House of Botanicals · Buda, Texas · Est. 2015

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Herb module

Suan Zao Ren

Jujube Seed (Zizyphus Seed)Ziziphus spinosa

A small seed from the sour jujube, long used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to settle the Heart and invite restful sleep.

★ Chief herb in Sleep · KÿmaAlso inBrain + Mood · Xýlo

Suan Zao Ren is the seed kernel of the jujube, and it is one of the classic herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicine for calming the Spirit. It nourishes the Heart and Liver, which are traditionally linked to how easily we settle down and drift off at night. At Zoi it appears in Sleep | Kÿma™ and Brain + Mood | Xýlo™, where it helps steady a restless mind.

Best functions

  • Traditionally used to nourish Heart Yin and Heart Blood
  • Used to tonify Liver Blood
  • Calms the Spirit (Shen) to support restful sleep
  • Astringes sweat, used to hold in sweating that leaks out too easily
  • Generates fluids

Fascinating facts

  • The name Suan Zao Ren means "sour date seed." Suan means sour, Zao means jujube or date, and Ren means kernel.
  • The sour jujube is a thorny shrub, and its botanical name "spinosa" refers to those spines. The part used in the formula is the small seed kernel tucked inside the fruit's hard pit.
  • It has a close cousin in Zoi formulas: Da Zao, the sweet jujube fruit, which is used to tonify the Spleen and Stomach, augment Qi, nourish Blood, and calm the Spirit.
  • Studies suggest jujube seeds may increase total sleep time and help people fall asleep sooner. Research has also looked at compounds called jujubosides and how they interact with the brain's serotonin signaling.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine

Suan Zao Ren is neutral in nature with a sweet and sour flavor. It enters the Gallbladder, Heart, Liver, and Spleen meridians, and Traditional Chinese Medicine counts it among the tonic herbs.

Go deeperDownload the fact sheet on the Sleep · Kÿma page
Biomedical deep dive

Suan Zao Ren Jujube Seed (Zizyphus Seed)

From the Zoi Medicinals fact sheets’ Biomedical Details, with lines from Noa’s herb notes marked “Noa’s notes”.

On the fact sheet

  • Suan Zao Ren (Chinese Date Seed, Jujube Seed, Zizyphus spinosae) is neutral and enters the GB, HT, LIV, and SP meridians; nourishes Heart Yin, tonifies Liver Blood, calms the spirit, astringes sweat and generates fluids. · Sleep | Kÿma · Brain + Mood | Xýlo sheets

Key active constituents

  • Jujubosides, named in the cited study on jujube seed (Semen Ziziphi Spinosae) (Kyma sheet references).

Pharmacology and mechanisms

  • Jujubosides bind serotonin receptors and inhibit reuptake of serotonin (5-HT) and norepinephrine, two mood and calm messengers. Noa’s notes
  • Reduced sleep latency (time to fall asleep) in human studies. Noa’s notes

What the research says

  • Studies show jujube seeds significantly increased total sleep time (Cao et al., J Ethnopharmacol 2010).

Safety, interactions and cautions

  • Every Zoi fact sheet: do not use if pregnant or breastfeeding unless directed by your health care practitioner.
  • Caution with severe diarrhea. Noa’s notes

In these Zoi formulas

  • ★ Sleep | Kÿma (#3 on the fact sheet)
  • Brain + Mood | Xýlo (#12 on the fact sheet)

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not meant to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.