In China, the mulberry tree has a history of thousands of years. The working people have improved the mulberry tree and cultivated high-yielding and high-quality varieties. An inconspicuous mulberry tree is a treasure in the eyes of traditional Chinese medicine. Different parts of the whole tree can be used in Chinese medicine, including mulberry fruit, mulberry leaves, mulberry white skin, and mulberry branches, with very different effects.
Which parts of the mulberry tree can be used as medicine?
1. Mulberry fruit
Mulberry fruit tastes sweet and sour and is cold in nature. It enters the liver meridian and kidney meridian. It can nourish the liver and kidneys and moisten dryness. Mulberry fruit is especially suitable for those with liver and kidney yin deficiency. It can relieve headaches, dizziness, dry skin, blurred vision, waist and knee weakness, irritability, and early gray hair. Moderate consumption of mulberry fruit by women in menopause can achieve the effect of nourishing blood and anti-aging. Mulberry fruit can be used alone or in combination with longan, red dates, wolfberries, and honey. However, mulberry fruit is greasy, so people with diabetes, pregnant women, children, adolescents, and poor spleen and stomach function should eat less.
2. Mulberry white skin
Mulberry white skin is the dried root bark after removing the skin from the mulberry root. After removing the skin, dry it. Mulberry white skin can enter the spleen meridian and lung meridian and has the effects of relaxing the lungs and relieving asthma, and relaxing the chest and reducing qi. It can also clear water and reduce swelling. It is used to treat chest tightness, shortness of breath, cough, and cough caused by lung qi. Mulberry white skin combined with red beans and Fuling can achieve the effects of removing dampness and swelling and promoting urination; combined with apricot kernels, Banxia and Guareo, it has the effect of relieving phlegm, cough, asthma, and cough; combined with mulberry leaves and Huangqin, it can achieve the effect of clearing the lungs, reducing fire and relieving cough. However, mulberry white skin is cold in nature, so it is forbidden for those with lung qi deficiency and external wind and cold.
3. Mulberry branches
The tender branches of the mulberry tree are called mulberry branches, which are dried and used after drying. Mulberry branches are neutral in nature. They can enter the lung meridian and liver meridian, and have the effects of expelling wind and dampness, benefiting joints, and relieving qi and water. Mulberry branches combined with herbs such as bearing wintergreen, fangyi, and willow lingxian with the effect of clearing heat and removing dampness can be used to treat wind-dampness and bi syndrome; combined with herbs such as jixueteng, danggui, and heshouwu for nourishing blood, they can relieve Wind groups and skin itching caused by blood deficiency and dryness; combined with herbs such as tianqi and danshen, they can assist in the treatment of limb disability caused by stroke.
4. Mulberry leaves
Mulberry leaves are cold in nature and bitter in taste. They enter the liver meridian and lung meridian. They not only have the effects of clearing the liver and brightening the eyes, and relieving wind and heat but also can clear the lungs and moisten dryness. Dry mulberry leaves, and fresh mulberry leaves combined with Xiakucao, Shijueming, and chrysanthemum can relieve red, swollen and painful eyes, sore throat, cough, and fever caused by exogenous wind and heat.
A warm reminder
There is also a kind of mulberry cricket, which is the material gathered after the mantis lays eggs on the mulberry branches and then steams and dries for use as medicine. It enters the liver meridian and kidney meridian, and has the effects of nourishing the kidney, helping yang and astringing essence, and concentrating urine. Mulberry crickets combined with Buguzhi, Qianshi, and Shanyao are used to treat frequent night urination caused by kidney deficiency and seminal emission caused by deficiency of the lower Yuan.