What are the effects, actions and side effects of sour jujube seed?

Sour jujube seed is made from the ripe fruit of the sour jujube with the flesh removed and the shell and pit dried in the sun. As a medicine it has the effects of nourishing the heart and liver and calming the spirit and stopping sweating. Let us take a look below at what effects and actions sour jujube seed has? What side effects does it have?

1. Pharmacological actions of sour jujube seed

1. Sedative effect: A decoction of sour jujube seed given to rats orally or by intraperitoneal injection showed sedation and drowsiness. The sedation index when given orally to mice was 1.95, showing a synergistic effect with barbiturates. After sour jujube seed was used continuously for 6 days, the animals' sleep became lighter and its duration shortened, that is, tolerance developed, but this disappeared after 1 week of withdrawal.

2. Tranquilizing effect: After intraperitoneal injection of a decoction of sour jujube seed in rats, all animals showed calmness and lethargy. However, external stimuli could wake them. When the dose was increased to a toxic dose, mice still did not show loss of the righting reflex or anesthesia. After oral gavage of the decoction in mice, conditioned reflexes were inhibited, but unconditioned reflexes were not. Sour jujube seed also had a significant antagonistic effect on the manic phenomenon produced in cats by subcutaneous injection of morphine hydrochloride.

3. Analgesic effect: The mouse hot plate method proved that intraperitoneal injection of a decoction of sour jujube seed has a relatively obvious analgesic effect, and the latency of the pain response in mice was significantly prolonged, with the effect lasting as long as 3 hours. If the decoction is given orally or by intraperitoneal injection, it has a cooling effect on normal rats.

2. What side effects does sour jujube seed have?

Some people are prone to numbness of the lips, a feeling of throat blockage, stiffness of the tongue, drooling, numbness of the limbs and cardiac arrhythmia after taking sour jujube seed. Sour jujube seed also has a certain toxicity. When 150 grams/kg was given to mice by oral gavage, there were no toxic symptoms. Chronic toxicity experiments in rats proved that its toxicity is extremely low. The median lethal dose by intraperitoneal injection in mice was 14.33±2.015 grams/kg, but very large doses can also show toxic effects. Overall, the side effects of sour jujube seed are not great. However, for the sake of one's own health, when taking sour jujube seed one must thoroughly understand this Chinese medicinal herb and understand one's own physical condition, and then consult a professional doctor or expert. One must not take it blindly on one's own.

3. What contraindications does sour jujube seed have?

1. It is not recommended for some patients who are relatively emotionally agitated or physically overfatigued to take it, because such patients are very prone to cardiac arrhythmia after taking it.

2. Patients with an allergic constitution or a history of local drug allergy had better not take sour jujube seed either, because such patients are very prone to allergies after taking it, and in severe cases may develop skin itching or even urticaria.

3. Some patients with special diseases had also better not drink sour jujube seed steeped in water, especially patients with high blood lipids, heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure should not take it. The health of such people is already problematic, and if even a slight side effect occurs, it can easily lead to unimaginably serious consequences.

4. Patients with renal insufficiency and those with cerebrovascular diseases had also better not eat it. In addition, patients with a history of surgery and a history of trauma are also unsuitable for taking sour jujube seed. If patients who drink large amounts of alcohol and smoke heavily take sour jujube seed, it is very easy to cause various side effects in the body.

5. Pregnant women had also better not drink sour jujube seed steeped in water, as it can easily harm their own health and that of the child. If they want to take it, it is best to consult a doctor first before deciding.