This Medicinal is the dried ripe fruit of Quisqualis indica L. (fam. Combretaceae). It is harvested in September and October when the pericarp turns purple or dark and dried by natural sulight. The peeled seeds are used unprocessed or stir-baked till it smells sweet.
[ Medicinal Properties ]: Sweet, warm; relate to spleen and sotmach meridians.
[ Medicinal Efficacies ]: Destroy parasites; remove food stagnation.
[ Clinical Applications ]: Ascariasis,infantile malnutrition with accumulation Sweet in smell, not bitter, without daaging healthy qi, Shijunzi is especially appropriate for infants. For mild cases, it can be chewed and swallowed by itself; however, in server cases, it is combined with Kulianpi and Binglang to improve its therapeutic effects. To treat infantile malnutrition with accumulation manifested as emaciation, it is often used in combination with Dangshen, Baizhu and Jineijin.
[ Usage and Dosage ]: 9-12g. For children, the recommended dose is 1-1.5grains per day 0per age with the maximum total dose being 20 grains.
[ Precautions ]: Large-dosage administration of Shijunzi may cause hiccup, dizziness and vomiting. If it is taken with hot tea, hiccup may also occur.