✵The article records the herb Seabuckthorn Fruit, including its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, and botanical source—namely, one plant species: (1) Hippophae rhamnoides L.—with a detailed introduction to the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environment of this plant; the characteristics of the herb Seabuckthorn Fruit; its pharmacological actions; medicinal efficacy; and administration guidelines.
Fructus Hippophae (Seabuckthorn Fruit)
Pinyin Name: Shā Jí
English Name: Seabuckthorn Fruit
Latin Name:Fructus Hippophae Properties and Flavor: Warm; sour; astringent
Brief Introduction:Fructus Hippophae is the dried ripe fruit of Hippophae rhamnoides L. (family Elaeagnaceae). It is used (1) as an antitussive and expectorant for cough with profuse phlegm; (2) as a stomachic for dyspepsia and abdominal pain due to food retention; and (3) to promote blood circulation and resolve blood stasis in traumatic wounds and amenorrhea. The herb is commonly known as Fructus Hippophae, Seabuckthorn Fruit, or Shā Jí.
Botanical Source:Fructus Hippophae (Seabuckthorn Fruit) is the dried ripe fruit of Hippophae rhamnoides L., a plant of the genus Hippophae, family Elaeagnaceae (oleaster family), order Rosales. Two commonly used subspecies are: (1) Hippophae rhamnoides L. subsp. sinensis Rousi, and (2) Hippophae rhamnoides L. subsp. yunnanensis Rousi. These two subspecies are described below:
(1) Hippophae rhamnoides L.
Botanical Description:Hippophae rhamnoides L. is a member of the Elaeagnaceae family (oleaster family) and the genus Hippophae. It is commonly known as seabuckthorn, Cu Liǔ ('vinegar willow'), or Shā Jí ('brambles and thorns growing in sandy soil'). The main subspecies cultivated in China is Hippophae rhamnoides L. subsp. sinensis Rousi, also referred to in older literature as Hippophae rhamnoides auct. non L. or Hippophae rhamnoides L. var. procera Rehd. This subspecies is widely known as Chinese seabuckthorn. Another commonly used subspecies is Hippophae rhamnoides L. subsp. yunnanensis Rousi.
Hippophae rhamnoides L. subsp. sinensis Rousi, commonly known as Chinese seabuckthorn, is a deciduous shrub or small tree. It grows up to 1–5 m tall, reaching up to 18 m in high mountain valleys. It bears numerous stout thorns—terminal or lateral. Young twigs are brownish-green and densely covered with silvery-white (sometimes brown-tinged) scales or stellate hairs; older branches are blackish-gray and coarse. Buds are large, golden or rusty-brown. Leaves are simple and usually subopposite; petioles are very short. Leaf blades are chartaceous (papery), narrowly lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, 3–8 cm long and ≈1 cm wide; both ends are obtuse, or the base is orbicular. The upper surface is green and initially covered with white peltate hairs or stellate pubescence; the lower surface is silvery or pale white and densely scaly.
Fruits are spherical, 4–6 mm in diameter, orange-yellow or orange. The carpopodium (fruit stalk) is 1–2.5 mm long. Seeds are small, black or purplish-black, and glossy. Flowering occurs from April to May; fruiting from September to October.
Growth Characteristics:Hippophae rhamnoides L. subsp. sinensis Rousi grows on sunny slopes, desert valley terraces, flat sandy lands, and gravelly slopes, at altitudes of 800–3,600 m above sea level.
Characteristics of the Herb: The fruit is spheroidal or oblate, occurring singly or in clusters; single fruits are 5–8 mm in diameter. The surface is brownish-red or dark brown, wrinkled, and often bears a short, slender carpopodium (fruit stalk). The fruit pulp is oily (oleose) and soft. The seeds are oblate, 2.5–4 mm long and 2 mm wide; the surface is brown, with a hilum at the narrow end, a micropyle at the opposite end, and a vertical groove on each side. The seed coat (spermoderm) is hard; when broken, the cotyledons are cream-white (milky-white) and oily. The herb has a slight odor and tastes sour and astringent. Higher-grade herb exhibits large, plump grains, thick pulp, and pronounced oiliness.
Medicinal efficacy: Relieves cough and promotes expectoration; aids digestion and eliminates food stagnation; activates blood circulation and dissipates blood stasis. It is indicated for cough with excessive phlegm, indigestion, food accumulation with abdominal pain, blood stasis and amenorrhea, traumatic injury, and contusions.
Administration of Fructus Hippophae (Shā Jí):
Reference:
Administration Guide for Fructus Hippophae (Shā Jí)
TCM Books:
(1) Internally:3–9 grams; (2) Decoction in water: 3–9 grams; or prepared as finely ground herb powder or into pills or powders. External use: appropriate amount—fresh material crushed and applied topically, or finely ground herb powder applied.
(2) Hippophae rhamnoides L. subsp. yunnanensis Rousi
Botanical Description:Hippophae rhamnoides L. subsp. yunnanensis Rousi is a plant of the Elaeagnaceae family (oleaster family) and the genus Hippophae L. It is commonly known as Yunnan seabuckthorn or Yúnnán Shā Jí (meaning "seabuckthorn native to Yunnan, China").
Hippophae rhamnoides L. subsp. yunnanensis Rousi differs from H. rhamnoides L. subsp. sinensis Rousi in several respects. Key differences include: leaves are alternate; the abaxial leaf surface is typically covered with rust-colored scales, rarely grayish-white; the fruit is spherical, 5–6 mm in diameter; and the seeds are black, elliptical, and approximately 3.5 mm long.
Growth Characteristics:Hippophae rhamnoides L. subsp. yunnanensis Rousi grows on arid valley sands and gravelly soils, in dense forests on slopes, or in alpine meadows at altitudes of 2,200–3,700 m above sea level.
✵The article records the herb Seabuckthorn Fruit, including its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, and botanical source—namely, one plant species: (1) Hippophae rhamnoides L.—with a detailed introduction to the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environment of this plant; the characteristics of the herb Seabuckthorn Fruit; its pharmacological actions; medicinal efficacy; and administration guidelines.
Pinyin Name: Shā Jí
Botanical Description: Hippophae rhamnoides L. is a member of the Elaeagnaceae family (oleaster family) and the genus Hippophae. It is commonly known as seabuckthorn, Cu Liǔ ('vinegar willow'), or Shā Jí ('brambles and thorns growing in sandy soil'). The main subspecies cultivated in China is Hippophae rhamnoides L. subsp. sinensis Rousi, also referred to in older literature as Hippophae rhamnoides auct. non L. or Hippophae rhamnoides L. var. procera Rehd. This subspecies is widely known as Chinese seabuckthorn. Another commonly used subspecies is Hippophae rhamnoides L. subsp. yunnanensis Rousi.
Growth Characteristics: Hippophae rhamnoides L. subsp. sinensis Rousi grows on sunny slopes, desert valley terraces, flat sandy lands, and gravelly slopes, at altitudes of 800–3,600 m above sea level.
Botanical Description: Hippophae rhamnoides L. subsp. yunnanensis Rousi is a plant of the Elaeagnaceae family (oleaster family) and the genus Hippophae L. It is commonly known as Yunnan seabuckthorn or Yúnnán Shā Jí (meaning "seabuckthorn native to Yunnan, China").
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