Pinyin: Huaijiao
Aliases
Huai shi, Huai zi, Huai jia, Huai dou
Source
Fabaceae plant SophoraSophora japonicaL. dried mature fruit.
Botanical Description
Deciduous tree, 8-20 m tall. Bark gray-brown, with irregular longitudinal fissures, inner bark bright yellow, with an odor; young branches dark greenish-brown, nearly glabrous or with short fine hairs, lenticels prominent. Odd-pinnate leaves, alternate, 15-25 cm long, rachis hairy, base swollen; leaflets 7-15, petiole about 2 mm long, densely covered with white short pubescence; stipules falcate, early deciduous; leaflet blades ovate-oblong, 2.5-7.5 cm long, 1.5-3 cm wide, apex acuminate with fine mucronate tip, base broadly cuneate, margin entire, upper surface green, slightly glossy, lower surface with appressed white short hairs. Panicles terminal, 15-30 cm long; calyx campanulate, 5-lobed; corolla papilionaceous, milky white, standard broadly cordate with short claw, veins slightly purple, wings and keels oblong; stamens 10, free, unequal in length; ovary tubular, with fine long hairs, style curved. Legume fleshy, moniliform, 2.5-5 cm long, yellow-green, glabrous, indehiscent, constricted between seeds. Seeds 1-6, reniform, dark brown. Flowering July-August, fruiting October-November.
Habitat and Distribution
Cultivated near houses and roadsides. Cultivated widely throughout China.
Harvesting and Processing
Harvested in winter, remove impurities, and dry.
Medicinal Properties
This product is in a beaded shape, 1-6 cm long and 0.6-1 cm in diameter. The surface is yellow-green or yellow-brown, wrinkled and rough, with a yellow ridge along the dorsal suture line. The texture is soft and moist, becoming dry and shrunken, and it easily breaks at the constricted areas, revealing a yellow-green, sticky cross-section. There are 1-6 seeds, kidney-shaped, about 8 mm long, with a smooth, brownish-black surface and a grayish-white, round hilum on one side; the texture is hard, with 2 yellow-green cotyledons. The flesh has a faint odor and a bitter taste, while the seeds have a beany flavor when chewed.
Chemical Constituents
This product contains genistein-7-β-D-cellobiose, genistein, quercetin, rutin, cytisine, matrine, and other constituents.
Pharmacology
Lowers blood pressure; enhances myocardial contractility; antioxidant; elevates blood glucose; lowers cholesterol; anti-inflammatory; improves hypoxia tolerance; promotes lymphocyte transformation; antiviral; antifertility, etc.
Properties and Channel Entry
Bitter, cold. Enters the Liver and Large Intestine channels.
Functions and Indications
Clears Heat and drains Fire, cools Blood and stops bleeding. Used for intestinal Heat with bloody stools, hemorrhoidal swelling and bleeding, Liver Heat with headache, dizziness, and red eyes.
Dosage and Administration
Internal: decoct in water, 5-15 g; or made into pills or powder; or pound fresh horn to extract juice. External: appropriate amount, decoct in water for washing; grind into powder and apply.
Precautions and Contraindications
Patients with Spleen and Stomach deficiency-cold, poor appetite, loose stools, and pregnant women should use with caution.
Prescriptions
1. For typhoid fever with fox confusion (Behcet's syndrome), excessive sleepiness, hoarse voice, and sores on lips and mouth: Huai Jiao (Sophora japonica fruit) 30 g, Tao Ren (Prunus persica seed) 30 g, Ai (Artemisia argyi leaf) 30 g, and 15 jujubes. Grind the above ingredients, take 15 g per dose, decoct in water and take warm. (From *Shou Shi Bao Yuan*). 2. For scalds and burns: Burn Huai Jiao to ash, grind into powder, mix with sesame oil and apply to the affected area for immediate relief. (From *Wan Bing Chun Hui*). 3. For hematuria (blood in urine): Huai Jiao 9 g, Che Qian (Plantago asiatica seed) 6 g, Fu Ling (Poria cocos) 6 g, Mu Tong (Akebia quinata stem) 6 g, and Gan Cao (Glycyrrhiza uralensis root) 2 g. Decoct in water and take orally. (From *Yang Shi Jian Yi Fang*). 4. For hypertension: Huai Jiao 9 g and Huang Qin (Scutellaria baicalensis root) 9 g. Decoct and take. (From *Anhui Zhong Cao Yao*).
