Properties: Sweet, warm

Meridans Entered:
Primary: Kidney, Liver and Large Intestine
Extraordinary Vessels: Chong

1. Tonifies the Kidneys, replenishes Jing and strengthens the back and knees
   Kidney Yang Deficiency with a Cold and painful back and knees and urinary frequency
   Kidney Jing Deficiency
2. Warms and astringes the Lungs, resolves cold Phlegm, arrests wheezing and helps the Kidneys grasp Qi
   Lung and Kidney Deficiencies with chronic cough and wheezing that worsens with any exertion
   Kidney unable to grasp Lung Qi
3. Moistens the Intestines and unblocks the bowels
   Constipation from Deficient Fluids and Blood
   Constipation in the elderly
   Constipation due to injured Fluids following a febrile disorder

Suggested Daily Dosage: 10-30g in decoction, crushed and formed into pills, soaked in wine, or eaten as food. See notes below on the effects of different extractions.

Cautions: It is contraindicated in cases of yin deficiency with effulgent fire, cough and loose stool due to phlegm-heat.

• Juglone
  Toxic naphthoquinone and isomer of lawsone, the staining compound in henna leaf. It stunts the growth of other plants nearby by inhibiting certain enzymes necessary for mitochondrial respiration. It is used as a herbicide, a food colouring, preservative and dye for cloth, inks and cosmetics. Medicinally it is used for its antibacterial and antifungal properties and being researched a potential cytotoxic and antineoplastic agent in cancer treatments. It has far higher concentrations in the pellicle (the thin, brown skin surrounding the kernel), than in the kernel itself, by as much as 27 times (Colaric et al., 2005)
• Tocopherol
  Phenolic compound known as vitamin E with strong antioxidant activities and present in many nuts and seeds.
• Alpha Linolenic Acid
  A polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid that constitutes ~9g per 100g, or ~2.7g per 30g serving, making walnuts the richest commonly consumed tree nut source of plant-based omega-3s.
• Linoleic Acid
  A polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid that constitutes ~38g per 100g, or ~11.4g per 30g serving. This makes it a 4:1 ratio with omega-3 which is exceptional among seeds and nuts.
• Gallic Acid
  Phenolic acid with powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
• Catechin
  Flavonoid acid with powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cardioprotective properties.
• Pedunculagin
  Ellagitannin with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and potential anti-tumor properties. Found in higher concentration in the pellicle which gives this part its astringent taste.

Notes:

Several studies have investigated the longevity enhancing effects of walnuts, finding that, on average, 5 servings of walnuts per week reduced the risk of all cause and cardiovascular disease mortality by 14%, increasing the overall life expectancy by 1.3 years in women and 1.26 years in men (Liu et al., 2021). Another study observed that consuming walnuts at least once per week was associated with 19% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, 21% lower risk of coronary heart disease and 17% lower risk of stroke (Guasch-Ferré et al., 2017). This is suspected to be due to their high omega-3 fatty acid content which can reduce LDL cholesterol and improve cardiovascular health (Rajaram et al., 2021), and their high polyphenol content which may prevent cancer (Guasch-Ferré et al., 2016).

These effects may be limited in a standard water decoction since these oils will not naturally be water soluble. Instead, traditional recipes like Qing E Wan administer it in a pill form, where the entire nutritional content of the nut can be delivered. When a liquid form is desired, it is often extracted in alcohol that has a far higher affinity for these compounds. Therefore pills, dietary therapy or wines are far more effective if treating cardiovascular disease or constipation.

In traditional decoctions, such as Ren Shen Hu Tao Tang, the oil content will not be extracted making its effects on constipation and cardiovascular disorders limited, but instead the polyphenol content, including phenolic acids, flavonoids and tannins (Ali & Zeb et al., 2024), are being targeted to reduce chronic inflammation. This formula is specifically aimed at assisting the Kidneys to grasp the Lung qi in cases of chronic wheezing and shortness of breath, which would equate to COPD in modern medical terms, a condition characterised by chronic inflammation of the airways.