Li Zhi He (荔枝核) — Lychee Seed | TCM Herb Guide
Key Takeaways
- Nature: Warm | Taste: Slightly Bitter, Sweet
- Category: Herbs that Regulate Qi
- Latin: Litchi chinensis seed
At a Glance
- Herb: Li Zhi He
- Chinese name: 荔枝核 (Lì Zhī Hé)
- Latin name: Litchi chinensis seed
- Nature: Warm
- Taste: Sweet / Slightly Bitter
- Meridian: Liver / Stomach
- Category: Herbs that Regulate Qi
- Introduction: Li Zhi He (荔枝核), Semen Litchi, is the dried seed of Litchi chinensis, the lychee fruit. In TCM it moves qi and disperses cold, relieves pain — particularly for cold hernia, cold-type orchitis with testicular swelling and pain, and epigastric pain from liver qi invading the stomach. Its flavonoids and saponins exhibit analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and hypoglycemic effects in modern research.
Action
- Moves qi and disperses cold
- Relieves pain (especially lower abdominal and testicular)
- Harmonizes liver qi and relieves epigastric pain
- Mildly reduces blood sugar
Clinical Application
- Cold hernia: lower abdominal pain, testicular swelling and pain from cold — combines with Xiao Hui Xiang, Wu Yao, Ju He
- Epigastric pain from liver qi invading stomach — combines with Mu Xiang, Yan Hu Suo, Xiang Fu
- Dysmenorrhea from cold-qi stagnation — combines with Xiang Fu, Ai Ye, Dang Gui
- Diabetes (xiao ke) with qi stagnation — used alone or combines with Huang Lian
Precautions
- Dosage: 5–10 g in decoction; crush before decocting
- Contraindicated in heat-type pain or yin deficiency with heat
- Avoid in patients with no cold signs — warming dispersing may aggravate heat patterns
- Use with caution in pregnancy
- Often charred (炒) before use to enhance warming and analgesic effect
Formula
- Li Zhi He San (荔枝核散): Li Zhi He, Xiao Hui Xiang — moves qi, warms channels, relieves hernia pain; classic two-herb combination
- Ju He Wan (橘核丸): Li Zhi He, Ju He, Hai Zao, Kun Bu, Chuan Lian Zi, Tao Ren, Mu Xiang, Hou Po, Mu Tong, Yan Hu Suo, Gui Zhi — moves qi, softens hardness, relieves cold hernia
- Li Zhi He + Mu Xiang (equal parts powder): classic simple formula for stomach and abdominal pain from qi stagnation
Combinations
- 小茴香 (Xiǎo Huí Xiāng) + 吴茱萸 (Wú Zhū Yú) — cold hernia with testicular pain and swelling (疝气要药). 2. 橘核 (Jú Hé) — cold hernia pain and testicular swelling; classic pair for 疝气. 3. 香附 (Xiāng Fù) — liver qi stagnation causing epigastric and lower abdominal pain. 4. 延胡索 (Yán Hú Suǒ) — strong pain-relieving combination for abdominal cold-stasis pain. 5. 川楝子 (Chuān Liàn Zǐ) — hernia pain with heat signs (荔枝核偏温，川楝子偏凉，相须). Source: 本草纲目, 景岳全书.
Pharmacological Effects
- Analgesic: saponins modulate opioid and trpv1 receptors; effective for visceral cold-type pain in hernia models. antidiabetic: mcpg inhibits fatty acid β-oxidation; processed seed
- 炒用) safe at therapeutic doses. Anti-inflammatory: gallic acid and ellagic acid inhibit NF-κB and COX-2. Antitumor: litchinoside saponins induce apoptosis in HepG2 liver and MCF-7 breast cancer. Antiviral: procyanidins inhibit HIV-1 protease. Hypoglycemic caution: raw seed consumption in children associated with acute hypoglycemia (荔枝病
- cooked/processed form is safe.
Classic Description
- Ben Cao Yan Yi (《本草衍义》): ‘Treats Heart pain and Small Intestine qi.’
- Ben Cao Gang Mu (《本草纲目》): ‘Lychee Seed moves and disperses stagnant qi; treats running piglet qi, cold hernia pain, and blood-qi stabbing pain in women — all taken with wine.’
- Ben Cao Bei Yao (《本草备要》): ‘Acrid and warm; enters the Liver and Kidney; disperses stagnant qi, repels cold pathogen; treats epigastric pain, blood-qi pain in women, and hernia qi.’