Immature Tangerine Fruit

Primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Sichuan.

Si hua qing pi: 4 separated lobes, the lobes are a long oval shape, 4~6cm long, 0.1~0.2cm thick. Outer surface is grayish-green or black-green, dense with numerous oil ducts; inner surface is off-white or yellowish-white, rough, with yellowish-white or yellowish-brown small veins. Slightly hard texture, easily broken, fractured surface edge has 1~2 rows of oil ducts. Aromatic odor, bitter and acrid taste. Ge qing pi: sub-spherical, 0.5~2cm diameter. Externally grayish-green or black-green, slightly rough, with dense indented oil ducts, apex has raised style base, base has round fruit stem scar. Hard texture, fractured surface is yellowish-white or pale yellowish-brown, 0.1~0.2cm thick, edge has 1~2 rows of oil ducts. 8~10 flesh pieces, pale brown. Clear aromatic odor, sour, bitter, acrid taste.

Superior medicinal material of si hua qing pi has green outer skin, white inner surface, thick skin, potent aroma. Ge qing pi has even pieces, black-green outer skin, hard texture, heavy, thick flesh, little pulp, potent aroma.

Bitter, acrid, warm

Courses liver, breaks qi, eliminates stagnation, resolves stasis. Apply to chest and flank and abdominal fullness and pain, acute mastitis, colic, food stagnation and qi stasis.

Fried qing pi: Fry with brans and slow fire, till turned slightly burnt-yellow, take out, remove the brans out and cool. Moderates the nature of breaking qi, and harmonized stomach. Vinegar qing pi: 100kg qing pi pieces, stir with 15kg rice vinegar, and covered for a while, fry with very slow fire till slight yellow and produce aromatic odor, spread out and cool; take drug into liver, promotes comforting liver and breaking qi, stopping pain. Qing pi charcoal: fry qing pi pieces with fast fire till burnt-black, take out. Promotes the effect of digesting and resolves stasis, harmonizing stomach and stopping diarrhea. Wine qing pi: use yellow wine as associated material, fry the same way as above; promotes the nature of acrid and emission of qi.