Witnessed by: TCM
Amomum (Amomum villosum), of the Zingiberaceae family. Clumping perennial ginger of moist shaded ground; native range: subtropical southern China, chiefly Guangdong and Yunnan. Globally recognized as sha ren (砂仁) in Chinese, and grains of paradise, sand cardamom in English. The part used is ripe fruit and seed. Small clustered seed-masses, intensely aromatic and pungent-warm with a slightly camphor-sweet finish.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
AMOMUM
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- amomum
- Scientific name
- Amomum villosum Lour.
- Family
- Zingiberaceae
Form
- Part used
- ripe fruit and seed
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- pungent
Temperature
- TCM
- warm
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Spleen · Stomach · Kidney
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- transforms dampness, moves qi, warms the middle, stops vomiting and diarrhea, calms the fetus
Cautions
- Contraindications
- caution in yin-deficient heat with dryness
- Toxicity
- non-toxic in normal dose
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