When is the best time to plant black jujube? How many years until it bears fruit and an analysis of the best producing regions

Black jujube, botanically known as Diospyros lotus, belongs to the family Ebenaceae and the genus Diospyros. It is also known by other names such as soft jujube, milk jujube, wild persimmon, clove jujube, and round brain, and is widely distributed across northern China. So when is the best time to plant black jujube? Where does the best quality come from?

Black jujube cultivation techniques

Propagate by seed. Collect ripe fruit, rub off the flesh, and take out the seeds; around the Minor Snow solar term, stratify them in moist sand, and sow in spring the following year. They can also be sown directly in the field from late November to early December; water thoroughly once before overwintering, and seedlings will emerge the following spring.

Where does the best black jujube come from?

Black jujube is mainly produced in western Shandong, and is also distributed in Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Liaoning, central-southern and southwestern China. Among these, the regions famous for black jujube (also known as “smoked jujube”) are mainly Yanggu in Shandong, Yan'an in Shaanxi, and Yixian in Hebei, with Yanggu in Shandong being especially well known.

Black jujube is different from smoke-blackened jujube. Smoke-blackened jujube is black jujube fruit made from fresh jujube (red jujube) through special processing (oil boiling, smoking), and belongs to the dried products of fresh jujube; it is pitch-black in color, hence it is also called “smoked jujube” (common names: smoked jujube, purple crystal jujube, horse-tooth jujube, dog-head jujube). Although this kind of black jujube is also rich in nutrients, it still belongs to the red jujube category, and is completely different from the black jujube among the traditional kidney-tonifying foods known as the “black five categories.”

Uses of black jujube

The black jujube tree has fine timber and can be used as general-purpose wood;

The fruit can be eaten raw after removing astringency, or used to make wine or vinegar; it contains vitamin C, which can be extracted for medical use;

The seeds are used as medicine and can quench thirst and clear heat; the Diospyros lotus tree can serve as rootstock for persimmon trees.

The fruit can be eaten raw or used to make wine or vinegar; the dried product used as medicine can quench thirst and clear heat; the vitamin C it contains can be extracted for medical use, and the seeds can be pressed for oil;

The Diospyros lotus tree is the best rootstock for sweet persimmon, and its timber is fine and can be used as general-purpose wood.

Black jujube for health

Black jujube is warm in nature and sweet in taste, rich in protein, sugars, organic acids, vitamin B and vitamin E, as well as trace elements such as phosphorus, calcium, and iron, along with various nutrients. It has the effects of tonifying the kidneys and nourishing the stomach. It is also very helpful for delaying aging, enhancing body vitality, and beautifying the skin. Therefore, black jujube is called a “nutrition warehouse.” Regular consumption can help women replenish qi and nourish blood and maintain epithelial cell tissue. It can also warm the stomach and intestines, brighten the eyes and invigorate blood, promote urination and remove toxins, and is an excellent product for moisturizing the skin and darkening the beard and hair.

Effects and benefits of black jujube

1. Black jujube can improve human immunity and inhibit cancer cells: pharmacological research has found that red jujube can promote the production of white blood cells, lower serum cholesterol, increase serum albumin, and protect the liver. Red jujube also contains substances that inhibit cancer cells, and can even cause cancer cells to transform into normal cells;

2. People who regularly eat fresh jujube rarely suffer from gallstones: this is because the abundant vitamin C in fresh jujube causes excess cholesterol in the body to be converted into bile acids. With less cholesterol, the probability of stone formation is correspondingly reduced;

3. Jujube is rich in calcium and iron, which play an important role in preventing and treating osteoporosis and anemia: middle-aged and older people often develop osteoporosis during menopause, and adolescents and women at the peak of growth and development are prone to anemia. Large jujube can have a very ideal dietary therapeutic effect on them, and its effects are usually unmatched by drugs;

4. Black jujube also has a good nourishing effect on people who are weak after illness.

5. The rutin contained in jujube is a substance that softens blood vessels and thereby lowers blood pressure, and has preventive and therapeutic effects on hypertension;

6. Jujube can also resist allergies, remove fishy and unusual odors, calm the heart and soothe the nerves, benefit intelligence and strengthen the brain, and increase appetite.