Origin |
Dried ripe fruits of Hippophae rhamnoides L., a genus of sea buckthorn in the family Hojicaceae.
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Function and treatment |
Relieving cough and expectorant, eliminating food stagnation, activating blood circulation and dispersing blood stasis. Used for cough with phlegm, indigestion, abdominal pain due to food stagnation, stasis of blood and menstruation, stasis of fall and swelling. |
Origin and best harvesting period |
Hippophae fructus is mainly produced in North China, Northwest China and Sichuan, Yunnan, Tibet and other places. It grows on sunny slopes, river valley terraces, flat sandy and gravelly slopes in desert areas at 800-3600m above sea level. It can also be born in dry river valley sands, gravelly lands or dense forests on mountain slopes to alpine grasslands at altitudes of 2200-3700m. It is harvested in autumn and winter when the fruits are ripe or frozen hard. Depending on the species and climate, Yunnan sea buckthorn is harvested in September-October when the fruits are ripe and used fresh or dried in the sun, while Chinese sea buckthorn is harvested in October-November when the fruits are ripe and dried in the sun. |