Wrapped in Red

Jujube, also known as large date, has been praised in Wang Anshi's poem "Fu Zao" with lines like “Wind-wrapped in red silk, daily pearls crease red jade.” Jujubes symbolize auspiciousness and happiness, making them a must-have at ceremonial events. For example, placing jujubes and peanuts on newlyweds' beds suggests an early birth of a noble child.In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) prescriptions, jujube is one of the most commonly used herbs that can also be consumed as food. TCM believes that jujube has a sweet taste and warm nature, targeting the spleen, stomach, and heart meridians. It is effective for tonifying the middle energizer, nourishing blood, and calming the spirit, often used to treat conditions such as spleen and stomach weakness, deficiency of qi and blood, poor appetite and loose stools, fatigue and weariness, palpitations and insomnia, women’s emotional distress, and disharmony between nutritive and defensive qi. The herb can be effective when used alone, as seen in the formula from "Zhengzhi Zhunsheng" which treats emotional distress by burning jujubes to retain their properties and then brewing them with rice water. Emotional distress is often related to insufficient yin in the heart and excessive heart fire, as well as insufficiency of…