Introduction of Bi Cheng Qie: Mountain Spicy Fruit
✵The article records the herb Mountain Spicy Fruit, including its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, and botanical sources—two plant species: (1) Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers. and (2) Piper cubeba L.—along with detailed descriptions of the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environments of both species; the characteristics of the herb Mountain Spicy Fruit; its pharmacological actions; medicinal efficacy; and administration guidelines.
Fructus Litseae (Mountain Spicy Fruit)
Pinyin Name: Bì Chéng Qié
English Name: Mountain Spicy Fruit; Mountain Spicy Tree Fruit
Latin Name:Fructus Litseae Properties and Flavor: Warm, pungent
Brief Introduction:Fructus Litseae is the dried, ripe fruit of Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers., used to warm the stomach for relieving vomiting, and alleviate epigastric and abdominal pain caused by cold. It is commonly known as Fructus Litseae, Mountain Spicy Fruit, or Bì Chéng Qié.
Botanical Source: Classical herbal works traditionally define Fructus Litseae (Mountain Spicy Fruit) as the dried, ripe fruit of (1) Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers., a species in the genus Litsea, family Lauraceae, order Laurales. Some other authentic herbal works also include (2) Piper cubeba L., a species in the family Piperaceae (pepper family), order Piperales. These two botanically distinct species are described below:
(1) Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers.
Botanical Description:Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers. was formerly classified as Laurus cubeba Lour. It is commonly known as Shān Jī Jiāo or Shān Hú Jiāo. A deciduous shrub or small tree, it grows up to 8–10 m tall. Both leaves and fruits emit a characteristic aroma. Roots are conical and ash-gray (grayish-white); bark is yellowish-green and smooth when young, becoming taupe (dull grayish-brown) with age. Leaf buds lack scales; young branches are slender, long and densely covered with silky pubescence. Leaves are membranous and alternate; petioles are slender and weak, 1–2 cm long; leaf blades are lanceolate or oblong-ovate, 4–11 cm long and 1.2–2.5 cm wide, with an acuminate apex and cuneate base; margins are entire; the upper surface is dark green, the lower surface is pale green; both surfaces are glabrous; venation is pinnate, with 6–10 fine, thin, prominent lateral veins per side; midrib and lateral veins protrude on both surfaces.
Flowers emerge before leaf expansion and the plant is dioecious. Inflorescences are solitary or clustered umbels, slender peduncles are 5–10 mm long; each bears 4 involucral bracts (phyllaries) and 4–6 pale yellow (primrose-yellow) flowers. Perianth consists of 6 obovate tepals; staminate flowers possess 9 fertile stamens arranged in three whorls, with stipitate glands at the base of the third whorl; pistillate flowers bear numerous staminodes, an oval (egg-shaped) ovary, a short style, and a capitate stigma.
The fruit is a berry-like drupe—subglobose, ~4–5 mm in diameter, glabrous, green when immature, turning black at maturity; carpopodia (fruit stalks) are 2–4 mm long and slightly thickened at the apex. Flowering occurs from February to March; fruiting from June to August.
Ecological Environment:Litsea cubeba grows on sunny hillsides, mountain slopes, forest margins, scrublands, open forests, roadside verges, and near water bodies, at elevations of 500–3,200 m above sea level. It is native to and widely distributed across China.
Growth Characteristics: The plant prefers moist, well-lit conditions; growth is stunted under shade or insufficient sunlight. It thrives in deep, well-drained soils—including acidic red soil, yellow soil, and mountain brown soil—but should not be cultivated in low-lying, waterlogged areas.
Characteristics of the Herb: Fruits are globose, 4–6 mm in diameter. The surface is tan (chocolate brown) to brownish-black, bearing reticulate wrinkles; the base often retains a persistent calyx remnant with six teeth, attached to a slender, easily detached stalk. The mesocarp peels readily; the endocarp is dark reddish-brown, firm and crisp, enclosing a single seed with two fleshy, oil-rich cotyledons. The herb possesses a strong, ginger-like fragrance and a pungent, cooling taste.
Pharmacological Actions: (1) Schistosomicidal activity (inhibitory effect against Schistosoma japonicum); (2) Antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Shigella dysenteriae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa; (3) Inhibitory effect on cutaneous allergic reactions; (4) Anti-hypoxic activity; (5) Anti-arrhythmic activity.
Medicinal Efficacy: Warms the middle and dispels cold, promotes the circulation of Qi and relieves pain, warms the kidney. It is indicated for stomach cold with nausea, cold-induced epigastric pain, borborygmus and diarrhea, cold hernia with abdominal pain, cold-damp stagnation, and turbid urine.
Administration of Fructus Litseae (Bì Chénɡ Qié):
Reference:
Administration Guide for Fructus Litseae (Bì Chénɡ Qié)
TCM Books:
(1) Internally: 1.5–3 grams; (2) Internally: water decoction, 0.5–1 qian (≈1.5–3 grams), or prepared into pills or powder; externally: use an appropriate amount of finely ground herb powder applied to the teeth or nasal cavity; (3) Internally: water decoction, 1–5 grams, or prepared into pills or powder; externally: use an appropriate amount applied to the teeth or nasal cavity.
(2) Piper cubeba L.
Botanical Description:Piper cubeba L. is commonly known as Bì Chéng Qié. It is an evergreen climbing vine growing up to about 6 meters in length. Leaves are alternate, elliptic-ovate or ovate-oblong, with an acuminate apex and a rounded or obliquely cordate base; margins are entire, and both surfaces are smooth and glabrous.
Flowers are unisexual and dioecious, grow in solitary spikes approximately 10 cm long; flowers are small, white, and achlamydeous (lacking a perianth). The fruit is a drupe, spheroidal (globular), about 5 mm in diameter, and dark brown to blackish brown. Its fruiting period is from August to September.
Ecological Environment: The plant was introduced and cultivated in China and is also distributed in the other countries.
Characteristics of the Herb: The upper portion of the fruit is subglobular (nearly spherical), 3–6 mm in diameter. The surface is dark brown to blackish brown, bearing reticulate wrinkles; an inconspicuous small stigmatic scar is present and protuberant at the apex. Occasionally, persistent calyx remnants and slender pedicels remain at the base; the pericarp at the base extends into a thin, straight pseudocarp stalk 3–7 mm long and approximately 1 mm in diameter, with longitudinal wrinkles on its surface. The exocarp and mesocarp are slightly soft; the endocarp is thin and crisp, enclosing one immature seed with two yellowish-brown, oil-rich cotyledons; some seeds are shriveled and wrinkled. The herb has a strong aromatic odor and tastes bitter, or slightly pungent and slightly bitter.
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1.Introduction of Bi Cheng Qie: Mountain Spicy Fruit
✵The article records the herb Mountain Spicy Fruit, including its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, and botanical sources—two plant species: (1) Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers. and (2) Piper cubeba L.—along with detailed descriptions of the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environments of both species; the characteristics of the herb Mountain Spicy Fruit; its pharmacological actions; medicinal efficacy; and administration guidelines.
Pinyin Name: Bì Chéng Qié
Botanical Description: Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers. was formerly classified as Laurus cubeba Lour. It is commonly known as Shān Jī Jiāo or Shān Hú Jiāo. A deciduous shrub or small tree, it grows up to 8–10 m tall. Both leaves and fruits emit a characteristic aroma. Roots are conical and ash-gray (grayish-white); bark is yellowish-green and smooth when young, becoming taupe (dull grayish-brown) with age. Leaf buds lack scales; young branches are slender, long and densely covered with silky pubescence. Leaves are membranous and alternate; petioles are slender and weak, 1–2 cm long; leaf blades are lanceolate or oblong-ovate, 4–11 cm long and 1.2–2.5 cm wide, with an acuminate apex and cuneate base; margins are entire; the upper surface is dark green, the lower surface is pale green; both surfaces are glabrous; venation is pinnate, with 6–10 fine, thin, prominent lateral veins per side; midrib and lateral veins protrude on both surfaces.
Ecological Environment: Litsea cubeba grows on sunny hillsides, mountain slopes, forest margins, scrublands, open forests, roadside verges, and near water bodies, at elevations of 500–3,200 m above sea level. It is native to and widely distributed across China.
Botanical Description: Piper cubeba L. is commonly known as Bì Chéng Qié. It is an evergreen climbing vine growing up to about 6 meters in length. Leaves are alternate, elliptic-ovate or ovate-oblong, with an acuminate apex and a rounded or obliquely cordate base; margins are entire, and both surfaces are smooth and glabrous.
Characteristics of the Herb: The upper portion of the fruit is subglobular (nearly spherical), 3–6 mm in diameter. The surface is dark brown to blackish brown, bearing reticulate wrinkles; an inconspicuous small stigmatic scar is present and protuberant at the apex. Occasionally, persistent calyx remnants and slender pedicels remain at the base; the pericarp at the base extends into a thin, straight pseudocarp stalk 3–7 mm long and approximately 1 mm in diameter, with longitudinal wrinkles on its surface. The exocarp and mesocarp are slightly soft; the endocarp is thin and crisp, enclosing one immature seed with two yellowish-brown, oil-rich cotyledons; some seeds are shriveled and wrinkled. The herb has a strong aromatic odor and tastes bitter, or slightly pungent and slightly bitter.
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