Herbal Textual Research on Longan Arillus in Famous Classical Formulas
10.13422/j.cnki.syfjx.20251462
- VernacularTitle:经典名方中龙眼肉的本草考证
- Author:
Yanmeng LIU
1
;
Yihan WANG
1
;
Erwei HAO
2
;
Chun YAO
2
;
Zhilai ZHAN
1
Author Information
1. State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs， National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica，China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences，Beijing 100700，China
2. Guangxi Key Laboratory of Efficacy Study on Chinese Materia Medica， Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine，Nanning 530200，China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
famous classical formulas;
Longan Arillus;
origin;
scientific name;
herbal textual research;
producing area;
harvesting and processing
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae
2026;32(1):300-309
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
This article systematically analyzed the historical evolution of the name， origin， harvesting and others of Longan Arillus by referring to the ancient and modern literature， in order to provide a foundation for developing famous classical formulas containing this herb. After textual research， it indicated that Longan Arillus was first recorded under the name of longan in Shennong Bencaojing of the Han dynasty. During the Ming and Qing dynasties， Longan Arillus gradually replaced longan as the standard name recorded in the materia medica， with additional aliases including Yizhi， Lizhinu and Yuanyan. The source of Longan Arillus used in the past dynasties was the arillus of the Sapindaceae plant Dimocarpus longan. The production regions recorded in the past dynasties were mainly Fujian， Guangdong， Guangxi， Hainan， Sichuan and others. Since the Qing dynasty， Longan Arillus produced in Fujian， Guangdong and Guangxi have been regarded as the finest and authentic varieties， with Fujian， Guangxi， and Guangdong remaining the primary authentic production areas today. In ancient times， the fruits were primarily harvested in August of the lunar calendar. However， modern longan cultivation typically involves harvesting ripe fruits during summer and autumn. Post-harvest processing involves removing moisture through sun-drying or baking before drying for medicinal use. Throughout history， processing methods have primarily focused on raw product， though techniques such as wine soaking and powdering have also been employed. Since modern times， it has been concluded that its quality is the best one with thick flesh， sweet taste， brownish-yellow color and tender texture. Longan Arillus possesses a sweet and warm nature， entering the heart and spleen meridians. Its primary functions are tonifying the heart and spleen， nourishing the blood and calming the spirit， which is consistent in ancient and modern times. Based on the textual research， it is suggested to use the arillus of D. longan when developing the famous classical formulas containing Longan Arillus. Processing methods should be selected according to the formula requirements， where no specific processing is indicated， the raw products is recommended for medicinal use.
