Armeniaca, Apricot, Xing Ren 杏仁
Malus Armenius (‘Apple of Armenia’)Xing Ren (Apricot kernel, TCM)
Kreutterbuch, Matthiolus, 1586Botanical name:
Prunus armeniaca
Other species used in TCM include:
1. P. sibirica
2. P. manshurica
3. P. armeniaca L. var ansu
Parts used:
Kernel; Oil; rarely the Fruit or Flower
Sweet and Bitter varieties of Kernels are used.
Temperature & Taste:
Fruit: Cool, moist
Bitter Kernel: Slightly Warm, Moist. Bitter, slightly Toxic (Sweet kernel is not Toxic)
Classification:
Q. Stop Cough and Wheezing
Uses:
KERNELS
1. Stops Cough, Relieves Wheezing:
-used for various kinds of Cough and Wheezing, hot, cold, excess or deficient, depending on the herbs its combined with.
-Sweet is better for deficient conditions, Bitter for excess. Bitter is stronger to settle Cough and relieve Wheezing
2. Moistens the Intestines, Opens Obstructions:
-gentle moist laxative in dryness of the bowels
-obstructions in the muscles or organs; Trauma, insternal stagnations
-more recently in the treatment of Cancer
-also applied topically for Hemorrhoids (West)
FRUIT
Cools the Stomach
FLOWERS:
Conserve of the Flowers is very useful to prevent and treat Worms in Children.
Dose:
Powder of the Sweet Kernels: 1–3 grams
Powder of the Bitter Kernels: 500mg–2 grams
Decoction: 3–9 grams
Comment:
1. Apricot kernel and Almond kernel are very similar. Both have Sweet and Bitter varieties. Sweet Apricot kernels have a nature similar to sweet Almonds, though not as good. Bitter Almonds are also similar to bitter Apricot kernels, although again, Bitter Almonds tend to be more bitter, and are generally stronger. The Chinese name Xing can be applied to both Almonds and Apricot kernels.
2. Li Shi Zhen said Apricot kernal (Xing Ren) ‘releases the muscle layer and disperses wind, directs qi downward and moistens dryness, and reduces accumulation’. This is closely allied to the use of Bitter Almond to open obstructions.
3. Peaches and Apricots were viewed as Cool and moist, and therefore often trouble the Stomach. The adverse effects of eating the fruit can be remedied by eating the kernels.
Substitute:
1. Sweet and Bitter Almond may be substituted for Sweet and Bitter Apricot
2. Peach kernel oil or Sweet Almond oil may replace Apricot kernel oil
Preparation:
Some old TCM sources suggested steeping the kernels in child’s urine to enhance their effect.
Main Combinations:
1. Cough, Wheezing:
i. Apricot kernel with Licorice as a general for Cough
ii. acute dry Cough from Wind-Cold, Apricot kernel with Perilla Zi Su Ye and Pinellia Ban Xia
iii. Wind-Heat Cough, Apricot kernel with Chrysanthemum Ju Hua and Mulberry leaf (Sang Ye)
iv. Cough and Wheezing from excess, Apricot kernel with Ephedra (Ma Huang), Licorice
v. Lung-heat Cough and Wheezing, Apricot kernel with Ephedra (Ma Huang), Gypsum (Shi Gao), Licorice
vi. dry Cough with weakness, Apricot kernel with Ophiopogon Mai Men Dong (or Asparagus root) and Licorice
2. Constipation from dryness or Yin deficiency:
i. Apricot kernel with Cannabis seed (Huo Ma Ren) and Dang Gui (as in Wu Ren Wan)
3. For all diseases, Apricot kernels were boiled in Child’s urine, then mixed with Honey and steamed again with Child’s Urine to form a pill mass, from which pills are made. These were called Myriad Disease Pills and were used for ‘any disease’. (Chinese Materia Medica, Stuauoft)
4. Abscess of the Anus, Apricot kernel oil with Bdellium (or Myrrh), mix, apply topically
5. Burns, mingle Apricot kernel oil, Onion juice (equal parts), mix and apply (Wirtzung)
Major Formulas:
Ma Huang Tang
Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang
Da Qing Long Tang
Ren Shen Ge Jie San
San Ao Tang
San Ren Tang
Sang Ju Yin
Xing Su San
Wu Ren Wan
Cautions:
1. Avoid overdose of the Bitter Kernels. Overdose may cause weakness, vomiting, neurological disorders including dystonia, seizure, collapse and coma. Chronic use can cause Paralysis.
2. Only Sweet kernels should be used in Children.
Toxicity:
Apricot kernels contain up to 6% amygdalin which can cause acute cyanide poisoning. The LD50 is 0.5–3.5 mg per kg body weight in humans.
–Evidence-based hepatic and renal toxicity evaluation of Prunus armeniaca L. seeds in albino Wistar rats.
Main Preparations used:
Apricot kernel oil, Preserved Apricots
Preserved Apricots
The skins of these Apricots are to be plucked off softy, then pour upon them Sugar decocted hard. not over hot: then let it stand the space of one day, or somewhat longer, afterwards seethe the Sugar again, and that so long as the Apricocks do yield any moisture from them’. (Wirtzung)
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Last Updated 01/24
GENERAL / REVIEW:
–Phytochemistry and pharmacology of Armeniacae semen Amarum: A review.
–Anticancer Potential and Other Pharmacological Properties of Prunus armeniaca L.: An Updated Overview.
–Identification of Fatty Acid, Lipid and Polyphenol Compounds from Prunus armeniaca L. Kernel Extracts.
–(GUM) Prunus armeniaca gum exudates: An overview on purification, structure, physicochemical properties, and applications.
–(GUM) [RATIONAL USE APRICOT GUM (GUMMI ARMENIACAE) IN REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA].
ANTIBACTERIAL:
–Synthesis and application of a new antibacterial surfactant from apricot kernel oil.
–Phenolic composition, antioxidant and antibacterial properties, and in vitro anti-HepG2 cell activities of wild apricot (Armeniaca Sibirica L. Lam) kernel skins.
ANTI-FUNGAL:
–Extraction, Chemical Composition, and Antifungal Activity of Essential Oil of Bitter Almond.
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY:
–Effect of vitamin B17 (amygdalin) found in apricot kernel on the irradiated salivary glands of albino rats.
ANTIOXIDANT:
–Structural characterization, α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and antioxidant activity of neutral polysaccharide from apricot (Armeniaca Sibirica L. Lam) kernels.
–Phenolic composition, antioxidant and antibacterial properties, and in vitro anti-HepG2 cell activities of wild apricot (Armeniaca Sibirica L. Lam) kernel skins.
ASTHMA:
–Herb pair of Ephedrae Herba-Armeniacae Semen Amarum alleviates airway injury in asthmatic rats.
RADIOPROTECTIVE:
–Effect of vitamin B17 (amygdalin) found in apricot kernel on the irradiated salivary glands of albino rats.
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE:
–Influence of long-term consumption of bitter apricot seeds on risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.
CHOLESTEROL:
–Consumption of bitter apricot seeds affects lipid and endocrine profile in women.
ANTIHYPERTENSIVE (LEAF):
–Antihypertensive Activity of Prunus armeniaca in Hypertensive Rats.
HORMONAL EFFECTS:
–Consumption of bitter apricot seeds affects lipid and endocrine profile in women.
DIABETES:
–Infrared-Assisted Extraction and HPLC-Analysis of Prunus armeniaca L. Pomace and Detoxified-Kernel and their Antidiabetic Effects.
–(LEAF) Profile of Phenolic Compounds of Prunus armeniaca L. Leaf Extract Determined by LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS and Their Antioxidant, Anti-Diabetic, Anti-Cholinesterase, and Anti-Inflammatory Potency.
BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA:
–(BARK) Amelioration of testosterone induced benign prostatic hyperplasia by Prunus species.
NEUROPROTECTIVE:
–Anti-cholinesterase and Neuroprotective Activities of Sweet and Bitter Apricot Kernels (Prunus armeniaca L.).
ANTI-CHOLINESTERASE:
–Anti-cholinesterase and Neuroprotective Activities of Sweet and Bitter Apricot Kernels (Prunus armeniaca L.).
PARKINSON’S
–Pharmacological Potential of the Standardized Methanolic Extract of Prunus armeniaca L. in the Haloperidol-Induced Parkinsonism Rat Model.
CANCER:
–Amygdalin from Apricot Kernels Induces Apoptosis and Causes Cell Cycle Arrest in Cancer Cells: An Updated Review.
–Anticancer Potential and Other Pharmacological Properties of Prunus armeniaca L.: An Updated Overview.
–Bitter apricot essential oil induces apoptosis of human HaCaT keratinocytes.
–Effects of Amygdaline from Apricot Kernel on Transplanted Tumors in Mice.
BREAST:
–Targeting Proteolysis with Cyanogenic Glycoside Amygdalin Induces Apoptosis in Breast Cancer Cells.
COLORECTAL:
–Phytochemical characterization and biological activity of apricot kernels’ extract in yeast-cell based tests and hepatocellular and colorectal carcinoma cell lines.
–The anti-proliferative effect of apricot and peach kernel extracts on human colon cancer cells in vitro.
LIVER:
–Phytochemical characterization and biological activity of apricot kernels’ extract in yeast-cell based tests and hepatocellular and colorectal carcinoma cell lines.
–Prunus Armeniaca L. Seed Extract and Its Amygdalin Containing Fraction Induced Mitochondrial-Mediated Apoptosis and Autophagy in Liver Carcinogenesis.
–Phenolic composition, antioxidant and antibacterial properties, and in vitro anti-HepG2 cell activities of wild apricot (Armeniaca Sibirica L. Lam) kernel skins.
PANCREATIC:
–Bitter apricot ethanolic extract induces apoptosis through increasing expression of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and caspase-3 in PANC-1 pancreatic cancer cells.