Sang Shen (Mulberry Fruit Spike, Morus Fruit)

Chinese Herb Actions

Chinese Herb Dosage

• What is the typical dosage of Sang Shen?

  9–15 g in decoction. As a food-grade fruit it is also taken in larger amounts as fresh fruit, expressed juice, or a honey-cooked syrup (Sang Shen Gao) for dryness, thirst, and constipation.

  Source: standard materia medica ranges, cross-checked. Reference only — not a prescription.

Chinese Herb Contraindications & Cautions

• Are there cautions or contraindications for Sang Shen?

  Because Sang Shen is cold and moistening, it is traditionally contraindicated in Spleen and Stomach deficiency-cold with loose stools or diarrhea. Use it with care where digestion is weak and cold. It is otherwise a gentle, food-grade fruit and is well tolerated.

  Source: standard materia medica cautions, cross-checked. Not medical advice.

Chinese Herb Toxicity & Overdose

• Very low. The mulberry fruit is a food consumed worldwide and no significant toxicity is reported at normal culinary or therapeutic doses.

  Source: materia medica consensus; the fruit’s long dietary use. No toxicity signal in the reviewed research.

Herb-Drug Interactions

• No well-established clinical herb–drug interactions are documented for the mulberry fruit. Laboratory research reports hypoglycemic (blood-sugar-lowering) activity for Morus alba, so practitioner caution alongside antidiabetic medication is reasonable. (Flagged for practitioner confirmation — absence of documented interactions is not proof of safety, and most blood-sugar data concern the leaf rather than the fruit.)

Western / Biomedical Research

Chinese Herb Clinical Studies & Research

Provided as research context — a summary of published biomedical study, not a therapeutic or medical claim.

• Is there modern research on mulberry fruit (Sang Shen, Fructus Mori)?

  Yes, though most is preclinical. Reviews of Fructus Mori and Morus alba catalog flavonoids, phenolic acids, alkaloids, and polysaccharides with reported antioxidant, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, and hypoglycemic activity. A 2023 study found mulberry-fruit extract accelerated intestinal transit and enhanced gut motility in animal and human tissue models — a possible correlate of its traditional intestine-moistening use. Human clinical evidence remains limited.

  Sources: PubMed 38279750 (Fructus mori updated review, 2025); PubMed 36877269 (Morus alba phytochemical & pharmacological review, 2023); PubMed 37111108 (prokinetic activity of mulberry fruit, Nutrients 2023). Research context, not a therapeutic claim.

Chinese Herb Notes

• How is Sang Shen different from the other mulberry (Sang) herbs and from Gou Qi Zi?

  Sang Shen is the mulberry fruit — a blood/yin tonic that moistens — whereas the other “Sang” herbs are different plant parts with different jobs. Sharing the name does not mean sharing the action, so practitioners distinguish them carefully.

  • vs Sang Ye (mulberry leaf) — releases the exterior and clears wind-heat; not a tonic.
  • vs Sang Bai Pi (root bark) — drains heat from the Lung and promotes urination; a draining, not nourishing, herb.
  • vs Sang Zhi (twig) — unblocks the channels for wind-damp painful obstruction of the limbs.
  • vs Gou Qi Zi (wolfberry fruit) — both are sweet fruits that tonify Liver/Kidney and nourish blood/yin, but Gou Qi Zi is neutral and emphasizes brightening the eyes and augmenting essence, while Sang Shen is cold and better suited to heat and dryness with thirst and constipation.

  Common combinations: with Nu Zhen Zi and Han Lian Cao (Mo Han Lian) for Liver/Kidney yin deficiency with dizziness, tinnitus, and premature greying; with He Shou Wu to nourish the blood and darken the hair; as Sang Shen syrup with honey for thirst and dry constipation.

  Source: standard TCM materia medica (differentiation of the Sang-family herbs and combinations), cross-checked. Demand context: “sang shen zi” and the Sang family are recurring searches.