Peach Kernel: A Traditional Herb for Promoting Blood Flow and Relieving Constipation

Hongji Medical
Jun 13
4 min read

Peach Kernel, known as Tao Ren in Chinese, is the dried, mature seed of the peach tree (Amygdalus persica) or wild peach (Amygdalus davidiana) from the Rosaceae family. Prized for its ability to promote blood circulation, relieve blood stasis, and lubricate the intestines, it is widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to treat conditions caused by blood stagnation. This article explores its properties, uses, and modern applications in a clear and simple way.

Peach Kernel has been documented in ancient Chinese medical texts for centuries. The Shennong Bencao Jing (Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica) classifies it as a middle-grade herb, noting it "treats blood stasis, masses, evil qi, and kills small parasites."

The Mingyi Bielu further describes it as effective for "relieving blood stagnation, breaking up masses, promoting menstruation, stopping cough, and calming upward-rising qi."

Ancient healers highly valued Peach Kernel for its ability to invigorate blood and relieve constipation, making it a key herb for blood stasis-related disorders.

Insights from Historical Texts

Bencao Gangmu: Li Shizhen provided a detailed account of Peach Kernel’s appearance, origin, and effects. He noted it grows in mountainous and wild areas across China, with seeds resembling larger almond kernels and a bitter-pungent taste. He emphasized its role in "invigorating and breaking blood, lubricating dryness, relieving constipation, stopping cough, and calming asthma."
Yaoxing Fu: This text concisely summarizes Peach Kernel’s effects as "breaking blood, moving stasis, and lubricating the intestines for constipation relief."

Characteristics of Peach Kernel

Taste and Properties

Peach Kernel is bitter and sweet with a neutral nature. In TCM, it is linked to the heart, liver, and large intestine meridians, making it effective for blood and digestive issues.

Origin and Harvesting

It is grown across China, with higher yields in North and East China. After the fruit ripens, the flesh and pit are removed, and the seeds are dried in the sun.

Appearance

Peach Kernel is flat and oval-shaped, 1–1.5 cm long, 0.8–1.2 cm wide, and 0.2–0.4 cm thick. Its surface is brownish with a net-like texture. One end is pointed, the other rounded. The seed coat is thin and easily removed, revealing two creamy-white, oily cotyledons. It has a faint aroma and a slightly bitter taste.

Preparation

Peach Kernel is used raw or stir-fried, often with the skin and tip removed. Raw Peach Kernel is stronger for blood stasis; stir-frying softens its effects and enhances its ability to relieve constipation.

Clinical Uses: Addressing Blood Stasis and Constipation

Peach Kernel is used to treat conditions caused by blood stagnation and intestinal dryness. Its main applications include:

Menstrual Irregularities and Pain: Symptoms like absent or delayed periods, scanty flow, and severe abdominal pain due to blood stasis.
Dysmenorrhea: Painful periods with sharp abdominal or lower back pain caused by blood stagnation.
Traumatic Injuries: Swelling and pain from bruises or injuries due to blood stasis.
Lung Abscess: Chest pain, coughing with pus or blood, fever, and stuffiness caused by blood stasis and lung blockage.
Intestinal Abscess: Right lower abdominal pain, fever, nausea, and vomiting due to blood stasis and intestinal blockage.
Constipation: Hard, difficult stools due to dry intestines or blood stagnation.
Rib Pain: Stabbing pain under the ribs due to blood stasis.

Key Benefits

Promotes Blood Flow and Relieves Stasis: Compounds like amygdalin improve microcirculation and clear blood stagnation.
Lubricates Intestines: Its high oil content moistens the intestines, easing constipation.
Relieves Cough and Asthma: Helps calm chronic cough and asthma symptoms.

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Herbal Combinations for Enhanced Effects

Peach Kernel is often paired with other herbs in TCM formulas to boost its effects. Common prescriptions include:

Tao Ren Cheng Qi Decoction: Combines Peach Kernel, rhubarb, cinnamon twig, mirabilite, and licorice to promote blood flow, clear heat, and relieve constipation, used for blood stasis and hard stools.
Xue Fu Zhu Yu Decoction: Includes Peach Kernel, safflower, angelica, ligusticum, red peony, rehmannia, and others to invigorate blood and relieve pain, treating chest pain, headaches, or insomnia from blood stasis.
Fu Yuan Huo Xue Decoction: Combines Peach Kernel, bupleurum, trichosanthes, angelica, and others to promote blood flow and soothe the liver, used for traumatic injuries with blood stasis.

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Comparing Peach Kernel with Similar Herbs

Other herbs with blood-invigorating effects include safflower, salvia, and ligusticum, each with unique properties:

Safflower: Strongly promotes blood flow and menstruation, ideal for severe blood stasis.
Salvia: Invigorates blood and cools it, suitable for blood stasis with heat symptoms.
Ligusticum: Promotes blood and qi flow, best for pain from qi and blood stagnation, like headaches or chest pain.

Peach Kernel is neutral, balancing blood invigoration with intestinal lubrication; safflower is warm and strong; salvia is slightly cold with cooling effects; ligusticum is warm and focuses on qi movement.

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Modern Research and Applications

Modern studies show Peach Kernel contains amygdalin, fatty oils, and enzymes with several benefits:

Anticoagulant Effect: Amygdalin reduces platelet aggregation, preventing blood clots.
Anti-Inflammatory: Reduces swelling and pain from inflammation.
Cough and Asthma Relief: Enzymes produce benzaldehyde, which calms cough and asthma.
Anti-Tumor Potential: Extracts may inhibit certain cancer cells.
Lipid-Lowering: Helps manage high cholesterol.

Modern Uses

Cardiovascular Diseases: Used for coronary heart disease, stroke, and high cholesterol to improve circulation and prevent clots.
Respiratory Conditions: Applied in chronic bronchitis and asthma for cough and asthma relief.
Skin Conditions: Shows potential in treating acne and warts.

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Precautions

Peach Kernel requires careful use:

Pregnant Women: Avoid, as it may cause miscarriage due to its blood-moving effects.
Excessive Menstruation: Use cautiously, as it may increase menstrual flow.
Bleeding Disorders: Avoid in conditions like hemophilia or low platelets due to its anticoagulant properties.

Conclusion

Peach Kernel is a versatile TCM herb, valued for its ability to promote blood flow, relieve blood stasis, and ease constipation. From ancient texts to modern research, its role in treating conditions like menstrual pain, injuries, and digestive issues is well-established. However, its potent effects and potential toxicity demand careful use, especially for pregnant women or those with bleeding risks. With proper guidance, Peach Kernel remains a powerful tool for health and healing.

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中醫知識

Chinese Medicine - Qi

Blood and semen

Heart and lungs

Spleen and Liver

Kidney

Gallbladder, stomach, intestines, bladder

Interrelationships among the five internal organs

Other questions

Qi is the constantly moving subtle substance that constitutes the human body and maintains its vital activities.

There are three main sources of Qi in the human body: the innate essence inherited from parents, the essence of water and grain in food, and the pure Qi existing in nature.

Qi has many important physiological effects on the human body. The normal functioning of the internal organs, meridians, limbs, bones, five senses and nine orifices all depends on the physiological effects of Qi.

Generally speaking, the physiological effects of Qi include five aspects: promotion, warming, defense, consolidation, and qi transformation.

Yuan Qi is the most original Qi in the human body.

Yuan Qi is mainly composed of the essence of the kidneys and is generated from the essence of the kidneys.

The distribution of primordial energy is throughout the body, reaching everywhere. The internal organs, meridians, body parts, five senses and nine orifices are all places where primordial energy rises, falls, enters and exits.

The main physiological functions of Yuan Qi are twofold: one is to promote and stimulate the growth, development and reproduction of the human body. The other is to promote and stimulate the physiological activities of the internal organs and meridians.

If the kidneys are deficient in essence and energy due to congenital deficiency, postnatal malnutrition, or long-term illness, and the kidneys lack the source of vital energy, various diseases may occur.

Zong Qi is the Qi that accumulates in the chest. The place where Zong Qi accumulates is called "Tan Zhong" (between the two breasts). Because it is the place where Zong Qi is most concentrated, it is also called "Qi Hai".

Zong Qi is mainly composed of the fresh air from nature inhaled by the lungs and the essence of water and grain produced by the spleen and stomach from food.

The main functions of Zong Qi are twofold:

1. It is to walk the Xi Dao to control breathing. All breathing, speech, and voice are related to the Zong Qi. When the Zong Qi is abundant, the breathing is slow and the rhythm is even, the speech is clear and the voice is loud; otherwise, the breathing is short and the voice is low.

Second, it is to circulate Qi and blood through the heart meridians. All the beating of the heart and the circulation of Qi and blood are related to Zong Qi. If the pulse is gentle, the rhythm is consistent, and there is spirit and root, it is a manifestation of abundant Zong Qi. On the contrary, if the pulse is agitated, scattered, weak, or irregular, it means that the Zong Qi is insufficient or even weak.

Zhongqi refers to the Qi of the middle burner. Because the spleen and stomach are located in the middle burner, the Qi of the spleen and stomach is generally called "Zhongqi".

It is generally believed that the formation of Zhong Qi is formed by the combination of the Yuan Qi distributed in the Zhongjiao and the water and grain essence produced by the spleen and stomach.

The middle qi is mainly distributed in the middle burner, spreading between the spleen, stomach, and intestines, and it rises and falls, constantly mediating.

The main functions of Zhongqi include three aspects:

1. It controls the rise and fall of Qi. The middle burner is the hub of the rise and fall of Qi. When the middle Qi is abundant and harmonious, the Qi of the liver and spleen will rise healthily, and the Qi of the lungs and stomach will descend smoothly. When the rise and fall are smooth, all organs will be at peace.

Second, it stimulates the spleen and stomach to absorb and transport. When the middle qi is abundant, the spleen rises and the stomach descends normally, the water and grain are received and transported normally, and the essence of water and grain is continuously produced to generate qi and blood, nourishing the whole body.

Third, it maintains the position of the internal organs. The reason why the internal organs maintain their relatively constant position depends on the rise and fall of the qi of the middle jiao spleen and stomach.

Ying Qi, also known as "Rong Qi", is the Qi that flows in the veins.

The distribution and movement of Ying Qi are clearly discussed in Suwen Bi Lun, which points out that Ying Qi "harmonizes the five internal organs, flows through the six bowels, and then enters the meridians."

It explains that the nutrient energy enters the meridians, circulates throughout the body, flows into the internal organs, and reaches the limbs, repeating the cycle over and over again.

The main functions of Ying Qi:

1. It is the transformation of blood.

Second, it nourishes the whole body. The nourishing qi enters the blood vessels and causes the body fluids to penetrate into the blood vessels. The two combine to form blood.

The so-called Qi can produce blood, mainly refers to: Ying Qi transforms into blood. Ying Qi is produced by the refined part of the essence of grains, and is a nutrient necessary for physiological activities such as viscera and meridians, and plays an important role in maintaining human life activities.

The Inner Canon of Medicine states that the Nutritive Qi "harmonises the five internal organs, and spreads throughout the six bowels", "nourishes the four extremities", etc., which emphasizes that the Nutritive Qi has a nourishing effect.

Wei Qi is the Qi that circulates outside the veins. It is so called because it protects the skin and resists external pathogens.

The distribution of Wei Qi is fast, smooth and agile, and is not restricted by blood vessels, so it can "flow through the skin, between the flesh, fumigate the peritoneum, and spread to the chest and abdomen" (Suwen Bi Lun). This shows that Wei Qi spreads throughout the body, externally between the skin and muscles, and internally to the peritoneum of the chest and abdomen - the area inside the diaphragm of the chest cavity.

The main physiological functions of Wei Qi are three-fold:

First, it protects the skin and prevents the invasion of external pathogens. In clinical practice, if a patient is prone to colds and fever, the treatment is usually based on the theory that the Wei surface is not solid. The theoretical basis is here. Second, it warms the internal organs, muscles, fur, etc. Wei Qi has a strong warming effect. If Wei Yang is deficient, the warming power is weakened, and cold symptoms such as cold body, cold limbs and low body temperature may appear. If Wei Qi is stagnant and turns into heat, hot symptoms such as fever and malignant fever may appear.

Third, it regulates the opening and closing of pores and controls sweat excretion, which is what Lingshu Benzang says about the Wei Qi having the function of “controlling opening and closing”.

Peach Kernel: A Traditional Herb for Promoting Blood Flow and Relieving Constipation

Insights from Historical Texts

Characteristics of Peach Kernel

Taste and Properties

Origin and Harvesting

Appearance

Preparation

Clinical Uses: Addressing Blood Stasis and Constipation

Key Benefits

Herbal Combinations for Enhanced Effects

Comparing Peach Kernel with Similar Herbs

Modern Research and Applications

Modern Uses

Precautions

Conclusion

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中醫知識

The concept of Qi

Vitality

Zong Qi

Middle Qi

Ying Qi

Health

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