Chinese Gall
五倍子 · Wǔ Bèi Zǐ
Stops chronic diarrhea and excessive sweating
What it does
Chinese gall stops chronic leaks: persistent diarrhea, excessive sweating, and slow-healing bleeding from sores. In TCM, when your body keeps losing fluids you don't want to lose, an astringent botanical seals the leak. The sour, cold profile also clears lung heat that drives some chronic coughs. Modern medicine uses its tannins to bind heavy metals as a first-aid poisoning antidote.
How to take it
Decoct 3–9g of dried Chinese gall in 3 cups water for 20 minutes. Drink in 2 doses daily, short-term only. Has a strong astringent taste.
See a practitioner for chronic diarrhea or bleeding patterns
Safety
- Strongly astringent. Skip if you have acute infection, fever, or constipation
- Stomach upset and nausea can occur with high doses
- Skip during pregnancy
- Talk to your doctor before starting, especially if you take medication
Where it comes from
Chinese gall isn't a fruit or root. It's a hard nutgall formed when aphids lay eggs on a sumac tree, prompting the tree to grow a tannin-packed sphere around them. That high tannin content (up to 70%) is what gives Chinese gall its astringent grip. It's been used in TCM since the Tang Dynasty for diarrhea and bleeding, and Western chemistry industries used the same galls as a tannin source for ink and leather.