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Apricot seed (Xingren)
Pharmaceutical Name: Semen Armeniacae
Botanical Name: 1. Prunus armeniaca L. var.
ansu maxim.; 2. Prunus mandshurica (Maxim.)
Koehne; 3. Prunus sibirica L.
Common Name: Apricot seed, Bitter apricot
seed or kernel
Source of Earliest Record: Shennong Bencao
Jing
Part Used & Method for Pharmaceutical
Preparations: The seeds are collected after
the apricot ripens in summer. They are then
dried in the sun and pounded into pieces.
Properties & Taste: Bitter, slightly
warm and slightly toxic
Meridians: Lung and large intestine
Functions:
1. To stop cough and relieve asthma;
2. To moisten the intestines and move stool
Indications & Combinations:
1. Cough and asthma: a) cough due to invasion
by exogenous pathogenic wind and heatApricot
seed (Xingren) is used with Mulberry leaf
(Sangye) and Chrysanthemum flower (Juhua)
in the formula Sang Ju Yin; b) cough due to
dysfunction of the lungs caused by dryness
and heatApricot seed (Xingren) is used with
Mulberry leaf (Sangye), Tendrilled fritillary
bulb (Chuanbeimu) and Glehnia root (Shashen)
in the formula Sang Xing Tang; c) cough and
asthma due to accumulated heat in the lungsApricot
seed (Xingren) is used with Gypsum (Shigao)
and Ephedra (Mahuang) in the formula Ma Xing
Shi Gan Tang.
2. Constipation due to dryness in the intestines.
Apricot seed (Xingren) is used with Hemp seed
(Huomaren) and Chinese angelica root (Danggui)
in the formula Runchang Wan.
Dosage: 3-10 g
Cautions & Contraindications: This herb
is slightly toxic, so overdosing should be
avoided. It should be used with caution in
infants. |
