Mume flower (Lu'emei)
Prumus mume (Sieb.) Zieb. et Zucc.
Pharmaceutical Name: Flos Mume
Botanical Name: Prumus mume (Sieb.) Zieb. et Zucc.
Common Name: Mume flower, Japanese
apricot flower
Source of Earliest Record: Bencao
Gangmu.
Description:
Prunus mume is a deciduous tree that starts
flowering in mid-winter, typically around January or February in East Asia. It can
grow to 4–10 meters tall. The flowers are 2-2.5 cm in diameter and have a
strong fragrant scent. They have colors in varying shades of white, pink, and
red. The leaves appear shortly after the petals fall, are oval-shaped with a
pointed tip, and are 4–8 cm long and 2.5–5 cm wide. The fruit ripens in early
summer, around June and July in East Asia, and coincides with the rainy season
of East Asia, the meiyu (梅雨, literally "plum
rain"). The drupe is 2–3 cm in diameter with a groove running from the
stalk to the tip. The skin turns yellow, sometimes with a red blush, as it
ripens, and the flesh becomes yellow. The tree is cultivated for its fruit and
flowers.
Distribution: Prunus mume originated in the south of China around the
Yangtze River and was later introduced to Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, and
Japan. It can be found in sparse forests, stream sides, forested slopes along
trails and mountains, sometimes at altitudes up to 1700 to 3100 meter, and
regions of cultivation.
Part Used & Method for Pharmaceutical
Preparations: The flowers or flower buds are gathered in January or
February and dried in the sun or baked.
Properties & Taste: Sour,
astringent and neutral.
Meridians: Liver and stomach.
Functions: 1. To promote the free flow
of qi in the liver and reduce stagnation; 2. To regulate qi and harmonize the
stomach.
Indications & Combinations:
1. Qi stagnation in the liver and stomach
manifested as distension and pain in the hypochondriac regions, belching and
epigastric pain. Mume flower (Lu'emei) is used with Bupleurum root
(Chaihu), Cyperus tuber (Xiangfu), Green tangerine peel (Qingpi) and Costus
root (Muxiang).
2. Phlegm and qi stagnated in the throat
(globus hystericus) manifested as the sensation of a foreign body in the
throat. Mume flower (Lu'emei) is used with Trichosanthes peel (Gualoupi),
Tangerine peel (Chenpi), Mulberry bark (Sangbaipi), Albizia bark (Hehuanpi) and
Perilla leaf (Zisuye).
0 Comment:
Post a Comment