Shi Liu Pi (Pomegranate Husk)

Chinese Herb Actions

Chinese Herb Dosage

• What is the typical dosage of Shi Liu Pi?

  Roughly 3–10 g in decoction (commonly cited around 9 g/day), taken orally as a decoction or ground into powder, alone or combined with other Intestine-binding herbs. The charred form (Shi Liu Pi Tan) is traditionally preferred when a stronger astringent, stop-bleeding effect is wanted.

  For parasites specifically: traditional sources note it should not be combined with oils or fats when used to kill/expel parasites, to avoid promoting absorption of its toxic constituents into the system.

  Source: materia medica consensus (public TCM references). Reference only — not a prescription; parasite-expelling use in particular should be practitioner-supervised.

Chinese Herb Contraindications & Cautions

• Are there cautions for Shi Liu Pi?

  Shi Liu Pi is contraindicated in the early, excess stage of diarrhea or dysentery — as an astringent, binding herb it treats the manifestation (loose, leaking stool) rather than the root, and using it too early can trap a still-active pathogenic factor inside, prolonging the underlying illness. It is best reserved for chronic, deficiency-type presentations, or added to a heat-clearing/damp-draining formula once the acute, excess phase has passed.

  • Not for excess-heat or actively excess conditions — its warm, astringent, binding nature is unsuited to unresolved excess or excess-fire patterns.
  • Parasite use — traditionally not combined with oils or fats (see dosage), and this application in particular calls for practitioner supervision given the herb's toxicity.
  • Toxicity — classified as slightly toxic; see toxicity notes below. Use under a qualified TCM practitioner, with attention to dose.

  Source: materia medica consensus (public TCM references). Traditional-use framing; not medical advice.

Chinese Herb Toxicity & Overdose

• Shi Liu Pi is classified as slightly toxic in Chinese materia medica, and traditional sources describe dose-related adverse effects with excessive intake — including dizziness, weakness, muscle spasm/twitching, and, at higher overdose levels, headache, vertigo, nausea, vomiting, and lethargy. The husk (pericarp) is also very high in tannins, which in concentrated form can irritate the gastrointestinal tract; this tannin content is the basis of its strong traditional astringent and antimicrobial actions (see research).

  Source: materia medica consensus (public TCM references) for traditional toxicity description; phytochemical/pharmacology literature (below) for tannin content. Reference note, not a safety guarantee — use under professional supervision.

• This herb is considered toxic.
  (while some Chinese herbs are toxic, it must be noted that many come prepared, or are combined, to mitigate their toxicity)

Herb-Drug Interactions

• No well-established clinical herb–drug interactions are documented for Shi Liu Pi specifically. Given its very high tannin content, general tannin pharmacology (protein/mineral binding, potential to reduce absorption of co-administered iron or alkaloid-type medications when taken together) is a reasonable basis for practitioner awareness — this is a precautionary, class-level consideration rather than a demonstrated clinical interaction for this herb. (Flagged for practitioner confirmation; consider spacing dosing from other oral medications.)

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 Shi Liu Pi (Pericarpium Granati / pomegranate peel)?

  Yes — pomegranate peel (the source material of Shi Liu Pi) is one of the more researched TCM substances, with one human clinical trial for a related digestive condition plus a body of preclinical antidiarrheal, antiparasitic, and antibacterial evidence. Chemically, the peel is notably rich in tannins, particularly the ellagitannin punicalagin.

  • Human clinical (ulcerative colitis, randomized placebo-controlled) — a trial in ulcerative colitis patients given an aqueous pomegranate peel extract (6 g dry peel/day) alongside standard treatment for 4 weeks reported a higher clinical response rate than placebo at week 4 (41.4% vs 18.2%) and improvement in incontinence and need for anti-diarrheal drugs; the authors describe the extract as promising for complementary symptom management, with differences not fully statistically robust and larger trials needed.
  • Antidiarrheal (preclinical, rat) — an aqueous pomegranate peel extract dose-dependently reduced intestinal motility and protected rats against castor-oil–induced diarrhea, supporting the traditional bind-the-Intestines use; a separate 2024 rat study of diarrhea-predominant IBS found pomegranate peel extract reduced diarrhea severity and gut inflammation markers via modulation of MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathways.
  • Antiparasitic (preclinical, livestock) — an in vivo study in cattle, sheep, goats, and buffalo with gastrointestinal nematode infection found pomegranate peel extract (200 mg/kg) reduced fecal egg counts by roughly 85–97% over 7–21 days, a smaller but meaningful effect versus the synthetic anthelmintics ivermectin and albendazole, supporting traditional anti-parasitic use, though this is animal/nematode evidence rather than a human tapeworm trial.
  • Antibacterial (preclinical) — pomegranate peel extracts, rich in tannins and the ellagitannin punicalagin, show activity in vitro against a range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, consistent with the traditional use for dysenteric disorders.

  Overall, evidence for pomegranate peel's gut-related traditional uses is stronger and broader at the preclinical level; human clinical evidence is still limited to a small number of trials in related (not identical) conditions.

  Sources: PMID 26256131 (Kamali et al., Complement Ther Clin Pract 2015 — randomized placebo-controlled ulcerative colitis trial); DOI 10.1080/13880200701575304 (Qnais et al., Pharm Biol 2007 — rat antidiarrheal study); PMID 39599640 / PMC 11597445 (Zhang et al., Nutrients 2024 — rat IBS-D mechanism study); PMID 34515863 (Kaiaty et al., Parasitol Res 2021 — livestock anthelmintic in vivo study); PMID 39552993 / PMC 11563771 (Mohan et al., Cureus 2024 — pharmacology review). Research context, not a therapeutic claim.

Chinese Herb Notes

• How is Shi Liu Pi different from He Zi and Wu Mei?

  Shi Liu Pi, He Zi, and Wu Mei are all sour, astringent fruits/rinds that bind the Intestines to stop chronic diarrhea, but each has a distinguishing strength — Shi Liu Pi is set apart by its parasite-killing action and its Kidney-channel entry (stopping uterine bleeding and vaginal discharge), He Zi by its additional Lung action (chronic cough, loss of voice), and Wu Mei by generating fluids and expelling roundworm.

  • vs He Zi — both bind the Intestines for chronic diarrhea; He Zi also descends Lung qi and restores the voice, while Shi Liu Pi's added strengths are killing parasites and astringing to stop uterine bleeding/leukorrhea.
  • vs Wu Mei — both expel roundworm and are used for chronic diarrhea; Wu Mei additionally generates fluids for thirst, while Shi Liu Pi is the stronger traditional choice against tapeworm and for stopping uterine bleeding.

  Common combinations: with Bing Lang (areca seed) for tapeworm; with Huang Lian and Huang Bai for chronic diarrhea/dysentery with damp-heat; charred (Shi Liu Pi Tan) and combined with other Kidney-astringing herbs for uterine bleeding and vaginal discharge. (Traditional formula/combination context, not treatment advice.)

  Source: materia medica consensus (public TCM references); comparison drawn against Sacred Lotus's existing astringent-category herb pages (He Zi, Wu Mei).

This herb is considered toxic