Knowledge Base/Herbs/Tsao-ko Fruit
Educational and cultural reference only — not medical advice. We do not diagnose, do not prescribe, do not recommend medicines or doses, and make no claim to treat or cure any condition. Nothing here should delay you from seeking care. If you have a health concern, consult a licensed healthcare professional.
化湿药 · Aromatic damp-resolving

Tsao-ko Fruit cǎo guǒ · 草果

Amomum tsao-ko (fruit)

Nature and flavour. Pungent, warm; Spleen and Stomach systems.

Classically grouped with the aromatics that dry damp and warm the middle, and it is the warmest and most drying of the amomum fruits in ordinary use. Traditional texts also place it among the herbs used for malarial-type intermittent fevers; that is a statement about what the literature records, not a claim of benefit. In the kitchen it is one of the spices of Sichuan hotpot and of dark braises.

性味归经。辛，温；归脾、胃经。

传统上列入燥湿温中一类，是常用豆蔻属果实中温燥之性较强者。古典文献亦将其归于治疟（往来寒热一类）药之中——此为文献所载，并非疗效承诺。烹饪中为川味火锅与红烧卤味的常用香料之一。

Classical category · no formulas, no dosages, no herb-drug combinations are given.
Safety. Low risk in the small amounts used in cooking. Being warmer and more drying than the other amomum fruits, it is classically avoided in pregnancy, and where there is heat, thirst or depleted fluid. Anyone with a stomach or bowel condition should ask a qualified professional before using it as a medicine rather than as a seasoning. The actions recorded in the traditional literature are not established by modern research, and no amount is given here.

烹饪小量使用一般认为风险低。其性较其他豆蔻类更温燥，故孕妇不宜，热证、口渴、阴液不足者不宜。有胃肠疾患者若作药用（而非调味），应先咨询合格专业人员。传统文献所载作用未经现代研究证实；本条不列用量。

← PreviousRound Cardamom 白豆蔻Next →Rice-paper Plant Pith 通草

Other Aromatic damp-resolving herbs

5 related entries.

Eupatorium herb佩兰Magnolia bark厚朴Atractylodes lancea rhizome苍术Amomum Fruit砂仁Round Cardamom白豆蔻

← All Herbs entries