Pharmaceutical Name:

Semen Armeniacae

Botanical Name:

Prunus armeniaca L. var. ansu Maxim.
Prunus mandshurica (Maxim.) Koehne
Prunus sibirica L.

Common Name:

Apricot seed
Bitter Apricot seed or kernel 

Source of Earliest Record:

Shennong Bencao Jing

Part Used & Method for Pharmaceutical Preparations:

The seeds are collected after the apricot ripens in summer.  They are then dried in the sun and pounded into pieces.

Properties and Taste:

Bitter, slightly warm and slightly toxic.

Meridians:

Lung and large intestine

Functions:

To stop cough and relieve asthma, stop wheezing
To moisten the intestines and move stool

Indications and Combinations:

1.     Cough and asthma:

a)       Cough due to invasion by exogenous pathogenic wind and heat.
*Use with Mulberry leaf (Sang ye) and Chrysanthemum flower (Ju hua) in the formula Sang Ju Yin.

b)       Cough due to dysfunction of the lungs caused by dryness and heat.
*Use with Mulberry leaf (Sang ye), Tendrilled fritillary bulb (Chuan bei mu) and Glehnia root (Sha shen) in the formula Sang Xing Tang.  

c)       Cough and asthma due to accumulated heat in the lungs.
*Use with Gypsum (Shi gao) and Ephedra (Ma huang) in the formula Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang.  

2.      Constipation due to dryness in the intestines.
*Use with Hemp seed (Huo ma ren) and Chinese angelica root (Dang gui) in the formula Runchang Wan.

Dosage:

3-10 g

Cautions:

This herb is slightly toxic, so overdosing should be avoided.  It should be used with caution in infants.