✵The article records the herb Round Cardamom Fruit—its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, and botanical sources—two plant species: (1) Amomum kravanh Pierre ex Gagnep. and (2) Amomum compactum Soland ex Maton. It provides a detailed introduction to the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environments of these two species; the macroscopic characteristics of the herb Round Cardamom Fruit; its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Fructus Amomi Rotundus (Round Cardamom Fruit)
Pinyin Name: Dòu Kòu
English Name: Round Cardamom Fruit
Latin Name:Fructus Amomi Rotundus Properties and Flavor: Warm; pungent.
Brief Introduction:Fructus Amomi Rotundus consists of the dried, ripe fruits of Amomum kravanh Pierre ex Gagnep. or Amomum compactum Soland ex Maton. It resolves dampness, moves Qi, and warms the Middle Energizer to relieve epigastric and abdominal distension, nausea, and vomiting caused by cold-damp accumulation and Qi stagnation in the Spleen and Stomach. Common names include Fructus Amomi Rotundus, Round Cardamom Fruit, and Dòu Kòu.
Botanical Source: Classical herbal works define Fructus Amomi Rotundus (Round Cardamom Fruit) as the dried, ripe fruit of (1) Amomum kravanh Pierre ex Gagnep. or (2) Amomum compactum Soland ex Maton. Both are perennial herbs of the genus Amomum, family Zingiberaceae (ginger family), order Zingiberales. These two commonly used species are described below:
(1) Amomum kravanh Pierre ex Gagnep.
Botanical Description: Also known as Amomum kravanh or Bái Dòu Kòu, this perennial herb grows 1.5–3 m tall. The rhizome is stout and reddish-brown. Leaves are subsessile; leaf blades are narrowly elliptic or ovate-lanceolate, ~60 cm long and 5–12 cm wide, with a caudate apex and cuneate base; both surfaces are smooth and glabrous. The ligule (paraphyll) is circular, 3–10 mm long; the leaf sheath mouth and ligule are densely covered with long, coarse hairs.
Inflorescences (spica) are two or more, emerging from the stem base; they are cylindrical or conical, 7–14 cm long and 3–5 cm in diameter, densely covered with imbricate floral bracts. Bracts are triangular, 3.5–4 cm long, straw-yellow, pubescent, and bear a conspicuous square-grid reticulated pattern. Flowers arise from the axils of the bracts. The calyx is tubular, white with a slight reddish tinge, ~1.2 cm long, and 3-dentate at the apex. The corolla tube is nearly equal in length to the hypanthium (calyx tube); the three lobes are white and elliptic. The labellum is elliptic, 1.5–2 cm long and ~1 cm wide, cucullate (spoon-shaped), white with a yellow central region and a petal stalk at the base. The stamen is recurved, ~6 mm long; the anther is broadly elliptic, ~3 mm long, with a trifid septum appendage. The ovary is inferior and pubescent, bearing two rod-shaped appendages.
Capsules are subglobose (nearly spherical), white or primrose-yellow (pale yellow), slightly obtuse, 3-ridged, 1.5–1.8 cm in diameter, and dehisce readily. Each capsule contains a trilocular seed mass; each locule bears 7–10 seeds. Flowering occurs from February to May; fruiting from July to August.
Ecological Environment: The plant grows in warm, moist, humus-rich forests—particularly in tropical forests with good drainage and high fertility.
Growth Characteristics:Amomum kravanh prefers a warm, humid, and moist climate. Seedlings cease growth upon brief exposure to low temperatures of 9.5 °C (49.1 °F); leaves exhibit shrinkage, and leaf tips become scorched and withered. The above-ground parts of mature plants die at 0 °C (32 °F). It tolerates extreme temperatures up to 41 °C (105.8 °F) under shaded conditions. Cultivation is best carried out in sunny, well-drained fields with loam or sandy loam rich in organic matter; heavy clay or gravelly soils are unsuitable.
Characteristics of the Herb: The fruit is subglobular (near-spherical), 1.1–2 cm long and 1.2–1.8 cm in diameter, with 3 obtuse ridges; the surface is yellowish-white to fawn (light yellowish-brown), smooth, and bears many longitudinal veins; the apex bears a protuberant stylopodium; the base shows concave fruit-stalk scars; both sides have yellow pubescence. The pericarp is thin and easily cracks when pressed; the inner surface is pale yellow and glossy; the placenta is axile and 3-loculed; each locule contains about 7–10 seeds, which aggregate into a lump. The seed lumps are irregular polyhedrons, with the dorsal surface slightly protuberant and 3–4 mm in diameter; the surface is dark brown or taupe brown, bearing slightly regular granular protrusions and covered with an off-white membranous aril; the narrower end has a circular, depression-shaped hilum; the opposite end bears a chalaza; the raphe lies on the ventral surface, is sunken, and forms a shallow longitudinal groove. The herb has an aromatic odor and tastes pungent and cool, with a slight camphor-like note. Higher-grade herb material exhibits large, plump grains; the pericarp is thin, clean white, and strongly aromatic.
Pharmacological Actions: (1) promotion of gastric juice secretion; (2) promotion of gastrointestinal peristalsis; (3) antiasthmatic effects; (4) inhibitory effect against Shigella dysenteriae; (5) aromatic stomach-strengthening effect, etc.
Medicinal Efficacy: Dampness-resolving and distension-relieving; Qi-circulating and middle-warming; middle-warming and antiemetic; stomach-warming; appetite-stimulating and digestion-aiding. It is indicated for turbid-damp obstruction in the middle energizer, Qi stagnation, dampness and Qi stagnation, food retention, anorexia (lack of appetite), spleen-stomach disharmony (incoordination between the spleen and the stomach), initial stage of damp-warm syndrome, chest tightness with loss of appetite, nausea due to cold-damp, abdominal distension, chest-and-abdominal distension, food stagnation, diaphragmatic spasm (choking diaphragm), cardiac spasm, cold-stomach vomiting, vomiting, nausea, and malaria.
Administration of Fructus Amomi Rotundus (Dòu Kòu):
Reference:
Administration Guide for Fructus Amomi Rotundus (Dòu Kòu)
TCM Books:
(1) Internally: 3–6 grams, preferably added near the late of decoction; (2) Internally: water decoction—should not be boiled for prolonged periods—0.5–2 qian (≈1.5–6 grams), or prepared as pills or powder; (3) Internally: water decoction, 3–6 grams, added near the end of decoction—or prepared as pills or powder.
(2) Amomum compactum Soland. ex Maton.
Botanical Description:Amomum compactum Soland. ex Maton. is commonly known as Java Amomum or Zhǎo Wā Bái Dòu Kòu. It is a perennial herb that grows up to 1–1.5 meters tall. The rhizome is elongated; the basal leaf sheath is reddish. The leaf blade is lanceolate, 25–50 cm long and 4–9 cm wide, with a caudate apex 2.5–3 cm long. Both surfaces are glabrous except for cilia; it emits a turpentine-like odor when rubbed and is sessile. The paraphyll (ligule) is bifid and rounded, 5–7 mm long; it is sparsely pilose at the initial stage but later becomes glabrous except for sparse cilia. The leaf-sheath mouth is glabrous.
The spikes are cylindrical, about 5 cm long and 2.5 cm wide, and gradually elongate after flowering; peduncles reach up to 8 cm in length. Flower bracts are ovate-oblong, 2–2.5 cm long and 7–10 mm wide, straw-colored, with vertical stripes and marginal setae (trichomes), and are persistent. Bracteoles are tubular with a trifid apex and are pilose. The hypanthium (calyx tube) is equal in length to the corolla tube, 1–1.2 cm long, and pilose. The corolla is white or slightly yellowish; its lobes are oblong and 8 mm long. The labellum is elliptic, 15–18 mm long and 1–1.5 mm wide, slightly concave, primrose yellow (pale yellow), with an orange midrib band bordered by purple; it is pilose. Lateral staminodes are absent. The filament base is pilose; the anthers are elliptic, about 2 mm long. The septum appendage is trifid and about 4 mm long. The nectary (nectar gland) is tawny (yellowish-brown), paired, cylindrical, and 2 mm long. The ovary is villous.
The fruit is oblate, 1–1.5 cm in diameter, with 9 longitudinal grooves when dried, sparsely covered with long hairs, and primrose yellow (pale yellow) when fresh. The seeds are irregular polyhedra, about 4 mm wide; the seed groove is conspicuous. Flowering occurs from February to May; fruiting occurs from June to August.
Ecological Environment: The plant grows in well-drained, fertile forest habitats, particularly in damp valleys.
Growth Characteristics: It thrives best in shaded, forested or woodland sites with well-drained, nutrient-retentive soil.
Characteristics of the Herb: The fruit is subglobular (nearly spherical), bearing three obtuse ridges, 0.8–1.2 cm in diameter. The pericarp is dull (non-lustrous); the axile placenta is trilocular, each locule containing 2–4 seeds. High-grade material features large, plump grains with thin, clean white pericarps and a strong aroma.
Semen Amomi Rotundus (Round Cardamom Seed)
Brief Introduction:Semen Amomi Rotundus refers to the freshly extracted seeds of Round Cardamom, removed from the pericarp; they possess greater biological activity than the whole fruit.
Botanical Source: The botanical origin of Semen Amomi Rotundus (Round Cardamom Seed) is identical to that of Fructus Amomi Rotundus (Round Cardamom Fruit), as described in the entry "Fructus Amomi Rotundus (Round Cardamom Fruit)."
✵The article records the herb Round Cardamom Fruit—its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, and botanical sources—two plant species: (1) Amomum kravanh Pierre ex Gagnep. and (2) Amomum compactum Soland ex Maton. It provides a detailed introduction to the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environments of these two species; the macroscopic characteristics of the herb Round Cardamom Fruit; its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Pinyin Name: Dòu Kòu
Botanical Description: Also known as Amomum kravanh or Bái Dòu Kòu, this perennial herb grows 1.5–3 m tall. The rhizome is stout and reddish-brown. Leaves are subsessile; leaf blades are narrowly elliptic or ovate-lanceolate, ~60 cm long and 5–12 cm wide, with a caudate apex and cuneate base; both surfaces are smooth and glabrous. The ligule (paraphyll) is circular, 3–10 mm long; the leaf sheath mouth and ligule are densely covered with long, coarse hairs.
Capsules are subglobose (nearly spherical), white or primrose-yellow (pale yellow), slightly obtuse, 3-ridged, 1.5–1.8 cm in diameter, and dehisce readily. Each capsule contains a trilocular seed mass; each locule bears 7–10 seeds. Flowering occurs from February to May; fruiting from July to August.
Growth Characteristics: Amomum kravanh prefers a warm, humid, and moist climate. Seedlings cease growth upon brief exposure to low temperatures of 9.5 °C (49.1 °F); leaves exhibit shrinkage, and leaf tips become scorched and withered. The above-ground parts of mature plants die at 0 °C (32 °F). It tolerates extreme temperatures up to 41 °C (105.8 °F) under shaded conditions. Cultivation is best carried out in sunny, well-drained fields with loam or sandy loam rich in organic matter; heavy clay or gravelly soils are unsuitable.
Characteristics of the Herb: The fruit is subglobular (near-spherical), 1.1–2 cm long and 1.2–1.8 cm in diameter, with 3 obtuse ridges; the surface is yellowish-white to fawn (light yellowish-brown), smooth, and bears many longitudinal veins; the apex bears a protuberant stylopodium; the base shows concave fruit-stalk scars; both sides have yellow pubescence. The pericarp is thin and easily cracks when pressed; the inner surface is pale yellow and glossy; the placenta is axile and 3-loculed; each locule contains about 7–10 seeds, which aggregate into a lump. The seed lumps are irregular polyhedrons, with the dorsal surface slightly protuberant and 3–4 mm in diameter; the surface is dark brown or taupe brown, bearing slightly regular granular protrusions and covered with an off-white membranous aril; the narrower end has a circular, depression-shaped hilum; the opposite end bears a chalaza; the raphe lies on the ventral surface, is sunken, and forms a shallow longitudinal groove. The herb has an aromatic odor and tastes pungent and cool, with a slight camphor-like note. Higher-grade herb material exhibits large, plump grains; the pericarp is thin, clean white, and strongly aromatic.
Botanical Description: Amomum compactum Soland. ex Maton. is commonly known as Java Amomum or Zhǎo Wā Bái Dòu Kòu. It is a perennial herb that grows up to 1–1.5 meters tall. The rhizome is elongated; the basal leaf sheath is reddish. The leaf blade is lanceolate, 25–50 cm long and 4–9 cm wide, with a caudate apex 2.5–3 cm long. Both surfaces are glabrous except for cilia; it emits a turpentine-like odor when rubbed and is sessile. The paraphyll (ligule) is bifid and rounded, 5–7 mm long; it is sparsely pilose at the initial stage but later becomes glabrous except for sparse cilia. The leaf-sheath mouth is glabrous.
Ecological Environment: The plant grows in well-drained, fertile forest habitats, particularly in damp valleys.
Brief Introduction: Semen Amomi Rotundus refers to the freshly extracted seeds of Round Cardamom, removed from the pericarp; they possess greater biological activity than the whole fruit.
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