calming
Sour Jujube Seed (Suan Zao Ren)
酸枣仁 · Suānzǎorén
Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa
Nature
Neutral
Saveur
Sweet, sour
Meridian
Heart, Liver, Gallbladder
Suan Zao Ren is China's most trusted sleep herb — the small kernel of the wild sour jujube that nourishes heart blood and calms the spirit. The Tang physician recorded it for 'restless sleeplessness that cannot lie down'; a thousand years later it still anchors every classical insomnia formula.
🌿 Fonctions
- •Nourishes heart yin and liver blood
- •Calms the spirit and aids sleep
- •Stops sweating
📖 Usage
9–15 g in decoction (crushed before simmering); 1–2 g powder at bedtime is the traditional efficient route.
🔬 Recherche moderne
Jujubosides A and B and spinosin are studied for sedative-hypnotic effects via GABA-ergic pathways — one of TCM's most pharmacologically supported calming herbs.
⚠️ Contre-indications
Avoid with slippery stools from spleen deficiency.
