Witnessed by: TCM
Chinese olive (Canarium album), of the Burseraceae family. Tall evergreen tree of warm valleys; native range: southern China and Southeast Asia. Globally recognized as qing guo (青果), gan lan (橄欖) in Chinese, and white Chinese olive, Chinese white olive in English. The part used is fruit. Green spindle-shaped drupe, sour and astringent, resolving to a sweet aftertaste.
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.
CHINESE OLIVE
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Chinese olive
- Scientific name
- Canarium album (Lour.) DC.
- Family
- Burseraceae
Form
- Part used
- fruit
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- sweet · sour · astringent
Temperature
- TCM
- neutral
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Lung · Stomach
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- clears heat, resolves toxicity, benefits the throat, generates fluids, resolves fish and alcohol toxin
Cautions
- Contraindications
- no strong contraindication
- Toxicity
- none notable
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