Immature bitter orange · Zhi Shi
Citrus aurantium L. · Dried immature fruit
Name and part used
Zhi Shi is immature fruit of Citrus aurantium or other Citrus sources allowed by the applicable monograph, harvested before enlargement. The evergreen tree has aromatic leaves with narrow winged petioles, white flowers, and oranges. Dried Zhi Shi is commonly a hard half-fruit or thick slice, green-brown to dark brown, with thick rind and undeveloped segments; it differs from mature tangerine peel.
Traditional context
Traditional sources describe Zhi Shi as bitter, acrid, and slightly cold, used to direct qi downward and reduce focal distention in specific patterns. It is not a weight-loss remedy or routine treatment for bloating.
Modern evidence
Sản phẩm Citrus aurantium có thể chứa synephrine; bằng chứng và nguy cơ phụ thuộc chiết xuất, lượng và thành phần phối hợp. Quả non không tương đương thực phẩm bổ sung kích thích. Không thể suy hiệu quả giảm cân từ mô tả truyền thống.
Safety
Use caution with hypertension, arrhythmia, coronary disease, hyperthyroidism, pregnancy, and stimulant/cardiac medicines. Do not combine with high-dose caffeine or unverified weight-loss products. Confirm botanical identity.
Pairing in reference texts
Zhi Shi appears in Zhi Shi Xie Bai Gui Zhi Tang with Hou Po, Xie Bai (Allium macrostemon), Gui Zhi, and Gua Lou. HKBU records 4 fruits (12 g), 12 g, 9 g, 6 g, and 1 fruit (12 g), respectively; one historical record, not self-preparation advice.
Growth and habitat
Citrus aurantium is cultivated in warm subtropical regions with deep drained soil and full sun. Young trees need regular water; established trees tolerate brief dryness but not waterlogging. Prune for airflow and pest management.
Growing, care, and harvest timing
The profile above includes sourced steps and a documented harvest window. Harvest timing is agronomic information, not a self-use instruction.
Growing and care
- Use grafted nursery stock labeled Citrus aurantium or a suitable cultivar; avoid unidentified “bitter orange.”
- Plant in full sun and drained soil at the start of rains or in a cool season; keep the root collar at grade and allow canopy space.
- Water deeply during establishment, mulch away from the trunk, and apply mature organic matter based on soil needs.
- Prune dead/crossing branches, monitor leaf miner, scale, and greening, and sanitize tools between diseased trees.
- Harvest immature fruit at the correct stage; do not borrow ripe orange harvest timing. Record date, site, and fruit development.
- Process, dry, and lot-label under materia standards; do not self-use it as a weight-loss supplement.
How long until harvest? The cultivation sources checked do not establish a universal month count for Zhi Shi; timing depends on Citrus cultivar, rootstock, climate, and maturity standard. Harvest only at the immature stage defined by the local monograph.
Documented formula pairing: Zhi Shi Xie Bai Gui Zhi Tang
HKBU describes a traditional action of unblocking yang, dissipating binds, transforming phlegm, and directing qi downward in a specific chest-bi pattern; acute chest pain is an emergency, not a self-treatment formula.
Source-recorded amounts: HKBU amounts: 4 fruits/12 g : 12 g : 9 g : 6 g : 1 fruit/12 g. Zhi Shi and Gua Lou also use fruit counts; not a personal dose.
Caution: The historical record does not assess cardiac disease, pregnancy, or medicines. Do not self-combine; chest pain or breathlessness needs medical assessment.
Open formula record ↗Documented toxic incompatibility
No source reviewed confirms a specific Zhi Shi herb pair as toxic. A concern is concentrated bitter-orange products combined with stimulants/cardiac medicines; that is not proof that a classical herb pair is always poisonous.
FROM PLANT / SOURCE HABITAT TO DRIED MATERIAL · REFERENCE WORKFLOW
- Harvest immature green fruit to regional standard before segments expand; sort healthy fruit and reject insect-damaged or bruised ones.
- Rinse briefly and halve or slice evenly under a controlled process; do not mix with mature fruit intended for Chen Pi.
- Dry on clean ventilated racks until slices are hard and dry through; control dust, mold, and pesticide residues.
- Seal against moisture and record scientific name, maturity at harvest, processing, and lot.
These are post-harvest study notes, not directions to prepare a remedy for self-treatment. Processing reference ↗
How to read formula amounts
Displayed amounts belong to the cited formula and source; they are not a general safe ratio, treatment dose, or home-decoction instruction. Do not transfer amounts to another formula or adjust them by body weight.