✵The article records the herb Pomegranate Rind, including its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, botanical source—namely the plant species Punica granatum L.—and provides a detailed introduction to the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environment of this species; the morphological characteristics of the herb Pomegranate Rind; its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Pericarpium Granati (Pomegranate Rind)
Pinyin Name: Shí Liu Pí
English Name: Pomegranate Rind
Latin Name:Pericarpium Granati Properties and Flavor: Warm in nature, sour and astringent in taste
Brief Introduction:Pericarpium Granati is the dried pericarp of Punica granatum L., used clinically as an antidiarrheal for chronic diarrhea and dysentery, and as an anthelmintic for intestinal taeniasis and ascariasis. It is commonly known as Pericarpium Granati, Pomegranate Rind, or Shí Liú Pí.
Botanical Source: Classical herbal works define Pomegranate Flower (Shí Liú Huā) and Pomegranate Rind (Shí Liú Pí) as the flower and dried fruit peel, respectively, of Punica granatum L., a species belonging to the family Punicaceae (formerly placed in family Lythraceae). It is a member of the genus Punica L., family Punicaceae, order Myrtales. This widely used species is described below:
(1) Punica granatum L.
Botanical Description: Commonly known as Shí Liú or pomegranate tree, Punica granatum L. is a deciduous shrub or small tree, growing up to 2–5 meters tall, rarely reaching 10 meters. Branch tips often terminate in a sharp, elongated spine; young shoots are ribbed and angular, glabrous; older branches are subcylindrical (nearly cylindrical). Leaves are usually opposite or clustered (fasciculate); petioles are short, about 5–7 mm long; leaf blades are oblong-lanceolate, chartaceous (papery), 2–9 cm long and 1–1.8 cm wide; apex is acute, mucronate, obtuse, or emarginate; base attenuate; margin is entire; upper surface is lustrous; lateral veins are fine and densely arranged.
Flowers are large; one to five or several flowers arise terminally on branches or branchlets, or axillary; pedicels are 2–3 mm long; flowers are ~3 cm in diameter; hypanthium (floral tube) is campanulate, 2–3 cm long, usually red or pale yellow, with a 6-lobed (occasionally 5–7-lobed) apex; lobes are ovate-triangular, 0.8–1.3 cm long, slightly spreading outward; an olivine (yellowish-green) gland is present near the outer apex of each lobe; margins are papillate; six petals, red, yellow, or white, alternating with sepals and equal in number to them; petals are obovate, 1.5–3 cm long and 1–2 cm wide, apex is obtuse; numerous stamens inserted at mid-hypanthium; anthers are globose; filaments are slender and short, glabrous, up to 1.3 cm long; one pistil; ovary is inferior or half-inferior; style is longer than stamens; stigma is capitate.
Fruits are spherical or subsphaeroidal, 5–12 cm in diameter, typically fawn-colored (flavotestaceous), pale yellowish-green, or reddish; occasionally white, rarely dark purple; pericarp is thickened and leathery; calyx is persistent at the apex. Seeds are numerous, bluntly corniform; sarcotesta (juicy aril covering seed) is red, faintly red to cream-white (milky white). Flowering occurs from May to June; fruiting from July to August.
Ecological Environment: The tree grows on sunny hillsides or mountain slopes and is widely cultivated in gardens. Native to ancient Anatolia, it is now cultivated across temperate and subtropical regions worldwide. According to historical records, Zhang Qian introduced Punica granatum into China during the Han Dynasty. It is also extensively cultivated throughout Central Asia, southwestern Europe, the Mediterranean Basin, the Caucasus, drier parts of Southeast Asia, South Asia, and in parts of Arizona and California in the United States.
Growth Characteristics:Punica granatum prefers warm, sunny conditions; it is drought-tolerant and cold-hardy, and withstands aridity, but is intolerant of waterlogging and shade. Soil requirements are not strict, though well-drained sandy soil is optimal for cultivation.
Characteristics of the Herb: The pericarp is semicircular or irregularly lumpy, varying in size, with a thickness of 1.5–3 mm. The outer surface is yellowish-brown, dark red (dull red), or reddish-brown, slightly glossy, coarse and rough, bearing small brown spots; some specimens bear protruding tubular persistent calyx remnants or a thick, short carpopodium (fruit stalk). The inner surface is yellow or reddish-brown, pitted (pit-like concavities) where seeds have detached, revealing a reticulated, raised pattern. The herb is hard and brittle in texture, with a yellow, slightly granular fracture surface. It has a faint odor and tastes bitter and astringent.
Varietas: In China, several varieties of Punica granatum L. are recognized, including: (1) Punica granatum L. var. albescens DC., (2) Punica granatum L. var. flavescens Sweet, (3) Punica granatum L. var. legrellei Vanh., (4) Punica granatum L. var. multiplex Sweet, (5) Punica granatum L. var. nana Pers., (6) Punica granatum L. var. nigra Hort., and (7) Punica granatum L. var. pleniflora Hayne.
Pharmacological Actions: (1) Antibacterial activity: Aqueous decoctions inhibit Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella dysenteriae, Shigella flexneri, and Proteus vulgaris; they also exhibit marked inhibitory effects against Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. (2) Antiviral activity: Diluted aqueous decoctions retain inhibitory activity against influenza viruses, including the influenza PR3 A strain. (3) Antifungal activity: Aqueous infusions inhibit ten species of dermatophytes, including Trichophyton violaceum, Epidermophyton floccosum, Microsporum audouinii, and Nocardia asteroides. (4) Anthelmintic activity: Active constituents exert a potent cestocidal effect, particularly against tapeworms.
Medicinal Efficacy: Astringes the intestines, arrests diarrhea, stops bleeding, and expels parasites. Indicated for chronic diarrhea, protracted dysentery, hematochezia, hematemesis, epistaxis, traumatic bleeding, rectal prolapse, spermatorrhea, metrorrhagia, metrostaxis, pathological leukorrhea, irregular menstruation, otitis media, dentalgia, abdominal pain due to parasitic infestation, and scabies.
Administration of Pericarpium Granati (Shí Liu Pí):
Reference:
Administration Guide for Pericarpium Granati (Shí Liu Pí)
TCM Books:
(1) Internally: 3–9 grams; (2) Internally: water decoction, 0.8–1.5 qián (≈2.4–4.5 grams), or powdered herb; external use: fumigation-wash with decoction, or finely powdered herb applied topically. (3) Internally: water decoction, 3–10 grams; or formulated into pills or powder. External use: Apply an appropriate amount—fumigation-wash with decoction, or sprinkle or smear finely powdered herb.
Contraindications, Precautions, and Adverse Reactions: Pericarpium Granati is contraindicated in cases of dysentery with pathogenic stagnation (i.e., acute, damp-heat dysentery with unresolved toxin and obstruction).
✵The article records the herb Pomegranate Rind, including its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, botanical source—namely the plant species Punica granatum L.—and provides a detailed introduction to the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environment of this species; the morphological characteristics of the herb Pomegranate Rind; its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Pinyin Name: Shí Liu Pí
Botanical Description: Commonly known as Shí Liú or pomegranate tree, Punica granatum L. is a deciduous shrub or small tree, growing up to 2–5 meters tall, rarely reaching 10 meters. Branch tips often terminate in a sharp, elongated spine; young shoots are ribbed and angular, glabrous; older branches are subcylindrical (nearly cylindrical). Leaves are usually opposite or clustered (fasciculate); petioles are short, about 5–7 mm long; leaf blades are oblong-lanceolate, chartaceous (papery), 2–9 cm long and 1–1.8 cm wide; apex is acute, mucronate, obtuse, or emarginate; base attenuate; margin is entire; upper surface is lustrous; lateral veins are fine and densely arranged.
Flowers are large; one to five or several flowers arise terminally on branches or branchlets, or axillary; pedicels are 2–3 mm long; flowers are ~3 cm in diameter; hypanthium (floral tube) is campanulate, 2–3 cm long, usually red or pale yellow, with a 6-lobed (occasionally 5–7-lobed) apex; lobes are ovate-triangular, 0.8–1.3 cm long, slightly spreading outward; an olivine (yellowish-green) gland is present near the outer apex of each lobe; margins are papillate; six petals, red, yellow, or white, alternating with sepals and equal in number to them; petals are obovate, 1.5–3 cm long and 1–2 cm wide, apex is obtuse; numerous stamens inserted at mid-hypanthium; anthers are globose; filaments are slender and short, glabrous, up to 1.3 cm long; one pistil; ovary is inferior or half-inferior; style is longer than stamens; stigma is capitate.
Ecological Environment: The tree grows on sunny hillsides or mountain slopes and is widely cultivated in gardens. Native to ancient Anatolia, it is now cultivated across temperate and subtropical regions worldwide. According to historical records, Zhang Qian introduced Punica granatum into China during the Han Dynasty. It is also extensively cultivated throughout Central Asia, southwestern Europe, the Mediterranean Basin, the Caucasus, drier parts of Southeast Asia, South Asia, and in parts of Arizona and California in the United States.
Characteristics of the Herb: The pericarp is semicircular or irregularly lumpy, varying in size, with a thickness of 1.5–3 mm. The outer surface is yellowish-brown, dark red (dull red), or reddish-brown, slightly glossy, coarse and rough, bearing small brown spots; some specimens bear protruding tubular persistent calyx remnants or a thick, short carpopodium (fruit stalk). The inner surface is yellow or reddish-brown, pitted (pit-like concavities) where seeds have detached, revealing a reticulated, raised pattern. The herb is hard and brittle in texture, with a yellow, slightly granular fracture surface. It has a faint odor and tastes bitter and astringent.
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