Plantago Seed (Che Qian Zi) (Slightly flattened triangle, brownish-brown, cross-section with grayish-white hilum, sticky when chewed, strong water absorption)

Plantago Seed (Che Qian Zi), Black Sesame, Leek Seed, Psoralea Fruit (Bu Gu Zhi) (Showing the ‘eye’)

【Naming】

Plantago Seed (Che Qian Zi)

 【Source】

Shen Nong’s Classic of Materia Medica (Ben Jing) – Top Grade

 【Common Usage Level】

B

 【Botanical Origin】

The dried ripe seeds of Plantago asiatica L. or Plantago depressa Wil1d. of the Plantaginaceae family.

 【Characteristics】

Oval or irregularly oblong, slightly flattened, 2 mm long and 1 mm wide. The surface is brownish-brown or blackish-brown. Under magnification, fine reticulate striations can be observed. The hilum is light yellow, with an oval concave fossa. The back is raised, the cross-section is grayish-white, odorless, and sticky when chewed, and the decoction is highly viscous. The two types are very similar in shape. The former, large-sized Plantago Seed (Che Qian Zi), is oblong, slightly flattened, and brownish-black, with slightly larger grains. The latter, small-sized Plantago Seed (Che Qian Zi), is flat, oblong-oval, with smaller grains and a reddish-brown color.

 【Processing】

1. Raw Plantago Seed (Che Qian Zi) 2. Salt-processed Plantago Seed (Che Qian Zi)

 【Identification】

《Ben Cao Pin Hui Jing Yao》: “The small black seeds are the best.” 《Liang Lie Jian Bie》: “Those that are heavy and sink in water are superior.”
It is best to have large grains, black color, plump seeds without shells, and a slight gloss. After adding water to the seeds and shaking for ten minutes, the seed coat will swell and become sticky (due to the mucilage content in the seed coat).

 【Identification Terminology】

1. Showing the ‘eye’: The center of the slightly convex side of the Plantago Seed (Che Qian Zi) has a small white dot, which is the hilum.
2. Phoenix-eye kernel: Refers to the “large-sized Plantago Seed (Che Qian Zi)” in the commercial Plantago Seed (Che Qian Zi). It is named because its grains are larger, oblong-shaped, and resemble a “phoenix eye”.

 【Category】

Seed Category