Wumei is the dried immature fruit of the plum tree, a plant belonging to the Rosaceae family. It is cultivated throughout China, with the highest production in provinces south of the Yangtze River basin. Harvesting typically takes place around the beginning of summer in May. The fruit is then baked at low temperature until the flesh turns yellowish-brown and becomes wrinkled, followed by further processing in a sealed environment until it turns black, completing the preparation. It is commonly used with the pit removed, either in its raw form or after being charred.
I. The Efficacy of Dark Plum:
Black plum tastes sour, neutral. It belongs to the liver, spleen, lung, and large intestine meridians. Its effects includeAstringing the lung, astringing the intestines, promoting fluid production, calming roundwormsKnown as the essential medicine for promoting fluid production and calming roundworms.
Commonly used inChronic cough due to lung deficiency, chronic diarrhea and dysentery, consumptive thirst with deficiency heat, vomiting and abdominal pain due to roundworm colicTreatment of conditions such as
Summary of Famous Works by Renowned Authors:
The Classic of Materia Medica: "It lowers qi, eliminates heat and vexation, quiets the heart, relieves limb pain, treats hemiplegia and numbness, dead flesh, removes blue-black moles, and erodes malignant flesh."
Bie Lu: "It stops dysentery, relieves excessive salivation and dry mouth."
Compendium of Materia Medica: "Astringes the lung and intestines, stops chronic cough, diarrhea, dysentery, and roundworm-induced vomiting and diarrhea."
Changsha Materia Medica: "Black plum is sour and astringent, with astringent properties. It drains wind wood and reduces impact, stops vomiting and kills roundworms, and is effective in treating roundworm reversal syndrome."
"Compendium of Materia Medica": Sour, astringent, and warm. A fruit of the spleen and lung blood aspects, it astringes the lung and intestines, promotes expectoration and reduces swelling, clears heat and detoxifies, generates fluids and quenches thirst, sobers alcohol and kills parasites. Treats chronic cough and dysentery, miasmic malaria, cholera, vomiting and regurgitation, consumptive fever and bone-steaming, calms roundworm reversal, removes black moles, and erodes malignant flesh.
II. Compatibility and Application of Dark Plum:
1. For chronic cough due to lung deficiency. Black plum can astringe the lung and relieve cough, treating chronic cough due to lung deficiency. It is often combined with Pinellia ternata, apricot kernel, and donkey-hide gelatin, namelyOne Dose Powder。
For treating damp phlegm cough, it is often combined with Pinellia ternata, tangerine peel, Poria cocos, licorice, etc., namelyTwo Chens DecoctionIn the formula, a small amount of black plum is used to astringe lung qi. When combined with pinellia and tangerine peel, it disperses while also astringing, which can prevent dryness and dispersion from harming the body's vital energy. This is indeed a clever method and is worth learning.
2. For chronic diarrhea and dysentery. Black plum is particularly effective in astringing the intestines and stopping diarrhea. To treat persistent diarrhea, it is often combined with nutmeg, chebula, amomum, and costus root, namelyIntestine-Securing Pill。
If treating epidemic dysentery with inability to eat, it is often used in combination with Coptis chinensis, namelySheng Hui Fang Wu Mei Wan。
3. For deficiency heat with wasting thirst and warm disease fever. Black plum has a sour flavor and the effect of engendering fluids and quenching thirst. To treat wasting thirst with vexation and oppression, it can be decocted in water together with fermented soybeans for oral administration.
For treating deficiency heat with vexing thirst, it is often combined with Trichosanthes Root, Ophiopogon Root, Kudzuvine Root, and Ginseng, namelyYuchuan Pill。
If treating high fever in warm disease, it can be used together with white sugar, decocted in water for administration, that isBlack Plum and White Sugar DecoctionTaking the wonderful effect of sour and sweet transforming into yin, it truly contains the ultimate principle.
Peng Ziyi said: "Black plum is sour and astringent, it lowers Jia wood and calms Yi wood, restrains ministerial fire and greatly tonifies wood qi. When wood qi moves upward, it must be deficient below, thus black plum is an essential herb for wind wood. It is astringent but not constricting, capable of generating fluids, especially suitable for warm diseases. White sugar can tonify the middle without causing stagnation, and when combined with black plum, the sour and sweet flavors generate yin, making it most suitable for deficiency patterns in warm diseases. Therefore, taking it leads to recovery from illness."
4. For roundworm reversal with abdominal pain and vomiting. The nature of roundworms is such that they become quiet with sourness, subdued with pungency, and expelled with bitterness. Black plum has a sour taste, thus it has the effect of calming roundworms.
For abdominal pain and vomiting caused by roundworms, it is often combined with Asarum, Zanthoxylum, dried ginger, Coptis chinensis, and Phellodendron amurense, namelyShang Han Lun Wu Mei WanIn addition, this prescription can also treat chronic dysentery characterized by a combination of deficiency and excess, as well as a mixture of cold and heat. The therapeutic effect is remarkable and worthy of study.
5. Other Applications. When charred, dark plum can also stop bleeding and treat bleeding syndromes such as metrorrhagia and metrostaxis.
If mashed or charred and ground into powder for external application, it can also disinfect sores and treat pterygium protrusion.
Wang Ang said, "For malignant flesh growing after carbuncles and sores, burn mume fruit preserving its properties, grind it into powder, and apply it topically."
Sheng Hui Fang: "For treating children's head sores that do not heal for years, burn black plum flesh into ash, grind it finely, and apply it with raw oil."
III. Usage and Dosage of Dark Plum:
Wumei is often used in decoctions, and can also be made into pills, powders, or for external use. The usual dosage in decoctions ranges from a few grams to several tens of grams or more; for external use, apply an appropriate amount.
For promoting fluid production and quenching thirst, it is often used raw; if used for stopping diarrhea and bleeding, it should be charred.
IV. Application Notes for Dark Plum Fruit:
Wumei is sour and astringent, and thusThose with external pathogenic factors or internal excess heat and stagnation should not take it。
Wang Ang said: "Excessive consumption harms the teeth and injures the sinews. The Classic states: 'Sourness travels to the sinews; in sinew disorders, do not consume excessive sourness.'"
Li Shizhen said, "For those whose teeth ache from eating plums, chewing walnuts will relieve it."
