Sour Jujube Seed (Suan Zao Ren)
酸枣仁 · Suānzǎorén
Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa
Family: Rhamnaceae · Part used: Ripe seed · Origin: Xingtai, Hebei, China
Nature
Neutral
Flavor
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.
🌿 Functions & Actions
- •Nourishes heart yin and liver blood
- •Calms the spirit and aids sleep
- •Stops sweating
📋 Traditional Indications
- •Insomnia and dream-disturbed sleep
- •Palpitations and anxiety
- •Forgetfulness
- •Night sweats and spontaneous sweating
- •Weariness from overwork
📖 Usage & Dosage
9–15 g in decoction (crushed before simmering); 1–2 g powder at bedtime is the traditional efficient route.
🍵 Classic Recipes
Suan Zao Ren Sleep Tea
Crushed seed 12 g + longan 8 g, simmered 20 minutes, drunk warm before bed.
Suan Zao Ren Tang
The classical formula with anemarrhena, chuan xiong, poria, and licorice for blood-deficiency insomnia.
🔬 Modern Research
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.
⚠️ Contraindications
Avoid with slippery stools from spleen deficiency.
