Field notes and materia medica
Seeds and fruit
Field notes on the seeds, fruit and peel used in Chinese medicine: when they are picked, how ripeness is judged, and what processing changes.
9 field notes
Chinese herbs
Lotus medicines (莲子): one aquatic plant, several harvested materials
How lotus lives in ponds and supplies seeds, receptacles, stamens, leaves, and other distinct medicinal materials.
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Chinese herbs
Trichosanthes fruit and root (瓜蒌 / 天花粉): one vine, separate medicines
How a climbing Trichosanthes vine produces a large fruit while its underground root becomes a distinct material.
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Chinese herbs
Croton residue, cinnabar, and musk (巴豆霜 / 朱砂 / 麝香): processing high-risk materials
Why defatting, grinding, purification, and formula-making do not make toxic or restricted materials suitable for home use.
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Chinese herbs
Glossy privet fruit and Eclipta herb (女贞子 / 墨旱莲): a field-and-tree pairing
How black privet fruits and a low annual field herb are harvested separately before being paired in a traditional formula.
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Chinese herbs
Cassia seed and abalone shell (决明子 / 石决明): similar names, unrelated sources
How a field-grown legume seed and a marine shell become two entirely different medicinal materials.
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Chinese herbs
Hawthorn fruit (山楂): orchard harvest, slicing, and drying
How Shan Zha ripens on orchard trees, is gathered in autumn, sliced, dried, and sometimes toasted.
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Chinese herbs
Ginkgo seed and leaf (白果 / 银杏叶): one ancient tree, two safety profiles
How ginkgo seeds and leaves are gathered and processed separately, with particular caution around raw seeds and concentrated extracts.
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Chinese herbs
Immature and mature bitter orange (枳实 / 枳壳): harvest timing creates two medicines
How the same citrus crop becomes Zhi Shi or Zhi Ke according to fruit age, size, slicing, and drying.
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Chinese herbs
Pummelo peel (化橘红): an orchard medicine shaped by place
How the fuzzy pummelo fruit used for Hua Ju Hong is cultivated, harvested, cut, and dried.
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