Prunus mume, Wu Mei 乌梅

Japanese Apricot
Wu Mei (TCM)

von Siebold, P. &, J. Zuccarini Flora Japonica, Sectio Prima (Tafelband), 1870

Prunus mume Wu Mei (Adam, 2017)

Botanical name:

Prunus mume

Parts used:

Fruit, almost ripe and baked until blackened

Temperature & Taste:

Warm, dry. Sour (has both dry and moistening qualities)

Classification:

Astringent

Uses:

1. Consolidates the Lungs, Stops Cough:

-Chronic Cough from Lung deficiency
-“It stops chronic Coughing”. (Li Shi Zhen)
-“disperses Phlegm accumulation” (Li Shi Zhen)

2. Generates Fluids:

-Thirst
–Consumption, Hectic Fever (Ben Cao Gang Mu)

3. Settles Wind:

–Numbness, Paralysis
-Arthralgia
-“It helps one to sleep easily”. (Da Ming)
-Eliminates Restlessness …Pacifies the Mind”. (Shen Nong Ben Cao)

4. Kills Worms:

-Roundworm
-Vomiting and abdominal pain from Worms

5. Astringes to Stop Leakage, Stops Bleeding:

-chronic Diarrhea and Dysentery, with or without Blood
-it has also been used for Epidemic (acute) Diarrhea
-Excess Uterine Bleeding
-used for Diabetes-like disorders

Dose:

Decoction: 6–12 grams

Preparation:

1. Salted Wu Mei:
Soak fresh Wu Mei in salted water overnight, then dry in the sun. Repeat for 10 days. Eventually a white frost forms on the fruit.

Main Combinations:

1. Chronic Cough:
i. Prunus mume Wu Mei with Almond (Xing Ren) and Pinellia Ban Xia
ii. Prunus mume Wu Mei with Chebulic Myrobalan, Schisandra Wu Wei Zi
iii. chronic Cough with little or no phlegm, Prunus mume Wu Mei with Almond (Xing Ren), Poppy capsule, Licorice (as in Yi Fu San from Shi Yi De Xiao Fang [Effective Formulas from Generations of Physicians]).
2. Internal Heat with damaged fluids, with thirst, dryness, cough, irritability, Prunus mume Wu Mei with Coptis Huang Lian and Scutellaria Huang Qin
3. Thirst, Prunus mume Wu Mei with Ophiopogon Mai Men Dong
4. Diarrhea, Dysentery:
i. Chronic relapsing Dysentery, Prunus mume Wu Mei with Tea and Ginger, form pills. “It works very effectively”. (Da Ming)
ii. acute Epidemic Diarrhea, Prunus mume Wu Mei with Coptis Huang Lian (as in Wu Mei Wan from Tai Ping Sheng Hui Fang ([Taiping Holy Prescriptions for Universal Relief[).
iii. Chronic Dysentery, Worms, ascariasis of bilary tract, Giardia, Prunus mume Wu Mei with Dang Gui, Asarum Xi Xin, Coptis Huang Lian, Ginger (Gan Jiang), Ginseng (as in Wu Mei Wan from Shang Han Lun)
iv. Chronic Diarrhea or Dysentery, Prunus mume Wu Mei with Chebula (He Zi), Poppy Capsule (as in Gu Chang Wan from Zheng Zhi Zhun Sheng (The Level-line of Patterns & Treatment).
5. Abdominal pain from Roundworm, Prunus mume Wu Mei with Betel nut (Bing Lang)
6. Excessive Uterine Bleeding with Thirst and Blood deficiency, Prunus mume Wu Mei with Dang Gui and Paeonia Bai Shao
7. Diabetes-like disorders from deficient Heat, Prunus mume Wu Mei with Trichosanthes root Tian Hua Fen, Ophiopogon Mai Men Dong, Ginseng (as in Yu Quan San from Shen Shi Zun Sheng Shu [Master Shen’s Writings on Respecting Life]).

Major Formulas:

Jiu Xian San
Li Zhong An Hui Tang
Lian Mei An Hui Tang
Wu Mei Wan

Cautions:

1. Not used for Excess Heat or Stagnation
2. Not used for acute (exterior) disorders such as Cold and Flu. (It has been used for acute Diarrhea, as noted above)

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