Jackfruit is a plant of the Moraceae family; its fruit, kernels, sap, and leaves are used medicinally.Among these, jackfruit (the fruit) has a sweet and slightly sour taste, is neutral in nature, and is effective in promoting saliva production, relieving restlessness, sobering up from alcohol, and invigorating the spleen; the kernel of the jackfruit (the seed) has a sweet and slightly sour taste, is neutral in nature, and is effective in tonifying qi and promoting lactation; it is primarily used to treat postpartum spleen deficiency with qi weakness, insufficient milk production, or blocked milk flow;Jackfruit sap (sap) has a bland and astringent taste and a neutral nature; it reduces swelling, disperses nodules, and has astringent and itch-relieving effects. It is primarily used to treat boils, abscesses, redness, swelling, and pain, as well as eczema;Jackfruit leaves (leaves) have the effects of promoting blood circulation, reducing swelling, detoxifying, and promoting wound healing; they are primarily used to treat contusions and bruises, sores, boils, and eczema.
Jackfruit
Jackfruit is a plant of the Moraceae family; its fruit, kernels, sap, and leaves are used medicinally.Among these, jackfruit (the fruit) has a sweet and slightly sour taste, is neutral in nature, and is effective in promoting saliva production, relieving restlessness, sobering up from alcohol, and invigorating the spleen; the kernel of the jackfruit (the seed) has a sweet and slightly sour taste, is neutral in nature, and is effective in tonifying qi and promoting lactation; it is primarily used to treat postpartum spleen deficiency with qi weakness, insufficient milk production, or blocked milk flow;Jackfruit sap (sap) has a bland and astringent taste and a neutral nature; it reduces swelling, disperses nodules, and has astringent and itch-relieving effects. It is primarily used to treat boils, abscesses, redness, swelling, and pain, as well as eczema;Jackfruit leaves (leaves) have the effects of promoting blood circulation, reducing swelling, detoxifying, and promoting wound healing; they are primarily used to treat contusions and bruises, sores, boils, and eczema.
Chinese Name : 木菠萝
Aliases : General Tree, Mobo
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Jackfruit (fruit) has a sweet and slightly sour taste and a neutral nature; the kernel of the jackfruit seed (seed kernel) has a sweet and slightly sour taste and a neutral nature; jackfruit sap (tree sap) has a bland and astringent taste and a neutral nature
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
1. Jackfruit: Promotes fluid production, relieves restlessness, alleviates hangovers, and invigorates the spleen. 2. Jackfruit seed kernel: Tonifies qi and promotes lactation. 3. Jackfruit sap: Reduces swelling, disperses nodules, astringes, and relieves itching. 4. Jackfruit leaves: Promotes blood circulation, reduces swelling, detoxifies, and promotes wound healing.
Indications
1. Jackfruit seed kernel: Primarily used to treat postpartum spleen deficiency and qi weakness, as well as insufficient lactation or blocked milk flow. 2. Jackfruit sap: Primarily used to treat boils, abscesses, redness, swelling, and pain, as well as eczema. 3. Jackfruit leaves: Primarily used to treat trauma, sores, boils, and abscesses, as well as eczema.
Usage and Dosage
1. Jackfruit: Taken internally; typically consumed raw, 50–100 g. 2. Jackfruit seed kernel: Taken internally; decocted into a soup, 60–120 g. 3. Jackfruit sap: Applied externally; use an appropriate amount of fresh sap. 4. Jackfruit leaves: Applied externally; use an appropriate amount, ground into a powder and sprinkled on the affected area or mixed into a paste for application.
Precautions
Not yet established.
Applications
Notes
Patients requiring treatment with Chinese herbal medicine should first consult a licensed Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) hospital, where a TCM practitioner will conduct a professional pattern differentiation and prescribe an herbal formula.
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
1. Jackfruit: The jackfruit tree is a species that flowers on old stems; main branches, the trunk, and even roots that have fallen to the ground can bear fruit. It typically begins to bear fruit normally after 6–8 years, with robust mother trees reaching peak fruit production around 30 years of age. Harvest when ripe; early-ripening varieties are ready in May–June, while late-ripening varieties are ready in August–September. Unripe fruits may also be harvested. Most commonly used fresh. 2. Jackfruit Seed Kernel: Harvest ripe fruits, remove the seeds, crack the seed shells to extract the kernels, and use them fresh or sun-dried. 3. Jackfruit Sap: Use a sharp tool to pierce the bark of the trunk; once milky-white resin begins to flow, collect it in a container. 4. Jackfruit Leaves: Harvest the leaves during summer and fall when the branches and foliage are lush, then sun-dry them.
Crude Drug Identification
Properties of Crude Drugs
Jackfruit Leaves: The leaves are mostly curled inward lengthwise; when flattened, they are elliptical or obovate, 7–25 cm long and 3–12 cm wide, with a blunt or short-acuminate apex, a wedge-shaped base extending slightly downward, and entire margins. The upper surface is green or gray-green with a slight sheen, while the lower surface is green or grayish-yellow with prominent reticulate veins; the midrib is prominent on both surfaces. The petiole is 2–3 cm long.Leathery and brittle. Slight odor; bland taste.
Botanical Information
Botanical Classification
A plant of the Moraceae family.
Morphological Characteristics
An evergreen tree, 8–15 m tall. The entire plant contains latex. Sometimes has buttress roots. Simple leaves, arranged spirally; petiole 1–3 cm long; stipules spathe-like, early deciduous;leaf blade thick and leathery, obovate-elliptic or obovate, 7–25 cm long, 3–12 cm wide, apex obtuse and briefly acuminate, base cuneate and slightly extended downward, entire or 3-lobed (on sprouting or young branches), upper surface dark green and glossy, lower surface pale green and slightly rough.Flowers are unisexual; the plant is dioecious. Male inflorescences are terminal or axillary, cylindrical, 5–8 cm long, 2.5 cm in diameter, and enclosed within the stipules when young; the perianth of male flowers is 2-lobed with blunt lobes, and there is a single stamen. Female inflorescences are cylindrical or oblong, arising from spherical receptacles on the trunk or main branches;the perianth of the female flowers is tubular and hexagonal, with the style lateral. The aggregate fruit is oblong, elliptical, or obovate, measuring 25–60 cm long and 25–50 cm wide when mature; large fruits can weigh up to 20 kg. It is yellowish-green with hexagonal, tuberculate protrusions on the surface and contains numerous yellow, fleshy perianth segments; the fruit stalk is stout, 5–10 cm long;The achenes are oblong, approximately 3 cm long and 1.5–2 cm wide. Flowering occurs in spring and summer; fruiting occurs in summer and fall.
Distribution Area
Native to tropical regions; cultivated in Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, and Yunnan.
Growth Habits
It thrives in tropical climates and is best suited to frost-free regions with abundant annual rainfall. It prefers full sun, grows rapidly, and is somewhat shade-tolerant when young; it thrives in deep, fertile soil and does not tolerate waterlogging.
Propagation Methods
Propagated by seeds or layering.
Cultivation Techniques
1. Seed Propagation: Select seeds from healthy, disease- and pest-free, high-quality mother trees that are 25–40 years old. The seeds do not store well and retain viability for only about one month. Soak the seeds for 12–14 hours before sowing, then germinate them on a sand bed; germination begins in about 5–7 days, after which the seedlings can be transplanted in batches. Provide appropriate shade during the growing period to prevent sunscald.Container-grown seedlings are raised in large plastic bags or bamboo baskets and transplanted from the nursery once they reach 30 cm in height.
2. Layering Propagation: High-branch layering is performed in the spring. Select vigorous two-year-old branches; first, make a ring-shaped incision around the bark. Then, use a mixture of coconut coir and rice husk ash soaked in water at a 1:1 ratio to thoroughly moisten the substrate. Wrap the ring-peeled area tightly with plastic film and pack it firmly.Roots will begin to form in about 20 days. Once 2–3 tiers of roots have developed, sever the cutting from the parent plant, remove the plastic wrap, and transplant it into a bamboo basket. Cultivate in a shaded area; it is best to transplant before new shoots emerge. For fruit trees, the row and plant spacing should be 8–12 m each; for trees used for both fruit and timber, the spacing should be 5–6 m for both.