Malva Nut (Pang Da Hai) (Similar to olive, full of wrinkles, dark brown luster, light and loose, expands 8 times into a sponge-like mass when immersed in water)
[Naming]
[Source]
Gang Mu Shi Yi (Supplement to Compendium of Materia Medica)
[Common Use Degree]
D
[Botanical Origin]
The dried ripe seeds of Sterculia scaphigera Wall. of the Sterculiaceae family.
[Characteristics]
Elliptical in shape, similar to olives, with a blunt rounded apex and a slightly pointed base, 2~3cm long and 1~1.5cm in diameter. The surface is brown with a slight luster and fine, dense, irregular wrinkles. The outer seed coat is light and loose, easily peeled off, and swells into a sponge-like mass when exposed to water, expanding to more than 4 times its original volume. The inner seed coat is reddish-brown to brownish-black, with a yellowish-white round spot at the apex, where the endosperm and thin cotyledons can be seen. The endosperm is thick, forming two pieces, and the two cotyledons are thin and large, closely attached to the endosperm. It has no odor and is sticky when chewed for a long time.
[Identification]
The best quality ones are large, firm, heavy, with a fine, light yellowish-brown outer skin, fine wrinkles and luster, not cracked, free of insects, and swell greatly in water.
[Category]
Fruits