Chinese date

Chinese Name: Da zhao
Medical Name: Zizyphi Fructus
Latin Name: Ziziphus jujube Mill
Origin:
Taste:

Quotes from Chinese historical sources

THE HERBAL CLASSIC OF SHEN NONG: "Soothes the nerves, maintains spleen, supports the twelve energy and blood channels."
"Nourishing particularly the saliva channel and channel of lesser vigour, it is useful when in treating those lacking vital energy, recovering from trauma, or suffering from the restless feelings of edema. It can be mixed with all herbs."

COMPENDIUM OF MATERIA MEDICA: "This herb has the same functions as liquorice."

METHODOLOGY OF MEDICATION: "Protects and nourishes the body and promotes the vital fluids."

Western Research

Biol Pharm Bull. 1996 Jul;19(7):936-9.
A polysaccharide fraction of Zizyphi fructus in augmenting natural killer activity by oral administration.
Yamaoka Y, Kawakita T, Kaneko M, Nomoto K. Kampo (Traditional Chinese Medicine) Research Laboratory, Kanebo Co., Ltd., Osaka, Japan.
Shosaiko-to (Xiao-chai-hu-tang, SHO), a Kampo medicine, was prepared by decocting a prescription of 7 kinds of crude drugs, namely Bupleuri Radix, Pinelliae Tuber, Scutellariae Radix, Zizyphi Fructus, Ginseng Radix, Glycyrrhizae Radix and Zingiberis Rhizoma. The high weight molecular fraction of Zizyphi Fructus was the most effective in augmenting NK activity.

Exp Lung Res. 1996 May-Jun;22(3):255-66.
Zizyphi fructus, a constituent of antiasthmatic herbal medicine, stimulates airway epithelial ciliary motility through nitric oxide generation.
Tamaoki J, Kondo M, Tagaya E, Takemura K, Konno K. Tokyo Women's Medical College, Japan.
The effects of Zizyphi fructus, a major constituent of Chinese anti-asthmatic herbal medicine, on ciliary motility and nitric oxide (NO) generation in canine cultured tracheal epithelium were studied. The results suggest that Zizyphi fructus enhances airway ciliary motility and that this effect is exerted through the stimulation of epithelial NO generation.

Planta Med 1986 Apr;(2):119-20
Prevention of dental caries by Oriental folk medicines--active principles of Zizyphi Fructus for inhibition of insoluble glucan formation by cariogenic bacterium Streptococcus mutans.[Article in Japanese]
Kohda H, Kozai K, Nagasaka N, Miyake Y, Suginaka H, Hidaka K, Yamasaki K.