What it is:
This herb is the pulp of the ripe fruit of Cornus officinalis Sieb. etZucc. (family Cor-naceae), which isproduced mainly in Zhejiang, Anhui, Henan and Shanxi provinces. After collection in the late autumn, the fruit is baked over slow fire or scaldedslightly in boilingwater, and then driedin the sun or baked dry for use after removal of the fruitstone.

Property:
Sour in flavour, slightly warm in property, acting on the liver and kidneychannels.

Effects:
Nouri-shing the liverand kidney and inducing astringencyto arrestincessantand excessiveloss of the body fluid.

Used for:
1. For syndromesof deficiency of both the liver and kidney marked by dizziness, lassitudeof the loins and knees, impotence,seminal emission,froguent urination, enuresis, etc. Incase the above symptoms are due to deficiency ofboth the liver- yin and kidney-yin, dogwood fruit is often prescribed with prepared rehmannia root and chinese yam,as in Rehmannia Bolus of Six Ingredients ( Liuwei Dihuang Wan) ; in cases they are due to deficiency of the kidney-yang, itcan be used with psoraleafruit and chinese angelica root,as in Pill for Treating Deficiency of Both the Liver and Kidney (Caohuan Dan); for incontinence of urination, it canbe used with mantis egg-case, raspberry,bitter cardamon and flatstem milkvetch seed.

2. For incessanthidrorrhea and severedebility with impending collapse, it is often used along withginseng, lateral root of aconite, dragon's bone and oyster shell.

3. To treatmetro-rrhagia, metrostaxisand menorrhagia, itcan be used with cuttle-bone, carboni-zed rubia root, carbonized petiole of windmill palm,etc.,as in Decoction forReinforcing Chong Channel (Guchong Tang).

Dosage and admi-nistration: 5- 10g, 30g in large dosage,decocted in water for and oral dose.

Precautions:
Dogwood fruit is warm and nourishing in property and can induceastringency, so it should not be used in cases of hyperactivity of the liver-yang, or constitutionof damp-heat or difficulty in micturition.