✵This article documents the herb Smoked Plum, including its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, botanical source—namely, (1) Armeniaca mume Sieb. (Syn. Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.)—and provides a detailed description of the plant’s botanical features, growth characteristics, ecological environment, macroscopic characteristics of the dried fruit, pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Fructus Mume (Smoked Plum)
Pinyin Name: Wū Méi
English Name: Smoked Plum, Dark Plum Fruit
Latin Name:Fructus Mume Properties and Flavor: Neutral; sour, astringent.
Brief Introduction:Fructus Mume is the dried, nearly ripe fruit of Prunus mume (Sieb.) Sieb. et Zucc. It is used clinically as an antidiarrheal, antitussive, antithirst (antidiabetic), and anthelmintic agent for treating chronic diarrhea, persistent cough, morbid thirst (xiao ke), and ascariasis. Commonly known as Smoked Plum, Dark Plum, or Wū Méi.
Botanical Source: Classical herbal works define Smoked Plum (Fructus Mume, Wū Méi) as the unripe fruit of Rosaceae species (1) Armeniaca mume Sieb. (syn. Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.), a deciduous tree belonging to the genus Prunus, family Rosaceae (rose family), order Rosales. This widely used species is described below:
(1) Armeniaca mume Sieb.
Botanical Description:Armeniaca mume Sieb. (syn. Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.) is a deciduous tree reaching up to 10 meters in height. Bark is taupe-brown (grayish-brown) or light green; branches are numerous; branchlets are slender and elongated, with acanthoid (spine-tipped) apices. Leaves are simple and alternate; petioles are ~1.5 cm long and pubescent; stipules are caducous; leaf blades are elliptic-ovate, ovate, or oblong-ovate, 4–9 cm long and 2.4–4 cm wide; flowering occurs before leaf emergence in late winter to early spring; flowers are fragrant; 1–3 flowers occur in axillary fascicles on biennial lateral branches.
Peduncles are short; calyx is typically reddish-brown, though green or greenish-purple in some cultivars; corolla consists of 5 broadly obovate petals, white or pale pink, ~1.5 cm in diameter; numerous stamens present.
Fruits are subglobose, 2–3 cm in diameter, yellow or greenish-white, pubescent; endocarps (stones) are elliptic, with small apical projections; ventral and dorsal surfaces bear distinct ridges and grooves; surface exhibits faveolate (honeycombed) pits. Flowering occurs from late winter to early spring; fruiting, from May to June.
Ecological Environment:Prunus mume grows in open forests, along stream banks, on forested mountain slopes adjacent to trails, and on mountainsides—sometimes at altitudes of 1,700–3,100 meters above sea level—and is extensively cultivated throughout China. It is native to the Yangtze River basin in southern China and was later introduced to other regions of East Asia.
Growth Characteristics: Armeniaca mume is adaptable and cold-resistant. It prefers a warm, moist climate and requires ample sunshine. The temperature during the flowering period greatly influences yield; the fruit set rate is significantly reduced if temperatures fall to −5 to 6 °C (23–42.8 °F) or rise above 20 °C (68 °F). Regions with an average annual temperature of 16–23 °C (60.8–73.4 °F) and average annual rainfall exceeding 1,000 mm are most suitable for cultivation. Its soil requirements are not stringent; however, a deep, loose, fertile, well-drained sandy loam is preferred. It is intolerant of waterlogging but drought-tolerant; low-lying, damp land is unsuitable for planting.
Characteristics of the Herb: The drupes are nearly spherical or oblate, 1.5–3 cm in diameter. The surface is jet black to brownish-black, wrinkled and uneven; trichomes are visible under a magnifying glass, and a circular carpopodium (stalk scar) is present at the base. The pulp is soft or slightly firm; the stone (endocarp) is hard and elliptical, brown, with pits on its surface, enclosing a single oval, pale yellow seed. The herb has a faint odor or a parched, sour aroma and tastes intensely sour and puckering.
Pharmacological Actions: (1) Excites and stimulates the posterior portion of roundworms, exerting anthelmintic effects and markedly inhibiting roundworm motility. (2) Antimicrobial activity: In vitro studies show that Fructus Mume decoction inhibits Bacillus dysenteriae, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Salmonella paratyphi, Bordetella pertussis, Diplococcus pneumoniae (now Streptococcus pneumoniae), Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and other pathogenic bacteria. (3) Antifungal activity (fungistasis): The herb inhibits certain pathogenic fungi, including Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Epidermophyton floccosum, and Microsporum gypseum. (4) Choleretic effect; (5) Immunomodulatory and antitumor effects, among others.
Medicinal Efficacy: Astringes the lung and relieves cough; astringes the intestines and alleviates diarrhea; stops bleeding; promotes secretion of saliva and body fluids; relieves colicky abdominal pain caused by ascaris; expels parasites. It is indicated for chronic cough due to lung deficiency, chronic bronchitis, chronic malaria, chronic diarrhea, protracted dysentery, acute dysentery, deficiency-heat syndrome with excessive thirst, deficiency-heat syndrome with consumptive thirst (xiao ke), hematochezia, hematuria (passing blood in urine), metrorrhagia, ascaris-induced abdominal pain and vomiting, nausea and vomiting, hookworm disease, psoriasis (lepra alphos, serpigo, scaly tetter), pterygium (a triangular fold of conjunctiva extending from the medial canthus), etc.
Administration of Fructus Mume (Wū Méi):
Reference:
Administration Guide for Fructus Mume (Wū Méi)
TCM Books:
(1) Internally: 6–12 grams; (2) Internally: water decoction, 0.8–1.5 qian (≈2.4–4.5 grams); or prepared as pills or powder. External use: calcined herb, finely powdered, applied topically as a dusting or paste. (3) Internally: water decoction, 0.8–1.5 qian (≈2.4–4.5 grams); or prepared as pills or powder. External use: calcined herb, finely powdered, applied topically as a dusting or paste.
Contraindications, Precautions, and Adverse Reactions: Fructus Mume should be used cautiously in individuals with excessive gastric hydrochloric acid secretion. Excessive intake may damage teeth and bones and impair spleen-stomach function, potentially causing fever. It should be avoided in cases of toothache.
✵This article documents the herb Smoked Plum, including its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, botanical source—namely, (1) Armeniaca mume Sieb. (Syn. Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.)—and provides a detailed description of the plant’s botanical features, growth characteristics, ecological environment, macroscopic characteristics of the dried fruit, pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Pinyin Name: Wū Méi
Botanical Description: Armeniaca mume Sieb. (syn. Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.) is a deciduous tree reaching up to 10 meters in height. Bark is taupe-brown (grayish-brown) or light green; branches are numerous; branchlets are slender and elongated, with acanthoid (spine-tipped) apices. Leaves are simple and alternate; petioles are ~1.5 cm long and pubescent; stipules are caducous; leaf blades are elliptic-ovate, ovate, or oblong-ovate, 4–9 cm long and 2.4–4 cm wide; flowering occurs before leaf emergence in late winter to early spring; flowers are fragrant; 1–3 flowers occur in axillary fascicles on biennial lateral branches.
Peduncles are short; calyx is typically reddish-brown, though green or greenish-purple in some cultivars; corolla consists of 5 broadly obovate petals, white or pale pink, ~1.5 cm in diameter; numerous stamens present.
Ecological Environment: Prunus mume grows in open forests, along stream banks, on forested mountain slopes adjacent to trails, and on mountainsides—sometimes at altitudes of 1,700–3,100 meters above sea level—and is extensively cultivated throughout China. It is native to the Yangtze River basin in southern China and was later introduced to other regions of East Asia.
Characteristics of the Herb: The drupes are nearly spherical or oblate, 1.5–3 cm in diameter. The surface is jet black to brownish-black, wrinkled and uneven; trichomes are visible under a magnifying glass, and a circular carpopodium (stalk scar) is present at the base. The pulp is soft or slightly firm; the stone (endocarp) is hard and elliptical, brown, with pits on its surface, enclosing a single oval, pale yellow seed. The herb has a faint odor or a parched, sour aroma and tastes intensely sour and puckering.
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