The Five Seeds

Since fertility seems to be surrounding me right now in every way that it can, I have decided to further expand on my last post and look at the ever popular five seeds in Chinese medicine.

Gou Qi Zi (Lycium Barbarum Fruit)

Tu Si Zi (Cuscuta Chinensis Seed)

Fu Pen Zi (Rubus Chingii Fruit)

Che Qian Zi (Plantago Asiatica Seed)

Wu Wei Zi (Schisandra Chinensis Fruit)

Gou Qi Zi: Also known as the lycium fruit or the Chinese wolfberry, this herb is use to enrich the yin of the Kidneys and the Lungs. It can nourishes Liver blood and will also mildly tonify the Kidney yang.

This herb is good for yin and blood deficiency patterns. It is neutral in temperature and so it is good to treat both Liver and Kidney deficiency. It is often combined with Dang Gui and Shu Di Huang.

It can benefit the essence and brighten the eyes. This is often a symptom with Liver and Kidney deficiency, where the essence and the blood fail to nourish the eyes. The manifestations are dizziness, blurred vision, and diminished visual acuity. Combining it with Ju Hua for tinnitus, headache and visual impairment works well.

Lastly, Gou Qi Zi can enrich the yin and moistens the lungs. Using this herb for "wasting and thirsting" disorder (aka: diabetes) is very beneficial. To treat diabetes, in folk medicine, 10 grams of this herb are steamed and taken two to three times a day.

Steaming bone disorder (anyone who has had these kind of hot flashes KNOWS what this is!) is also benefited by the use of this herb.

Historically there was a debate as to whether Gou Qi Zi actually cleared heat, or if that function is left to Di Gu Pi, the root bark of this plant. Zhang Xi-Chun, in Essays on Medicine Esteeming the Chinese and Respecting the Western states that it does, due to his personal experiences. I too, believe that it may clear some heat, merely through its action of nourishing and enriching the yin. Through that action alone, some heat will be cleared.

This herb enters the Lung, Liver and Kidney channel. It is neutral and sweet and has a dosage of 6-12g.

Tu Si Zi is known in English as Chinese dodder seeds. It enters the Kidney and Liver channel and is acrid, sweet and neutral.

It warms the primal yang, augments the yin and secures the essence and urine. It is useful for Kidney yang deficiency patterns. This means that patients can present with symptoms such as impotence, nocturnal emissions, premature ejaculation, tinnitus, urinary frequency, sore and painful back and urinary frequency. Tu Si Zi can also help to improve the vision by tonifying the Liver and Kidneys. Also, it can benefit the Spleen and can be used to stop diarrhea due to a deficiency. Often a poor appetite will accompany the diarrhea.

A very important use of this herb is that it can calm the fetus and is used in and useful for a habitual or threatened miscarriage.

This is one of those herbs that seems to do it all. It tonifies yin and yang, and isn't cloying in the meantime. It is warm without being drying. It secures the essence and yet encourages the movement of primal yang. It can address Spleen deficiency resulting in diarrhea or excessive vaginal discharge and then turn around and take care of your aching lower back and knees.

Go get some. A safe dose is about 6 - 15 grams.

Source text: Bensky's Materia Medica.... as per usual.