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Jujube fruit is known as a nourishing blood tonic in TCM

Jujube fruit

Ziziphus jujuba

Rhamnaceae

Jujube is a warm, nourishing, sweet and soothing herb. It is often added to formulas to improve taste, aid digestion, boost immune function, and moderate the harsh draining actions of other herbs.

Last reviewed 11/04/2025

Sustainability status

Not currently on risk lists but complete data may be missing on the status of the species. Read more about our sustainability guide.

Sustainability Status
Key benefits
  • Improves digestion
  • Treat fatigue and exhaustion
  • Supports the immune system
  • Calms the mind

  • How does it feel?

    Fresh jujube berries have a taste similar to apples, with a gentle sweetness and a similar crunchy texture. When dried, they resemble a dried date, with a sweet, soft quality. When brewed into a tea or soup, jujube gives a gently warming and nourishing feeling throughout the body.

    Jujube berries are one of the best tasting Chinese medicines, often used in cooking to enhance the flavour of food (1). They are used widely in formulas to improve their taste, enhance digestion of other ingredients and counter some of the drying, draining effects of harsh, cold, acrid and bitter herbs.

    Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba)
    Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba)
    Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba)

  • What can I use it for?

    The main uses of jujube berries are to provide nourishment to counter fatigue and debilitation from weak digestion or nervous exhaustion (2). Their high vitamin C content can also provide the immune system with the necessary nutrients to fight infection (3).

    They are often added to formulas to modify the effects of other herbs. By improving digestion, they can facilitate the absorption of some herbs while also limiting the harm caused to the digestive system by others (2).

  • Into the heart of jujube fruit

    Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba)
    Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba)

    Jujube berries are a rich source of nutrition that can support the digestive and immune system. They are also one of the best tasting medicinal herbs that are often eaten on their own, added to cooking to improve digestion and taste, or made into cookies or porridge with rice and sugar for those with weak digestive systems (1). 

    It also has some mildly sedative and neuroprotective constituents that combine with its sweet, warm taste and nourishing properties to treat emotional disorders that stem from nervous exhaustion (4,5).

    Jujube is a common addition to Chinese herbal formulas as it acts as a harmoniser for other herbs within a mix. By enhancing digestion, it helps facilitate absorption of other herbs in the mix whilst reducing the harmful effects of others. It is especially useful for harsh, acrid, bitter or draining herbs that can damage the digestive system because it protects against harm without diminishing their effect. It is often combined with ginger (Zingiber officinale) for this purpose whose action to suppress nausea combines well with jujube’s ability to improve absorption and protect from harm (2).

  • Traditional uses

    Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba)
    Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba)

    Jujube berries are traditionally used in Chinese medicine to fortify digestion (Spleen and Stomach qi) (1). Digestion, along with the breath, is the main acquired source of energy (postnatal qi) for all body functions. This makes it useful in treating symptoms that imply the body is not transforming food into energy effectively such as fatigue, shortness of breath, sallow complexion, decreased appetite and loose stools. 

    Digestion is also the source of bodily fluids making this a useful herb for generating substances like blood. A lack of blood or poor quality blood may also produce symptoms of pallor and fatigue, accompanied by signs of dryness such as dry eyes, brittle nails, scanty or absent menstruation and dizziness. 

    Additionally, the spirit (shen) is understood to be housed in the Heart, associating Blood deficiency with emotional instability. Jujube berries are particularly indicated for these cases, where chronic nervous exhaustion causes restlessness, yawning, grief and crying, but is also used for anxiety and panic attacks that stem from the Blood being harmed (5).

  • Traditional actions

    Herbal actions describe therapeutic changes that occur in the body in response to taking a herb. These actions are used to express how a herb physiologically influences cells, tissues, organs or systems. Clinical observations are traditionally what have defined these actions: an increase in urine output, diuretic; improved wound healing, vulnerary; or a reduction in fever, antipyretic. These descriptors too have become a means to group herbs by their effects on the body — herbs with a nervine action have become the nervines, herbs with a bitter action are the bitters. Recognising herbs as members of these groups provides a preliminary familiarity with their mechanisms from which to then develop an understanding of their affinities and nuance and discern their clinical significance.

    Western actions

    Chinese actions

  • Traditional energetic actions

    Herbal energetics are the descriptions Herbalists have given to plants, mushrooms, lichens, foods, and some minerals based on the direct experience of how they taste, feel, and work in the body. All traditional health systems use these principles to explain how the environment we live in and absorb, impacts our health. Find out more about traditional energetic actions in our article “An introduction to herbal energetics“.

  • What practitioners say

    Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba)
    Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba)

    Digestive system

    The sweet, warm nature of jujube berries make their primary use in improving digestion. This makes it a common addition to formulas, often used in combination with fresh ginger, noted for its ability to warm the stomach and prevent nausea, in order to counter the depleting properties of harsh herbs of a cold, bitter and acrid nature (1,2). It is also common to see liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) added to this pair due to it also having the ability to strengthen the digestion (Spleen qi) and moderate the toxicity of other herbs but their actions and uses are different. The detoxifying effect of liquorice can reduce the desired activity of the other herbs, whereas jujube protects the digestive system and helps to replenish some of the lost or damaged fluids without affecting actions of the other herbs.

    Nervous system

    In Chinese medicine, the spirit shen) and soul hun) are intimately associated with the Heart and Blood. Jujube’s action of nourishing the Blood and its sweet, warm nature make it a valuable supportive herb for calming the nervous system when it is agitated due to the blood being deficient or damaged. Although its relative, the spiny date seed (suan zao ren, Ziziphus spinosa), is more famous for calming the spirit and promoting sleep, there is a subtle difference: Jujube berries are sweet, warm and moistening, making them better suited for nourishing the Blood in cases of severe emotional exhaustion presenting with irritability and a pale complexion (2); spiny date seeds on the other hand are sour, giving them the capacity to astringe sweating and their temperature is neutral making them ideal for instances of irritability and insomnia that are accompanied by night sweats, hot flashes and flushed complexion, associated with yin deficiency in Chinese medicine (2). 

    Immune system

    The high vitamin C content has earned jujube the nickname “the natural vitamin C pill” (4). It contains 200–800 mg/100 g of fresh fruit, going down to 12–29 mg/100 g of dried fruit; for comparison orange has 34 mg/100 g (6). This, combined with its rich carbohydrate and protein content, make jujube berries an excellent source of nutrition to support the immune system.

    Chinese medicine describes the immune system as being like a guard that must be supported by the supplies from the camp. Jujube berries are said to support this nutritive aspect of the immune system enabling effective immune function while controlling excessive inflammation (2). Vitamin C provides this dual aspect, being known to support the immune system while also acting as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory (7). It is often combined with acrid diaphoretic herbs such as ginger or cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) for this purpose, helping to provide potassium and other nutrients required to support fluid loss (3).

  • Research

    Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba)
    Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba)

    Elucidation of the reinforcing spleen effect of jujube fruits based on metabolomics and intestinal flora analysis

    Yi and colleagues investigated the traditional action of jujube on digestion using rats, which were administered a senna leaf extract, (known in TCM to damage the Spleen qi), reducing absorption and resulting in multi-organ weakness and chronic diarrhoea. Administration of jujube extract helped to restore several metabolic biomarkers that had been affected by the senna leaf extract, as well as restoring the diminished gut flora, especially Aerococcus species (8).

    A review of edible jujube, the ziziphus jujuba fruit: A health food supplement for anemia prevalence

    Chen and Tsim reviewed studies investigating the use of jujube berries in anaemia to evaluate their traditional action of nourishing the blood. They found that jujube fruits stimulated the production of new red blood cells and the recycling of iron from old cells. In addition there was a two-way relationship with the immune system, both stimulating the thymus, spleen and innate immunity, while reducing inflammation through modifying cellular signalling (9).

    A review of dietary Ziziphus jujuba Fruit (jujube): Developing health food supplements for brain protection

    Chen and colleagues reviewed the actions of jujube on the brain to assess its traditional use in calming the mind and assisting sleep. They found that studies demonstrated a protected effect on neuronal cells against neurotoxins, stimulated differentiation of neuronal cells, increased neuron growth factors and promoted memory and learning. These were mostly due to the glycoside Jujuboside A, the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and flavonoid content which induced neurite outgrowth and neurotrophic factor expression, protected against oxidative stress, increased acetylcholine in the brain and stimulated the transcriptional expression of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor subunits in rat hippocampal neurons (4).

  • Did you know?

    Jujube berries have been cultivated since neolithic times, around 7,000 years ago (6). They are not just used in medicine, but also in cooking, or eaten raw as a tasty snack (1). Similar to the English proverb about apples, a Chinese folk proverb says “Eat three dates a day and you won’t need a doctor” (16). They are also used to maintain good skin into old age.

Additional information

  • Botanical description

    Small, droopy-branched, somewhat spiny, deciduous tree or large shrub that grows to between 4.5–9 m tall when mature. Leaves are small, ovate to oblong-elliptic leaves (up to 5 cm long), glossy green but turning yellow in autumn, with finely toothed margins and two sharp stipular spines. Flowers are non-showy, white to yellowish green, up to 5 mm in diameter and fragrant, blooming in the late spring to early summer. Fruit is a round elongate drupe of varying size but typically up to 3 cm that matures from green to red with a smooth skin, a sweet crisp flesh and a single stone in the centre. After maturity, the fruit turns reddish brown, wrinkles and becomes sweeter (19).

  • Common names

    • Chinese date
    • Red date
    • Da zao (big date)
    • Hong zao (red date)  

  • Safety

    No known safety precautions although it is traditionally avoided after childbirth (2).

    The high sugar content of jujube berries makes them susceptible to contamination by fungi and insects, so should be stored in a refrigerator or a cool dry place (13,14,16). 

    Excessive consumption can cause distention, diarrhoea, heat and thirst (2).

  • Interactions

    Jujube berries have been shown to interact with liver enzyme CYP1A2 in rats presenting the possibility it may interact with drugs that depend on this enzyme resulting in decreased concentrations but there are no reports of interactions in humans (15). There is also a theoretical interaction between antidiabetic medication and CNS depressants, but this has not been confirmed in human studies (16).

  • Contraindications

    Traditionally contraindicated in disorders where heat, dampness and phlegm are involved due to its warm, moistening nature. It is also contraindicated in tooth disease due to its high sugar content, jaundice for children and after giving birth (2,17).

  • Preparations

    • Decoctions
    • Eaten raw
    • Also used in cooking, porridges, desserts, compotes and jams

  • Dosage

    Infusion/decoction: 3–12 fruits or 6–30 g per day (1,14) 

  • Plant parts used

    Fruit

  • Constituents

    • Carbohydrates: Constituting 23–32% of the fresh fruit and 63.0–76.3% when dried, these provide a rich source of nutrition (6).
    • Protein: Constituting 1.2% of the fresh fruit and 2.9–6.3% when dried (6)
    • Glycoside: Jujuboside A; affects GABA leading to sedative and neuroprotective effects (4,18)
    • Vitamins: Ascorbic acid (vitamin C); an important micronutrient for effective immune function and antioxidant defence, found in up to 200–800 mg/100 g in the fresh fruit (3). However, much is lost in drying, dropping to as little 12–29 mg/100 g (6). For comparison, oranges contain 36 mg/ 100 g.
    • Nucleotides: Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP): constituting 40–400 μg/g of the dried fruit, this helps to support energy metabolism and has been suggested to be partially responsible for reducing fatigue and neuroprotective effects of jujube berries (4,6,17).
Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba)

  • Habitat

    Originating in China, it has been exported to over 48 countries worldwide where its endurance and adaptability to drought enables it to thrive in arid and semiarid marginal lands, and in barren and salty soils, making it an important commercial crop in these environments (6).

  • Sustainability

    Green sustainability statusJujube is widely cultivated in China for food and medicine and is a drought resistant plant that can grow in a variety of conditions. It is not currently listed as a threatened species (20).

    Habitat loss and over-harvesting from the wild are two of the biggest threats faced by medicinal plant species. There are an increasing number of well-known herbal medicines at risk of extinction. We must, therefore, ensure that we source our medicines with sustainability in mind.

    The herb supplement industry is growing at a rapid rate and until recent years a vast majority of medicinal plant produce in global trade was of unknown origin. There are some very real and urgent issues surrounding sustainability in the herb industry. These include environmental factors that affect the medicinal viability of herbs, the safety of the habitats that they are taken from, as well as the welfare of workers in the trade.

    The botanical supply chain efforts for improved visibility (transparency and traceability) into verifiably sustainable production sites around the world is now certificated through the emergence of credible international voluntary sustainability standards (VSS). 

    Read our article on Herbal quality & safety: What to know before you buy and Sustainable sourcing of herbs to learn more about what to look for and questions to ask suppliers about sustainability.

  • Quality control

    Jujube should be checked for visible signs of mould or insect damage (13,14,16).

    Herbal medicines are often very safe to take; however, their safety and efficacy can be jeopardised by quality issues. So, it is important to buy herbal medicines from a reputable supplier, from sources known to test their herbs to ensure there is no contamination, adulteration or substitution with incorrect plant matter, as well as ensuring that recognised marker compounds are at appropriate levels in the herbs.

    Some important quality assurances to look for are certified organic labelling, the correct scientific/botanical name, and the availability of information from the supplier about ingredient origins. A supplier should be able to tell you where the herbs have come from, what contaminants are not in the herb, and what the primary compounds are.

  • How to grow

    Jujube is easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Prefers hot and dry climates with some tolerance for drought but prefers regular and consistent moisture. Can tolerate alkaline soils but does not tolerate heavy, poorly drained soils (18).

  • Recipe

    Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba)
    Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba)

    Jujube decoction

    Jujube berries are rarely used as a primary ingredient in a formula but one exception to this is liquorice, wheat and jujube decoction (Gan Mai Da Zao Tang) that has been used since the Han dynasty (c.200 CE) for the treatment of chronic emotional agitation in women, often compared to the traditional Western concept of hysteria (10). Its traditional symptoms are described as grief and crying as if haunted with frequent stretching and yawning, but also often presents with restlessness, irritability, insomnia and constipation.

    Ingredients

    • 9 g liquorice
    • 30 g wheat grain
    • 10 pieces jujube berries

    Method

    1. Decoct the herbs in 1200 ml of water until 600 ml remains.
    2. Divide the decoction into three portions.
    3. One portion is taken orally while warm, three times a day.

    Poria, cinnamon, liquorice and jujube decoction

    Another formula from the same source that includes jujube as a key ingredient is Poria, Cinnamon, Liquorice and Jujube Decoction (Fu Ling Gui Zhi Gan Cao Da Zao Tang) (12). Its ingredients are almost identical to the Cinnamon Twig Decoction above but with a few variations that completely change its function. Peony and ginger are swapped for a large dose of poria and jujube to focus on the gut–brain axis, thereby shifting the focus to treat a sense of palpitation in the abdomen that threatens to surge upwards and constrict the chest and throat, considered today to be a manifestation of panic attack where the patient carries a tense knot in their abdomen that sporadically causes a subjective sense of chest constriction and inability to breathe (5).

    In this formula, we see similarities to both the previous formulas, but where the high dose of jujube has made this formula a mentally soothing recipe and the accompanying herbs now focusing on warming and soothing the abdomen instead of restraining a sweat or assisting the immune system.

    Ingredients

    • 25 g poria
    • 12 g cinnamon twig
    • 15 pieces jujube berries
    • 6 g honey fried liquorice root

    Method

    1. Decoct the herbs in water and divide into three portions to drink warm.
    2. Traditional instructions advise decocting the poria first, followed by the remaining ingredients, but these days they are usually all decocted together.

  • References

    1. Chen JK & Chen TT. Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology. City of Industry: Art of Medicine Press. 2004. 
    2. Bensky D, Clavey S & Stoger E. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica 3rd Edition. Eastland Press. 2004.
    3. Cai W, Zhuang H, Wang X, et al. Functional Nutrients and Jujube-Based Processed Products in Ziziphus jujuba. Molecules. 2024;29(14):3437. Published 2024 Jul 22. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29143437
    4. Chen J, Liu X, Li Z, et al. A Review of Dietary Ziziphus jujuba Fruit (Jujube): Developing Health Food Supplements for Brain Protection. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2017;2017:3019568. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/3019568 
    5. Sung YM. Understanding the Jin Gui Yao Lue: A Comprehensive Textbook. Beijing: People’s Medical Publishing House. 2009.
    6. Liu M, Wang J, Wang L, et al. The historical and current research progress on jujube-a superfruit for the future. Hortic Res. 2020;7:119. Published 2020 Aug 1. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41438-020-00346-5
    7. Miles EA, Calder PC. Effects of Citrus Fruit Juices and Their Bioactive Components on Inflammation and Immunity: A Narrative Review. Front Immunol. 2021 Jun 24;12:712608. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.712608.
    8. Yi YL, Li Y, Guo S, et al. Elucidation of the Reinforcing Spleen Effect of Jujube Fruits Based on Metabolomics and Intestinal Flora Analysis. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2022;12:847828. Published 2022 Mar 24. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2022.847828
    9. Chen J, Tsim KWK. A Review of Edible Jujube, the Ziziphus jujuba Fruit: A Health Food Supplement for Anemia Prevalence. Front Pharmacol. 2020;11:593655. Published 2020 Nov 26. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2020.593655
    10. Can, E & Zheng, MZ. Differentiation and Treatment of Hysteria in Jin Kui Yao Lue. J. ATCM (UK); March 2008 15(1). https://www.atcm.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ATCM-Journal-151-2008.pdf  
    11. Scheid V, Bensky D, Ellis A, Barolet R. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies 2nd edition. Seattle, WA: Eastland Press. 2009.
    12. Fu Ling Gui Zhi Gan Cao Da Zao Tang (茯苓桂枝甘草大枣汤). Available at: http://cht.a-hospital.com/w/茯苓桂枝甘草大棗湯
    13. Elamin A, Sakuda S. Mechanism of Mycotoxin Contamination of Medicinal Herbs. Toxins (Basel). 2025 Mar 14;17(3):139. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins17030139..
    14. Taiwan Herbal Pharmacopeia 4th Edition, English Version. Taiwan, Republic of China: Ministry of Health of Welfare.
    15. Jing XY, Peng YR, Wang XM, Duan JA. Effects of Ziziphus jujuba fruit extracts on cytochrome P450 (CYP1A2) activity in rats. Chin J Nat Med. 2015 Aug;13(8):588-94. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1875-5364(15)30054-6 
    16. Natural Medicines. Zizhyphus. naturalmedicines.therapeuticresearch.com. Published 2024. https://naturalmedicines.therapeuticresearch.com/databases/food
    17. Da Zao (大棗). Available at http://cht.a-hospital.com/w/大棗
    18. Tabassum, S., Misrani, A., Tang, Bl. et al. Jujuboside A prevents sleep loss-induced disturbance of hippocampal neuronal excitability and memory impairment in young APP/PS1 mice. Sci Rep 2019; 9, 4512. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-41114-3
    19. Missouri Botanical Garden. Available at https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=d475
    20. Xing Y, Chen M, Wang X. Enhancing water use efficiency and fruit quality in jujube cultivation: A review of advanced irrigation techniques and precision management strategies. Agricultural Water Management. 2024;307:109243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2024.109243

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Aromatic
An ‘aromatic’ remedy, high in volatile essential oils, was most often associated with calming and sometimes ‘warming’ the digestion. Most kitchen spices and herbs have this quality: they were used both as flavouring and to ease the digestion of sometimes challenging pre-industrial foods. Many aromatics are classed as ‘carminatives’ and are used to reduce colic, bloating and agitated digestion. They also often feature in respiratory remedies for colds, chest and other airway infections. They are also classic calming inhalants and massage oils, and are the basis of aromatherapy for their mental benefits.
Astringent
The astringent taste you get with many plants (the most familiar is black tea after being stewed too long, or some red wines) is produced by complex polyphenols such as tannins. Tannins are used in concentrated form (eg from oak bark) to make leather from animal skins. The process of ‘tanning’ involves the coagulation of relatively fluid proteins in living tissues into tight clotted fibres (similar to the process of boiling an egg). Tannins in effect turn exposed surfaces on the body into leather. In the case of the lining of mouth and upper digestive tract this is only temporary as new mucosa are replenished, but in the meantime can calm inflamed or irritated surfaces. In the case of open wounds tannins can be a life-saver – when strong (as in the bark of broadleaved trees) they can seal a damaged surface. One group of tannins, the reddish-brown ‘condensed tannins’ are procyanidins, which can reduce inflammation and oxidative damage.
Bitter
Bitters are a very complex group of phytochemicals that stimulate the bitter receptors in the mouth. They were some of the most valuable remedies in ancient medicine. They were experienced as stimulating appetite and switching on a wide range of key digestive functions, including increasing bile clearance from the liver (as bile is a key factor in bowel health this can be translated into improving bowel functions and the microbiome). Many of these reputations are being supported by new research on the role of bitter receptors in the mouth and elsewhere round the body. Bitters were also seen as ‘cooling’ reducing the intensity of some fevers and inflammatory diseases.
Cooling
Traditional ‘cold’ or cooling’ remedies often contain bitter phytonutrients such a iridoids (gentian), sesiquterpenes (chamomile), anthraquinones (rhubarb root), mucilages (marshmallow), some alkaloids and flavonoids. They tend to influence the digestive system, liver and kidneys. Cooling herbs do just that; they diffuse, drain and clear heat from areas of inflammation, redness and irritation. Sweet, bitter and astringent herbs tend to be cooling.
Hot
Traditional ‘hot’ or ‘heating’ remedies, often containing spice ingredients like capsaicin, the gingerols (ginger), piperine (black or long pepper), curcumin (turmeric) or the sulfurous isothiocyanates from mustard, horseradich or wasabi, generate warmth when taken. In modern times this might translate as thermogenic and circulatory stimulant effects. There is evidence of improved tissue blood flow with such remedies: this would lead to a reduction in build-up of metabolites and tissue damage. Heating remedies were used to counter the impact of cold, reducing any symptoms made worse in the cold. .
Mucilaginous
Mucilages are complex carbohydrate based plant constituents with a slimy or ‘unctuous’ feel especially when chewed or macerated in water. Their effect is due simply to their physical coating exposed surfaces. From prehistory they were most often used as wound remedies for their soothing and healing effects on damaged tissues. Nowadays they are used more for these effects on the digestive lining, from the throat to the stomach, where they can relieve irritation and inflammation such as pharyngitis and gastritis. Some of the prominent mucilaginous remedies like slippery elm, aloe vera and the seaweeds can be used as physical buffers to reduce the harm and pain caused by reflux of excess stomach acid. Mucilages are also widely used to reduce dry coughing. Here the effect seems to be by reflex through embryonic nerve connections: reduced signals from the upper digestive wall appear to translate as reduced activity of airway muscles and increased activity of airway mucus cells. Some seed mucilages, such as in psyllium seed, flaxseed (linseed) or guar bean survive digestion to provide bulking laxative effects in the bowel. These can also reduce rate of absorption of sugar and cholesterol. .
Pungent
The pungent flavour refers to the powerful taste of hot spices including mustard (Brassica spp.), ginger (Zingiber officinale), horseradish (Amoracia rusticana), chilli (Capsicum spp.), and garlic (Allium sativum). These herbs act to enliven and invigorate the senses, and they often also have heating qualities. Unlike other tastes, the effect is not linked to a specific receptor on the tongue and instead acts through direct irritation of tissues and nerve endings. Energetically, pungent herbs are known to disperse energy (qi) throughout the body. Pharmacologically, pungent herbs dry excess moisture and mucus, as well as stimulate digestion and metabolism.
Resinous
Resins are most familiar as tacky discharges from pine trees (and as the substance in amber, and rosin for violin bows). They were most valued however as the basis of ancient commodities like frankincense and myrrh (two of the three gifts of the Three Wise Men to the baby Jesus) and getting access to their source was one benefit to Solomon for marrying the Queen of Sheba (now Ethiopia). Resins were the original antiseptic remedies, ground and applied as powders or pastes to wounds or inflamed tissues, and were also used for mummification. With alcohol distillation it was found that they could be dissolved in 90% alcohol and in this form they remain a most powerful mouthwash and gargle, for infected sore throats and gum disease. They never attracted much early research interest because they permanently coat expensive glassware! For use in the mouth, gums and throat hey are best combined with concentrated licorice extracts to keep the resins in suspension and add extra soothing properties. It appears that they work both as local antiseptics and by stimulating white blood cell activity under the mucosal surface. They feel extremely effective!
Salty
The salty flavour is immediately distinctive. A grain dropped onto the tongue is instantly moistening and a sprinkle on food enkindles digestion. This easily recognisable flavour has its receptors right at the front of the tongue. The salty flavor creates moisture and heat, a sinking and heavy effect which is very grounding for the nervous system and encourages stability. People who are solid and reliable become known as ‘the salt of the earth'.
Sharp
The sharp taste of some fruits, and almost all unripe fruits, as well as vinegar and fermented foods, is produced by weak acids (the taste is generated by H+ ions from acids stimulating the sour taste buds). Sour taste buds are hard-wired to generate immediate reflex responses elsewhere in the body. Anyone who likes the refreshing taste of lemon or other citrus in the morning will know that one reflex effect is increased saliva production. Other effects are subjective rather than confirmed by research but there is a consistent view that they include increased digestive activity and contraction of the gallbladder.
Sour
The sour taste occurs because of the stimulation of hydrogen ions which trigger the sour taste receptors on the tongue. The more acidic a substance, the more hydrogen ions will be released. The sour taste comes from acidic substances including citrus, fermented foods, tannins, and vinegars. Sour foods and herbs absorb excess moisture, whilst also increasing the production of saliva. Energetically, sour substances tonify the lungs, playing a role in disease prevention. Excessive use, however, can result in malabsorption of nutrients. Examples of sour herbs include, rosehips (Rosa canina), raspberry (Rubus idaeus), rhubarb (Rheum palmatum), schisandra (Schisandra chinensis), hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) and ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba).
Sweet
In the days when most people never tasted sugar, ‘sweetness’ was associated with the taste of basic foods: that of cooked vegetables, cereals and meat. In other words sweet was the quality of nourishment, and ‘tonic’ remedies. Describing a remedy as sweet generally led to that remedy being used in convalescence or recovery from illness. Interestingly, the plant constituents most often found in classic tonics like licorice, ginseng are plant steroids including saponins, which also have a sweet taste.
Umami
The umami taste was originally discovered in 1985 in Japan and is directly translated from the Japanese as a ‘pleasant savoury taste’. It is referred to as the ‘fifth taste’ and is a salty, rich, and meaty flavour. The umami flavour is produced by amino acids (glutamic acid and aspartic acid) found in many food and plant sources including tomatoes, mushrooms, seaweeds and soy-based foods. Umami foods can improve nutritional absorption and digestion as there are also umami receptors in the gut as well as the mouth. Examples of umami herbs include green tea (Camellia sinensis), reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), nettle (Urtica dioica), cordyceps (Ophiocordyceps sinensis), shitake (Lentinula edodes) and bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus).

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