Above: the not very photogenic Jue Ming Zi. Looks kind of like poop, and it'll help you go, too!
Today I took my herb of the day, Jue Ming Zi (Cassia seed), with me and my friend Anuj (the birder) to Sunol Regional Park. I let Anuj know that throughout the course of the day he would probably be getting to know Jue Ming Zi as well since I would be conferring with it often. I was hoping I could convince him to try some, so I went through the list of indications to see if Anuj would be a good candidate. I started with the questions as we drove down 580 at the crack of dawn in an old borrowed Toyota Corolla that belongs to the Bulgarians who live down the street from Anuj:
Me: Are you constipated?
Anuj: Um. No.
Me: Hm.
Anuj: The birding is really good at Sunol.
Me: Do you have high blood pressure?
Anuj: Um. No.
Me: Hm.
Anuj: I've been there twice before. They have a lot of nesting birds.
Me: Oh, fun....How's your cholesterol?
Anuj: I don't know. I should get it checked.
Me: Yeah, you should...have you been overly hot and irritable lately?
Anuj: No! I've been really happy! (giggling)
Me: Hm.
(Anuj begins singing a song made up by his father)
Me: Let me see your eyes. Are they red?
(Borrowed car swerves as Anuj looks at me with very clear, wide open eyes)
Me: Nope. They look good. I don't think you have wind heat in the liver or errant liver yang.
Anuj: What's that?
I explain and we both decide that Jue Ming Zi is definitely not the right herb for Anuj. So I reach into the bag myself and bite on one of the little brown, moist-looking, cylindrical seeds.
Me: "Ew! They're not kidding. Those ARE bitter. Hm. And a little salty, but I don't taste the sweet."
Anuj: What's the name of the plant they come from again?
Me: Cassia.
Anuj: Caaasssia. That's a pretty name.
Anuj begins singing a Cassia seed song that he has just made up and then points out a Turkey Vulture in the sky as we almost swerve off the road again. I make him a deal that I will put the herbs away if he waits til we get to the park before he starts birding. Deal. Sort of. I keep looking at my herb, but quietly, and he tries to bird without driving off the highway. We both miss the signs signaling the exit for Sunol. Following the brief detour we arrive at Sunol, spot thirty-two species of birds (plus one deer, a cat, lots of coyote poop--pretty dry poop, I might add. A candidate perhaps, for Jue Ming Zi?--and many lizards).
Once at home I read into Jue Ming Zi a little more and find it is compared to Qing Xiang Zi (the herb I wrote about on Thursday) because they are both heat clearing herbs that help red eyes. Turns out that Jue Ming Zi is more nourishing -- it does go to the Kidney and Large Intestine channels, in addition to the Liver channel -- than Qing Xiang Zi. Looking at the physical appearance of both herbs, this makes sense. Jue Ming Zi is plumper and moister looking than the granular little Qing Xiang seeds. But Qing Xiang can dilate the pupils, a superhero trick not in Jue Ming Zi's repertoire.
They grow in pods, like peas, from a pretty plant that flowers:
Interesting factoid is that one website claims Jue Ming Zi can be used as a substitute for coffee. It kind of looks like coffee, too.
Here is another usage I found for Cassia Seed -- The Cassia Seed pillow!
Cassia Seed Pillows of Healthy Series Eyesight-Improving Pillows -- The Cassia Seed Pillows are stuffed with cassia seeds and other yin-natured Chinese herbs, which are refined with special techniques. It is recorded in Chinese Materia Medica that cassia seeds can improve eyesight, calm the nerves, rectify heat, refresh the brain, clear the liver, tonify the kidneys, decrease the blood pressure, open the bowels, and lose weight. The beads on the surface massage the head, improving the blood circulation of the head and reinforcing memory. The Cassia Seed Pillows are cool in summer, but warm in winter. The unique design of socket structure offers high air permeability, improves the support to the neck, and protects the cervical vertebrae. Buckwheat husk, middle hollow cotton and other fillings are filled in the double layered pillows. Special notes: Cassia seeds are widely used in physical therapies, such as reducing blood pressure, opening the bowels, and losing weight. In addition, the peculiar quality of coolness guarantees the comfortable use in summer, which suits the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
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