Witnessed by: TCM · Ayurveda · Unani
Citron (Citrus medica), of the Rutaceae family. A small thorny shrub or tree, some forms bearing the fruit split into finger-like segments; native range: the foothills of northeast India and Southeast Asia; the earliest citrus to reach the Mediterranean. Globally recognized as matulunga · bijapura in Sanskrit, bijaura · turanj in Hindi, xiang yuan (香櫞) · fo shou (佛手, buddha's hand) in Chinese, utruj (أترج) in Arabic, and buddha's hand, fingered citron in English. The part used is the fruit and, chiefly, the aromatic rind. A large, knobbly, thick-skinned fruit, mostly fragrant white pith with little juice; the rind is warmly aromatic, the pulp faintly sour, the whole prized for its lasting scent.
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.
CITRON
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- citron
- Scientific name
- Citrus medica L.
- Family
- Rutaceae
Form
- Part used
- the fruit and, chiefly, the aromatic rind
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- pungent · bitter · sour
- Ayurveda
- sour (amla) · sweet (madhura) · bitter (tikta)
- Unani
- sour · aromatic · bitter
Temperature
TCM: warm
Ayurveda: heating (ushna)
Unani: temperate (the rind hot & dry, the flesh cold & moist, the seed hot & dry — the parts differ)
convergence: the readings diverge with the part — TCM and Ayurveda weigh the warm aromatic rind, while Unani parses the fruit into hot rind and cold flesh
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Liver · Spleen · Stomach · Lung
- Unani
- stomach · liver · heart · brain
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- the fruit (xiang yuan) regulates qi, harmonises the middle and transforms phlegm to stop cough; the fingered form (fo shou) spreads Liver qi and harmonises the Stomach
- Ayurveda
- dipana-pachana, hridya (cardiac), vata-anulomana, chhardighna (antiemetic) and ruchya (appetiser)
- Unani
- muqawwi-e-meda wa qalb (tonic to stomach and heart), mufarreh (exhilarant), kaasir-e-riyah (carminative), dafay-e-safra and muqawwi-e-jigar (liver tonic)
Cautions
- Contraindications
- yin deficiency with heat and qi deficiency without stagnation (TCM); hyperacidity, where the sour pulp aggravates
- Toxicity
- a mild food-drug; the peel oil may irritate the skin, and a large sour intake aggravates acidity
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