Chinese Herbalism
Walnut
Juglans regia
Also known as English walnut, Persian walnut, common walnut, hu tao ren, he tao ren, hú táo rén, hé táo rén.
Juglans regia is the Persian or English walnut, a stately deciduous tree native from the Balkans through the Caucasus and Himalaya to western China and now planted across every temperate region for its nuts. Chinese medicine uses the kernel, hu tao ren, as a warm, sweet tonic to the kidney and lung, while Western herbal medicine values the leaf and the green outer hull of the fruit as astringent, antifungal remedies for the skin and gut. This single tree therefore carries two quite different materia medica entries, one nourishing and one drying, and they are treated separately below.
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Indications what the tradition reached for it in
- Kidney yang deficiency lumbar pain with weak knees
- Frequent urination and nocturia of kidney deficiency
- Chronic wheezing and cough of lung and kidney deficiency
- Constipation of the elderly or after illness with dry stool
- Impotence and seminal loss with cold signs (adjunct)
- Hyperlipidemia and cardiovascular risk (kernel as food)
- Type 2 diabetes, adjunct to glycemic control (leaf)
- Eczema and mild inflammatory skin conditions (leaf, topical)
- Excessive sweating of the hands and feet (leaf, topical)
- Tinea and fungal skin infections (leaf, hull, topical)
- Minor wounds, sores and acne (leaf, topical)
- Intestinal parasites (hull, traditional)
Specific indications
An older patient with a cold aching low back, weak knees, nocturia and hard dry stools, where warming the kidney and moistening the bowel with one food-like herb suits them better than a harsher formula
Chronic asthmatic wheeze in a thin elderly person that worsens with exertion and cold, with a deep weak pulse, given with ginseng or with psoralea and ginger
Weeping eczema or sweaty, macerated feet treated with a strong leaf decoction as a wash or footbath
Safety
The record lists 11 contraindications; open the plate in the library to read them in full.
In practice
Kernel (hu tao ren): the pharmacopoeial range is 6 to 9 g in decoction, though as a food-grade tonic 15 to 30 g of kernels daily is a sensible upper limit. For kidney deficiency lumbago it joins eucommia and psoralea (bu gu zhi) as in Qing E Wan; for cold deficient wheezing in the elderly it is combined with ginseng in Ren Shen Hu Tao Tang, or with psoralea and fresh ginger; for dry constipation it works well with cistanche, hemp seed and cooked rehmannia.
In Chinese medicine
Temperature: warm. Taste: sweet. Channels: Kidney, Lung, Large Intestine. Actions: Tonifies the kidney and strengthens the lower back and knees; Warms the lung and settles cold deficiency wheezing and cough; Moistens the intestines and eases dry constipation.
Dosing as the sources wrote it
| Preparation | As written | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Kernel, decoction or eaten (hu tao ren) | 6-9 g dried kernel daily | 6000-9000 mg |
| Kernel, food-grade tonic | 15-30 g kernels daily | 15000-30000 mg |
| Leaf infusion (internal) | 2-3 g dried leaf in 150 mL water two to three times daily | 2000-3000 mg |
| Leaf decoction (external wash or footbath) | 5-10 g dried leaf in 250 mL water applied twice daily | 5000-10000 mg |
| Leaf tincture (1:5, 25%) | 2-4 mL three times daily | 2-4 mL |
| Green hull tincture (1:5, 45%) | 1-2 mL three times daily for up to two weeks | 1-2 mL |
Doses are reproduced from the sources for practitioners and are not a recommendation for any person.
From the sources
Overview. Juglans regia is the Persian or English walnut, a stately deciduous tree native from the Balkans through the Caucasus and Himalaya to western China and now planted across every temperate region for its nuts. Chinese medicine uses the kernel, hu tao ren, as a warm, sweet tonic to the kidney and lung, while Western herbal medicine values the leaf and the green outer hull of the fruit as astringent, antifungal remedies for the skin and gut. This single tree therefore carries two quite different materia medica entries, one nourishing and one drying, and they are treated separately below.
Clinical Notes. Kernel (hu tao ren): the pharmacopoeial range is 6 to 9 g in decoction, though as a food-grade tonic 15 to 30 g of kernels daily is a sensible upper limit. For kidney deficiency lumbago it joins eucommia and psoralea (bu gu zhi) as in Qing E Wan; for cold deficient wheezing in the elderly it is combined with ginseng in Ren Shen Hu Tao Tang, or with psoralea and fresh ginger; for dry constipation it works well with cistanche, hemp seed and cooked rehmannia.
Chinese Medicine Profile. Temperature: warm. Taste: sweet. Channels: Kidney, Lung, Large Intestine. Actions: Tonifies the kidney and strengthens the lower back and knees; Warms the lung and settles cold deficiency wheezing and cough; Moistens the intestines and eases dry constipation.
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