Yingriguo, Youtanbo, Miguo, Wenxianguo
Source
1. For pneumonia: Renshen 6 g, decoct in water and take orally.Ficus caricaL. dried fruit.
Botanical Description
Deciduous shrub or small tree, reaching 3-10 m in height. Entire plant contains latex; much branched, branches stout, surface brown, sparsely covered with short hairs. Leaves alternate; petiole 2-5 cm long, stout; stipules ovate-lanceolate, about 1 cm long, red; leaf blade thick membranous, broadly ovate or ovate-orbicular, 10-24 cm long, 8-22 cm wide, 3-5 lobed, lobes ovate, margin with irregular blunt teeth, upper surface dark green, rough, lower surface densely covered with small cystoliths and yellowish-brown short soft hairs, base shallowly cordate, basal veins 3-5, lateral veins 5-7 pairs. Dioecious; hidden inflorescence, receptacle solitary in leaf axils; male and gall flowers in the same receptacle; male flowers at the inner wall near the mouth, stamens 2, perianth segments 3-4; gall flower style lateral, short; female flowers in a different receptacle, perianth segments 3-4, style lateral, stigma 2-lobed. Fig (receptacle) pear-shaped, 3-5 cm long when mature, purplish-red or yellowish-green, fleshy, apex sunken, base with 3 bracts. Flowering and fruiting period: August to November.
Habitat and Distribution
Cultivated throughout various regions in China, originally from Western Asia and the Mediterranean region.
Harvesting and Processing
From July to October, when the fruit is green, harvest in batches; alternatively, collect fallen immature fruits, scald the fresh fruits with boiling water, then sun-dry or oven-dry.
Medicinal Properties
The dried flower receptacle is obconical or subglobose in shape, approximately 2 cm long, with a diameter of 1.5-2.5 cm; the surface is pale brownish-yellow to dark brown or bluish-black, with wavy longitudinal ridges; the apex is slightly truncate with a circular protrusion in the center, the base gradually narrows, and the inner wall bears numerous small achenes, sometimes with withered staminate flowers still present on the upper part of the wall. The achenes are ovoid or triangular-ovoid, 1-2 mm long, pale yellow, and enclosed by persistent calyx. Odor: faint; Taste: sweet, slightly sour.
Chemical Constituents
This product contains citric acid, fumaric acid, succinic acid, shikimic acid, lutein, ficin, and other components.
Pharmacology
Anti-tumor; enhances immune function; analgesic; laxative; lowers blood pressure.
Properties and Channel Entry
Sweet, cool. Enters the Lung, Stomach, and Large Intestine channels.
Functions and Indications
Clears Heat and generates body fluids, strengthens the Spleen and stimulates appetite, resolves toxicity and reduces swelling. Indications: sore throat with swelling and pain, dry cough with hoarseness, insufficient lactation, intestinal Heat with constipation, poor appetite, indigestion, diarrhea, dysentery, abscesses and swellings, and tinea infections.
Dosage and Administration
Internal: decoct in water, 9-15 g; for large doses, 30-60 g may be used; or consume 1-2 fresh fruits raw. External: appropriate amount, decoct in water for washing; grind into powder for topical application or insufflation.
Precautions and Contraindications
Those with Spleen and Stomach deficiency-cold should use with caution.
Prescriptions
1. For sore throat: Wuhuaguo (Ficus carica) 7 pieces, Jinyinhua (Lonicera japonica) 15 g. Decoct in water and take orally. (Shandong Chinese Herbal Medicine Manual) 2. For lung heat causing hoarseness: Dried Wuhuaguo 15 g. Decoct in water, add rock sugar, and take. (Fujian Chinese Herbal Medicine) 3. For dry cough and chronic cough: Wuhuaguo 9 g, putao gan (raisins) 15 g, Gancao (Glycyrrhiza uralensis) 6 g. Decoct in water and take orally. (Xinjiang Chinese Herbal Medicine Manual) 4. For constipation: Fresh Wuhuaguo, an appropriate amount, chew and eat, or crush dried fruit and decoct into a soup. Add raw honey as needed, take warm on an empty stomach. (Anhui Chinese Herbal Medicine) 5. For chronic diarrhea: Wuhuaguo 5-7 pieces. Decoct in water and take orally. (Hunan Materia Medica)
