- Region
- Asia
- Origin
- East Asia and Europe
- Other names
- Welriekende salomonszegel
Asia · Herb · № 640
Polygonatum odoratum
Herb · Asia
Fragrant Solomon's seal (yu zhu)
Polygonatum odoratum
Traditionally attributed effects: nourishes the stomach and promotes the production of body fluids; for fatigue, poor appetite, weak digestion and exhaustion.
Safety notes
The berries and fresh plant are toxic; use only prepared rhizome. Traditional use is no proof of effectiveness; if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or have a medical condition, consult a doctor or pharmacist.
Cautions by tradition (1)
- Chinese materia medica: Not with cold, damp phlegm in the stomach.
Preparation
Dried rhizome in soups.
Use in traditions
Fragrant Solomon's seal; known in Chinese food therapy for its moistening action.
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Chinese food therapy
Attributed effects
Tonic that nourishes the stomach and promotes the production of body fluids; for fatigue, poor appetite, weak digestion, exhaustion and infertility, and for wound healing and stomach complaints.
Chinese materia medica
- Nature and taste
- sweet, slightly cold
- Meridians
- lung, heart, stomach
Attributed effects
Nourishes the yin of lung and stomach in dry cough, a dry throat, 'wasting-and-thirsting disease', insatiable appetite and constipation, and calms internal wind in pain and cramp in the tendons from lack of body fluids; also usable for a cold with underlying yin deficiency.
Preparation and amount
Traditional dosage: 6–18 g a day, usually in a decoction. Resembles huang jing, but is cooler and more moistening.
Caution: Not with cold, damp phlegm in the stomach.
- Ways to prepare herbs
- DecoctionPowder and kitchen