Black
Plum (wu mei)
Fructus
Mume
Properties:
It is sour and astringent in flavour, neutral in nature,
and tropistic to the liver, lung and large intestine
channels. Being sour and astringent in falvour and moist
in nature, it can astringe the lung and intestines,
promote the generation of body fluid and relieve colic
caused by ascariasis, serving to treat protracted cough
due to deficiency of the lung, thirst because of loss of
the body fluid, abdominal colic due to ascariasis and
chronic diarrhea, etc. It is always used as an important
herb for astringing the lung and intestines and calming
ascaris to alleviate pain.
Effects:
Astringing the lung and intestines, sloping cough and
arresting diarrhea, producing body fluid to quench thirst, and
calming ascaris to alleviate pain.
Indications:
1. For
insufficiency of lung-qi induced chronic cough and asthma,
it is often used with herbs for replenishing the lung to
stop coughing, such as Colla Corii, Radix Codonopsis
Pilosulae, Semen Armeniacae Amarum, Rhizoma Pinelliae,
etc.
2. For deficiency
of stomach-yin, dry mouth and thirst or diabetes in the
type of deficiency-heat, it is often used with herbs for
producing body fluid to quench thirst, such as Radix
Ophiopogonis, Radix Trichosanthis, Radix Puerariae and
Radix Astragali seu Hedysari, etc.
3. For chronic
diarrhea and dysentery due to hypofunction of the spleen,
it is often used with herbs for invigorating the spleen to
arrest diarrhea, such as Radix Codonosis pilosulae,
Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae, Semen Myristicae, etc.
4. For abominal
colic or colic with concomitant cold limbs caused by
ascariasis, it is used usually with Radix Aconiti
Praeparata, Rhizoma Zingiberis, Pericarpium Zanthoxyli,
Rhizoma Coptidis, etc. as in Black Plum Bolus (Wumei Wan).
Moreover, it is
also used for various kinds of hemorrhagic syndrome.
Dosage and
Administration: 3-10g.
