Introduction of Bai Jie Zi:White Mustard Seed or Semen Sinapis Albae.

TCM Herbalism:Medicinals and Classifications. ✵The article gives records of the herb White Mustard Seed, its English name, Latin name, property and flavor, its botanical source one plant species, ①.Sinapis alba L., with a detailed introduction to the botanical features of this plant species, the growth characteristics, and ecological environment of this plant species, the features of the herb White Mustard Seed, its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guide.

Semen Sinapis Albae(White Mustard Seed).

a pile of White Mustard Seeds  Pin Yin Name: Bái Jiè Zǐ.
 English Name: White Mustard Seed.
 Latin Name: Semen Sinapis Albae.
 Property and flavor: warm, pungent.

 Brief introduction: The herb Semen Sinapis Albae is the mature seed of Sinapis alba L., used to warm the lung and resolve phlegm for treating a cough with profuse expectoration and stuffy feeling in the chest, and also for treating the cold abscess and pleural fluid retention. The herb is commonly known as Semen Sinapis Albae, White Mustard Seed, Bái Jiè Zǐ.

 Botanical source: The herb Semen Sinapis Albae (White Mustard Seed) is the ripe seed of Sinapis alba L., it is a plant of Sinapis L. genus, the Brassicaceae family (Cruciferae, mustard family) of the Rhoeadales order.

 Herbal classic book defined the herb Semen Sinapis Albae (White Mustard Seed) as the ripe seed of:(1). Sinapis alba L., This commonly used species is introduced:

(1).Sinapis alba L.


 a flowering plant of Sinapis alba L.  Botanical description: The plant, Sinapis alba L is also known as Brassica alba (L.) Boiss, it is an annual or biennial thick herb, the plant grows up to 40–120 cm tall. The stem is upright, has longitudinal edges, and the upper part is many-branched, covered with scattered white hirsute. Leaves are alternate, thin, and stipitate; the leaf blade's large head at the stem base is pinnate or deeply divided, broadly elliptic or ovoid, 6~15 cm long, 2~3 cm wide, apex lobes are large, 1~3 pairs of lateral lobes, the margin is sparsely toothed; cauline leaves are smaller, with a short petiole, ascending lobes are gradually turning fewer.

 Racemes are terminal or axillary; 4 sepals (calyx lobes), green, upright, lanceolate or oblong. The base is unguiform (claw-shaped); there are 6 stamens, 4 long stamens, and 2 short stamens, the long stamens are 8.5~9.5 mm long, and the short stamens are 6~6.5 mm long. 1 pistil, ovary is long columnar, 9~10 mm long, densely covered with white long bristles.

 Silique is cylindrical, 2~2.5 cm long, densely covered with white stiff bristles, carpels constrict between seeds into a bead-like shape, silique apex has a flattened ensiform (sword-shaped) rostrum (beak). Seeds are subsphaeroidal, and yellowish (light yellow). Its flowering period is from April to June, and the fruiting period is from May to July.

 flowering plants of Sinapis alba L.,with yellow flowers Ecological environment: Sinapis alba is native to Europe. It is also cultivated in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the northwest and southwest areas of China.

 Growth characteristics: Sinapis alba prefers a warm and moist climate with the sunshine and is tolerant of drought, and it is suitable to grow in fertile and moist sandy loam with good drainage, and should avoid barren, low-lying, waterlogged land.

 Characters of herbs: Seeds are subsphaeroidal, 2~2.5 mm in diameter. The surface is light yellowish-white and smooth. When it is observed under a magnifying glass, there is a slight reticulated pattern, one end has a round, light brown hilum, which swells in water. When the spermoderm (seed coat) is removed, there are two hypertrophic cotyledons, oily, and folded longitudinally with a radicle enclosed in them. The seed has a slight smell and spicy and pungent tastes, and it has a special pungent odor after crushing and wetting. The herb of a better grade has big and full grains, yellow and white, and No impurities.

 Pharmacological actions: ①.antibacterial effect: The benzyl isothiocyanate contained in the Semen Sinapis Albae has a broad-spectrum antibacterial effect on yeast, 20 kinds of fungi, and dozens of other strains. The effective antibacterial concentration against gram-negative or gram-positive bacteria is 1:10(2)-3×10(2). The aqueous extract of white mustard seed has a different degree of antifungal effect to Achorion violaceum and Achorion schoenleinii in a test tube. Sialbin hydrolyzes to produce glucosinolates which also have bactericidal action; ②.stimulation effect; ③.anti-lipid peroxidation, expectorant, regulating blood pressure effect.

 Medicinal efficacy: Benefit Qi and reduce phlegm, warm the middle and dissipate cold, free channel and analgesia, indicated for the treatment of cold phlegm and asthma cough, chest fullness and pain in hypochondria, phlegm stagnation meridians, joint numbness, etc.

 Administration of Semen Sinapis Albae (Bái Jiè Zǐ): 
 
Reference: Administration Guide of Semen Sinapis Albae (Bái Jiè Zǐ)
TCM Books: ①.1~3 qian (about 3~9 grams); ②.3~10 grams, water decoction; prepare to finely ground herb powder and prepared to pills, powder.Externally:proper amount, prepare to finely ground herb powder and apply stick.

 

 
  

 

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References:
  • 1.Introduction of Bai Jie Zi:White Mustard Seed or Semen Sinapis Albae.

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