What Are the Medical Uses of Jujube Fruit?
Native to China, the jujube plant now grows in locations throughout the world that include the Middle East, North Africa, southern Europe and the southwestern United States. The jujube plant produces jujube fruit, which are berries that have similar properties to figs, dates and raisins. The plant’s fruit has been used as an herbal remedy for more than 2,000 years in traditional Chinese medicine. Today the fruit is still used in Chinese and Korean medicine and is continually being researched in the West. Jujube fruit has been most frequently used as a demulcent, which is a substance that soothes inflamed or injured skin. In addition to treating boils, sores and scrapes, jujube helps to treat internal soreness and inflammation. Extractions and paste made from the fruit commonly appear in cough drops and sore throat lozenges. Additionally, soothing teas are made from the fruit.
