{"id":77747,"date":"2025-04-25T15:06:53","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T14:06:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.herbalreality.com\/?post_type=herb&p=77747"},"modified":"2025-06-13T17:37:46","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T16:37:46","slug":"jujube-fruit","status":"publish","type":"herb","link":"https:\/\/www.herbalreality.com\/herb\/jujube-fruit\/","title":{"rendered":"Jujube fruit"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":77769,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","beyondwords_generate_audio":"1","beyondwords_project_id":"47224","beyondwords_content_id":"cde77b24-b473-4045-ace9-5b3bb68a3268","beyondwords_preview_token":"ba5cba9b-a40e-49b0-a6dd-f5e98816c9eb","beyondwords_player_content":"","beyondwords_player_style":"","beyondwords_language_code":"","beyondwords_language_id":"","beyondwords_title_voice_id":"","beyondwords_body_voice_id":"","beyondwords_summary_voice_id":"","beyondwords_error_message":"","beyondwords_disabled":"","beyondwords_delete_content":"","beyondwords_podcast_id":"","beyondwords_hash":"","publish_post_to_speechkit":"","speechkit_hash":"","speechkit_generate_audio":"","speechkit_project_id":"","speechkit_podcast_id":"","speechkit_error_message":"","speechkit_disabled":"","speechkit_access_key":"","speechkit_error":"","speechkit_info":"","speechkit_response":"","speechkit_retries":"","speechkit_status":"","speechkit_updated_at":"","_speechkit_link":"","_speechkit_text":""},"tags":[],"conditions":[685,701,696,698],"sustainability":[1576],"sense":[16,27],"western_action":[992,994,1825,1015,1021],"chinese_action":[1051,1047,1038],"ayurvedic_action":[],"energetics_action":[1533,1544,1554,1488,1490,1522,1529,1494,1536,1511,1545,1550,1549,1504,1380],"region":[1898],"class_list":["post-77747","herb","type-herb","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","conditions-digestive-system","conditions-immune-system","conditions-nervous-system","conditions-reproductive-system","sustainability-green-sustainability-status","sense-hot","sense-sweet","western_action-anti-inflammatory","western_action-antioxidant","western_action-circulatory-stimulant","western_action-immunomodulant","western_action-stomachic","chinese_action-nourish-heart-calm-spirit","chinese_action-tonify-blood","chinese_action-tonify-the-qi","energetics_action-cooling","energetics_action-heavy","energetics_action-kapha-constitution-dosha","energetics_action-moist","energetics_action-relaxing","energetics_action-spleen","energetics_action-stomach","energetics_action-sweet","energetics_action-sweet-post-digestive-effect-vipaka","energetics_action-sweet-taste-chinese","energetics_action-unctuous","energetics_action-vata-constitution-dosha","energetics_action-vata","energetics_action-warm-temperature-chinese","energetics_action-warm","region-traditional-chinese-herbs"],"acf":{"last_reviewed":"20250411","herb_author":1242,"banner_text":"Jujube fruit is known as a nourishing blood tonic in TCM","latin_name":"Ziziphus jujuba<\/span><\/i>","pseudonym_name":"","family_name":"Rhamnaceae","herb_summary":"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.","key_benefits":"Improves digestion\r\nTreat fatigue and exhaustion\r\nSupports the immune system\r\nCalms 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.<\/span>\r\n\r\nJujube 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.<\/span>","hdif_image_1":77769,"hdif_image_2":77764,"hdif_image_3":77765,"hdif_video":"","sense":[16,27],"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).\r\n\r\nThey 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":"[caption id=\"attachment_77770\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"539\"]\"Jujube Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba<\/em>)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nJujube 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).\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nIt 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).<\/span>\r\n\r\nJujube 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 <\/span>ginger<\/span><\/a> (<\/span>Zingiber officinale<\/span><\/i>) for this purpose whose action to suppress nausea combines well with jujube\u2019s ability to improve absorption and protect from harm (2).<\/span>","tradtional_uses":"[caption id=\"attachment_77767\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"542\"]\"Jujube Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba<\/em>)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nJujube berries are traditionally used in Chinese medicine to fortify digestion (Spleen and Stomach <\/span>qi<\/span><\/i>) (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.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nDigestion 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.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nAdditionally, the spirit (<\/span>shen<\/span><\/i>) 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).<\/span>","what_practioners_say":"[caption id=\"attachment_77768\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"540\"]\"Jujube Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba<\/em>)[\/caption]\r\n

Digestive system<\/span><\/h3>\r\nThe 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 <\/span>liquorice<\/span><\/a> (<\/span>Glycyrrhiza glabra<\/span><\/i>) added to this pair due to it also having the ability to strengthen the digestion (Spleen <\/span>qi<\/span><\/i>) 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.<\/span>\r\n

Nervous system<\/span><\/h3>\r\nIn Chinese medicine, the spirit (<\/span>shen<\/span><\/i>) and soul (<\/span>hun<\/span><\/i>) are intimately associated with the Heart and Blood. Jujube\u2019s 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 (<\/span>suan zao ren<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>Ziziphus spinosa<\/span><\/i>), 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 <\/span>yin<\/span><\/i> deficiency in Chinese medicine (2).\u00a0<\/span>\r\n

Immune system<\/span><\/h3>\r\nThe high vitamin C content has earned jujube the nickname \u201cthe natural vitamin C pill\u201d (4). It contains 200\u2013800 mg\/100 g of fresh fruit, going down to 12\u201329 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. <\/span>\r\n\r\nChinese 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). <\/span>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 <\/span>diaphoretic<\/span><\/a> herbs such as <\/span>ginger<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>cinnamon<\/span><\/a> (<\/span>Cinnamomum verum<\/span><\/i>) for this purpose, helping to provide potassium and other nutrients required to support fluid loss (3).<\/span>","research":"[caption id=\"attachment_77762\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"542\"]\"Jujube Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba<\/em>)[\/caption]\r\n

Elucidation of the reinforcing spleen effect of jujube fruits based on metabolomics and intestinal flora analysis<\/span><\/h3>\r\nYi 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 <\/span>qi<\/span><\/i>), 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 <\/span>Aerococcus<\/span><\/i> species (8).<\/span>\r\n

A review of edible jujube, the ziziphus jujuba fruit: A health food supplement for anemia prevalence<\/span><\/h3>\r\nChen 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).<\/span>\r\n

A review of dietary <\/span>Ziziphus jujuba<\/span><\/i> Fruit (jujube): Developing health food supplements for brain protection<\/span><\/h3>\r\nChen 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).<\/span>","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 \u201cEat three dates a day and you won\u2019t need a doctor\u201d (16). They are also used to maintain good skin into old age.<\/span>","additional_information_right":{"illustration":77777},"additional_information_left":{"botany":"Small, droopy-branched, somewhat spiny, deciduous tree or large shrub that grows to between 4.5\u20139 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). <\/span>","common_names":"