Introduction of Nv Zhen Zi:Glossy Privet Fruit or Fructus Ligustri Lucidi.
✵The article gives records of the herb Glossy Privet Fruit, its English name, Latin name, property and flavor, its botanical source one plant species, ①.Ligustrum lucidum Ait., 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 Glossy Privet Fruit, its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guide.
Fructus Ligustri Lucidi(Glossy Privet Fruit).
Pin Yin Name: Nǚ Zhēn Zǐ.
English Name: Glossy Privet Fruit.
Latin Name: Fructus Ligustri Lucidi.
Property and flavor: cool in nature, tastes bitter, sweet.
Brief introduction: The herb Fructus Ligustri Lucidi is the dried ripe fruit of Ligustrum lucidum Ait., used to replenish liver and kidney Yin, darken the hair and improve the eyesight for the treatment of early graying of the hair, dim eyesight, lumbago, and low fever in cases of Yin deficiency. The herb is commonly known as Fructus Ligustri Lucidi, Glossy Privet Fruit, Nǚ Zhēn Zǐ.
Botanical source: Herbal classic book defined the herb Fructus Ligustri Lucidi(Nu Zhen Zi) as the fruit of the plant species (1). Ligustrum lucidum Ait. It is a plant of the Ligustrum Linn. Genus, the Oleaceae family (olive family) of the Scrophulariales order. This commonly used species is introduced:
(1).Ligustrum lucidum Ait.
Botanical description: The Ligustrum lucidum Ait., is a plant of the Oleaceae family (olive family) and Ligustrum genus, it is commonly known as "Nǚ Zhēn", "broad-leaf privet, Chinese privet, glossy privet, tree privet or wax-leaf privet", it is an evergreen shrub or small tree, it grows up to more than 10 meters. The bark is gray to grayish brown, branches are smooth, with lenticels. Leaves are opposite, the petiole is 1~2 cm long, grooved above; leaf blade is leathery, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 5~14 cm long, 3.5~6 cm wide, apex is acuminate to pointed, base is broadly cuneate, whole, dark green at the upper part, shiny, lower part is light green, densely covered with small transparent glands, the main vein is obvious.
Inflorescences are terminal, 10~15 cm long, 8~17 cm in diameter; pedicel is ca. 4 cm, or absent; bracts are leaflike, linear-lanceolate, sessile, caducous, ovate; Flowers pedicel is very short or few; the calyx is campanulate, ca. 1.5 mm, 4-lobed; corolla tube is ca. as long as lobes, 4 lobes, ovate-rectangular, ca. 2 mm, white; 2 stamens, inserted in corolla tube laryngeal, filaments are thin, extending outside corolla; 1 pistil, ovary is superior, spherical, 2-locule, styles are terete, stigma is shallowly 2-lobed.
Berries are a stone fruit, oblong, 6~12 mm long, green when young, turn blue and black when cooked. 1~2 seeds, long oval. It is flowering from June to July, fruiting from August to December.
Ecological Environment: The Ligustrum lucidum Ait., grows in the mountains and is often planted in gardens, open forest, or dense forest with an altitude below 2,900 meters above sea level, it is also planted in courtyards or roadsides. Geographical distribution: This species is mainly distributed in the East, South, Southwest, and Central areas of China. It is mainly produced in the lower reaches area of the Yangtze River, southwest, and other areas in the south of the Yangtze River. This species was native to the southern area of China and naturalized in many places: Argentina, Australia, Canary Islands, Chiapas, Italy, Lesotho, New Zealand, Norfolk Island, the southern USA (the United States of America:California, Arizona, Maryland, and the southeast from Texas to North Carolina), etc.
Growth characteristics: The plant Ligustrum lucidum prefers a warm and humid climate, light and shade, not resistant to cold, have a strong resistance to air pollution, sulfur dioxide, chlorine, hydrogen fluoride, and lead vapor, also can endure high dust, smoke pollution. It is suitable to grow on sandy loam or clayey loam, but it can also grow on red and yellow loam.
Characters of herbs: The fruit is oval, oblong, or kidney-shaped, 6~8.5 mm long and 3.5~5.5 mm in diameter. The surface is black purple or gray-black, with uneven shrinkage, there is a fruit stalk mark at the base or persistent calyx and short stalk. The herb is light, the exocarp is thin, the mesocarp is slightly thick and soft, it is easy to peel off, the endocarp is woody, yellow-brown, there are several longitudinal edges, one seed, the seed is oval or kidney-shaped, one end is flat or slightly curved, purple-black, oily. The herb has a slight odor, it tastes sweet and slight sour puckery. The herb of better grade has big full grains, black and purple.
Pharmacological actions: ①.anti-inflammatory effects; ②.promote the immune function; ③.lowering blood lipid and anti-arteriosclerosis, reduce the incidence of atherosclerosis, lower blood sugar, stimulates hematopoietic function; ④.protect liver damage; ⑤.anti-cancer; ⑥.anti-mutation; ⑦.protective effect to the chromosome damage; ⑧.estrogen like and androgen like action on the endocrine system; ⑨.Anti HpD photochlorination; ⑩.cardiotonic effect.
Medicinal efficacy: Nourishing liver and kidney, clear deficient heat, improve eyesight and black hair, strengthen waist and knees. It is indicated for Yin deficiency of liver and kidney, Yin deficiency and endogenous heat (Yin deficiency, internal heat), aching softness of waist and knees, premature greying beard and hair, dizziness (vertigo), dim eyesight, tinnitus (ringing in ears), blurred vision (cloudy vision), spermatorrhea (nocturnal emission), endogenous heat and wasting thirst (internal heat, consumptive thirst), osteopyrexia and hectic fever (bone steaming and hot flash), etc.
Administration of Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (Nǚ Zhēn Zǐ):
Reference:
Administration Guide of Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (Nǚ Zhēn Zǐ)
TCM Books:
①.Internally:6~12 grams; ②.Internally:water decoction, 1.5~3 qian (about 4.5~9 grams);prepare to an ointment, or prepare to pill. Externally:prepare to an ointment and dropping eyes; ③.Internally:water decoction, 6~15 grams, or prepared to pill. Externally:proper amount, prepare to an ointment and dropping eyes.
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1.Introduction of Nv Zhen Zi:Glossy Privet Fruit or Fructus Ligustri Lucidi.
✵The article gives records of the herb Glossy Privet Fruit, its English name, Latin name, property and flavor, its botanical source one plant species, ①.Ligustrum lucidum Ait., 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 Glossy Privet Fruit, its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guide.
Pin Yin Name: Nǚ Zhēn Zǐ.
Botanical description: The Ligustrum lucidum Ait., is a plant of the Oleaceae family (olive family) and Ligustrum genus, it is commonly known as "Nǚ Zhēn", "broad-leaf privet, Chinese privet, glossy privet, tree privet or wax-leaf privet", it is an evergreen shrub or small tree, it grows up to more than 10 meters. The bark is gray to grayish brown, branches are smooth, with lenticels. Leaves are opposite, the petiole is 1~2 cm long, grooved above; leaf blade is leathery, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 5~14 cm long, 3.5~6 cm wide, apex is acuminate to pointed, base is broadly cuneate, whole, dark green at the upper part, shiny, lower part is light green, densely covered with small transparent glands, the main vein is obvious.
Inflorescences are terminal, 10~15 cm long, 8~17 cm in diameter; pedicel is ca. 4 cm, or absent; bracts are leaflike, linear-lanceolate, sessile, caducous, ovate; Flowers pedicel is very short or few; the calyx is campanulate, ca. 1.5 mm, 4-lobed; corolla tube is ca. as long as lobes, 4 lobes, ovate-rectangular, ca. 2 mm, white; 2 stamens, inserted in corolla tube laryngeal, filaments are thin, extending outside corolla; 1 pistil, ovary is superior, spherical, 2-locule, styles are terete, stigma is shallowly 2-lobed.
Berries are a stone fruit, oblong, 6~12 mm long, green when young, turn blue and black when cooked. 1~2 seeds, long oval. It is flowering from June to July, fruiting from August to December.
Ecological Environment: The Ligustrum lucidum Ait., grows in the mountains and is often planted in gardens, open forest, or dense forest with an altitude below 2,900 meters above sea level, it is also planted in courtyards or roadsides. Geographical distribution: This species is mainly distributed in the East, South, Southwest, and Central areas of China. It is mainly produced in the lower reaches area of the Yangtze River, southwest, and other areas in the south of the Yangtze River. This species was native to the southern area of China and naturalized in many places: Argentina, Australia, Canary Islands, Chiapas, Italy, Lesotho, New Zealand, Norfolk Island, the southern USA (the United States of America:California, Arizona, Maryland, and the southeast from Texas to North Carolina), etc.
Characters of herbs: The fruit is oval, oblong, or kidney-shaped, 6~8.5 mm long and 3.5~5.5 mm in diameter. The surface is black purple or gray-black, with uneven shrinkage, there is a fruit stalk mark at the base or persistent calyx and short stalk. The herb is light, the exocarp is thin, the mesocarp is slightly thick and soft, it is easy to peel off, the endocarp is woody, yellow-brown, there are several longitudinal edges, one seed, the seed is oval or kidney-shaped, one end is flat or slightly curved, purple-black, oily. The herb has a slight odor, it tastes sweet and slight sour puckery. The herb of better grade has big full grains, black and purple.
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