ju he

Name: ju he
Creator: Bencao Index

橘核·Citri Reticulatae

Aged Tangerine Peel Seeds

About ju he

Ju He (橘核) is the seed of the tangerine, recorded as Semen Citri Reticulatae. It enters the Liver channel alone, and the catalogue files it among the herbs that regulate Qi.

Names

Pinyin	ju he
Chinese	橘核
Latin Name	Citri Reticulatae·Semen Citri Reticulatae
English Name	Aged Tangerine Peel Seeds·Tangerine Pip·tangerine seed

Classification

Category: Regulate Qi
Channels: Liver
Tags: Chinese Herbs, Common

Actions and indications

Moves Qi and dissipates clumps

Shan Qi (hernial disorder) with pain of the small intestine region; its main use
Painful swelling of the testicles

Moves Qi and relieves pain

Breast pain with mastitis or breast nodules
Lower back pain

Cautions

caution Qi or Blood deficiency with nothing stagnant to move; a dispersing herb uses up rather than builds
caution Sudden pain in a testicle, or any new lump in the breast, calls for prompt medical assessment before herbal treatment is considered
pregnancy No traditional prohibition is recorded, but as a Qi-moving herb it belongs under professional supervision in pregnancy
caution Allergy to citrus fruit
caution In the formula Ju He Wan, the seaweeds Hai Zao and Kun Bu add a substantial amount of iodine, which matters in thyroid disease; this concerns the formula rather than the seed

Interactions

Drug interactions

Medicines cleared by CYP3A4 with a narrow margin between effective and toxic levels: no interaction is documented for the seed, and tangerine-type citrus is weak in the compounds behind the grapefruit effect, but patients should still tell their prescriber about any citrus-derived herbal product (precautionary)