Mume Fruit (Wu Mei)

Chinese Bulk Herbs – Mume (Wu Mei)

Mume Plum Fruit or Wu Mei is use as an astringency to the lungs and stop coughs, to restrain the intestines and stop diarrhea, and to promote the production of body fluids. Wu Mei will also expel roundworms.

Clinical Use (Chinese):
Astringes the Lung and Intestine, promotes the production of Fluids, and alleviates colic caused by ascariasis.

Latin Name:
Prunus mume

Chinese Name:
Wu Mei

Common Names:
Mume, Black Plum, Chinese plum, Japanese plum, Japanese apricot

Parts Used:
Smoked unripe fruit

Properties:
Sour in flavor, neutral in property, acts on the Liver, Spleen, Lung, and Large Intestine channels.

Cautions:
Mume Fruit Plum should not be taken by pregnant women or people with sensitive skin. It may cause allergic skin reactions in some people.

Folk Lore:
“The interesting thing about Wu Mei or more commonly called Mume Plum, is its fruits are poisonous when green on the tree, but when processed, become safe for use as food and medicine. Unripe, they contain large amounts of cyanic acid. The ancient Japanese invented a method detoxifying the fruits and have been rendering them fit for consumption for hundreds of years. The process is time consuming, but with all that knowledge, the fruit is well worth the work. The fruit is pickled with salt and afterward dried in the summer sun. They are then pickled a second time with Shiso leaves and finished off with one more session in the sun. The result is something called Umeboshi.

People in the past knew aged Umeboshi was a powerful disinfectant. As a result, they put Umeboshi in steamed rice to prevent food poisoning. Not only did Umeboshi prevent food poisoning, its very sour taste stimulated the taste buds and thereby increased appetite and promoted digestion.

Though seen as being a booster of general well being, for the most part, ume fruits are used to improve the health of the digestive tract. It is used to normalize digestive function, from poor digestive juice secretion to excessive acid production. Not surprisingly, due to its intense popularity, it has been studied extensively in the lab.” Doctor Schar

*Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

**This information is provided to assist trained practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine with selection of products. If you are not familiar with these formulas or concepts please consult an acupuncturist or herbal practitioner trained in the use of Chinese herbs or refer to more in-depth reference materials. Chinese herbal remedies are meant to improve health and function, not act as a substitute for medical care.