Pomegranate Peel

Aliases: pomegranate rind, sour pomegranate skin, sour rind skin, western pomegranate rind, alkaline sour pomegranate acid shell.

Taste and property: sour and astringent; warm in nature.

Meridian: enters the Large Intestine meridian.

Medicinal part: dried pericarp of Pomegranate (the pomegranate tree fruit rind).

Morphology: irregular sheet- or scoop-shaped pieces, 1.5–3 mm thick. Exterior is red-brown to yellow-brown, slightly shiny, rough with numerous nodules; some pieces have conical calyx remnant or short pedicel. Interior is yellow or red-brown with raised net-like remains of the fruit-stem. Hard and brittle; fracture is yellow and somewhat granular. Light aroma; bitter and astringent taste.

Usage and dosage

Dosage: 3–9 g.

Preparation: use clean pomegranate peel pieces; stir-fry using carbonization method until the surface is black-yellow and the interior brownish. The prepared product resembles threads or chunks of pomegranate peel, surface black-yellow, interior brown.

Effects and indications

Effects: astringes the intestines to stop diarrhea, stops bleeding, expels parasites.

Main indications: for chronic diarrhea, dysentery, bloody stools, prolapse, metrorrhagia, leukorrhea, parasite-related abdominal pain.

Herbal combinations

1) For prolapse: pomegranate peel + old wall soil, a pinch of alum; simmer to concentrate and soak or wash, then add myrobalan powder (five-to-one ratio) ground and applied as a paste to support the prolapse. (Medical Treatise Compendium)

2) For psoriasis: pomegranate peel (charred) ground to powder 1 part, sesame oil 2 parts; mix into a paste. Shake the oil before use. Apply with a brush to affected areas twice daily. (National Exhibition Materials of New Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapies)

3) For stubborn frostbite: pomegranate peel + winter melon rind + sugarcane rind; burn to ash, pulverize, and apply as a paste. (Herbal Compendium)

Classical notes

The Herbal Compendium states: “Pomegranate peel is a drug that tightens the intestines and stops diarrhea. It treats chronic diarrhea with loose stools, and various gynecological issues such as excessive bleeding and discharge; it also helps expel roundworms. The emphasis is on sour, astringent properties that contract and stop intestinal discharge, analogous to Hami or Papaver (poppy shell).”

Editor: Wu Zidai