Ziziphus jujuba Mill. (= Z. vulgaris Lam.)

DeFilipps, Robert A. & Krupnick, Gary A., 2018, The medicinal plants of Myanmar, PhytoKeys 102, pp. 1-341 : 146-147

Ziziphus jujuba Mill. (= Z. vulgaris Lam.)

Names.

Myanmar: eng-si, jujube, mahkaw, makhkaw-hku, zi, zi-daw-thi. English: Chinese date, Chinese jujube, common jujube.

Range.

Native to temperate East Asia, also warmer climates including Indo-China (Cambodia). Cultivated in Myanmar.

Conservation status.

Least Concern [LC] ( IUCN 2017).

Uses.

Bark: Used as a remedy for diarrhea. Leaf: Used for scorpion stings. Leaf, Fruit: Used as a laxative and blood purifier. Fruit: Considered to be pectoral. Root: Used for fever.

Notes.

Perry (1980) discusses the medicinal uses of the species in two Asian countries as follows; In Korea the stone seeds are used for hypnotics and narcotics. In China the fruits or kernel of the seeds are considered the most important part of the plant in medicine, although other parts are used as well; the fruit of the wild variety (var. Ziziphus jujuba spinosa ) is an astringent, that of the cultivar (var. Ziziphus jujuba inermis ) less so, but both serve the same purpose; the drug also acts as adjuvant with other drugs which are combined in medicines. The fruit is used in brewing medicines to make them less poisonous, also to modify flavor and lessen the effect of stimulants. It is also said to have nervine, tonic, roborant, stomachic, sedative, laxative, bechic, antipyretic, and diuretic properties; it relieves insomnia, night sweats, and neurasthenia, promotes hair growth, and serves as a collyrium. A decoction of the woody root is take to relieve sensation of fullness in the stomach and to aid digestion; cooked with pork, the broth is drunk as a galactagogue and used to cure hemoptysis.

The seeds of this species contain no alkaloid; the oil contains oleic, linoleic, and palmitic acids, and phytosterol ( Perry 1980).

References.

Nordal (1963), Perry (1980).