Witnessed by: TCM
Sichuan pepper (Zanthoxylum bungeanum), of the Rutaceae family. Spiny deciduous shrub or small tree with pinnate aromatic leaves; native range: hills and mountain slopes of central and western China, especially Sichuan. Globally recognized as hua jiao (花椒) in Chinese, and Sichuan pepper, Chinese prickly ash, shu jiao in English. The part used is ripe fruit husk (pericarp). Reddish-brown warty husks, intensely aromatic, acrid and lip-numbing to the taste.
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.
SICHUAN PEPPER
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Sichuan pepper
- Scientific name
- Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim.
- Family
- Rutaceae
Form
- Part used
- ripe fruit husk (pericarp)
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
- warms the middle, dispels cold, relieves pain, kills parasites
Cautions
- Contraindications
- contraindicated in yin deficiency with heat signs and during pregnancy
- Toxicity
- slightly toxic in large or prolonged doses
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