Szechuan Peppercorns

No matter being called sichuan, szechuan, or szechwan peppercorns, it refers to the dried ripe pods of zanthoxylum schinifolium sieb.et zucc. Or pepper z. Bungeanum maxim., which are in the family of rutaceae in china.

Sichuan peppercorns are actually the spicy "outer peel" of berries belonging to the "prickly ash" family. Popularly known as huajiao, these sharp, pungent yet flavorful, rusty-red "peppercorn-like" coverings are one of the top ingredients in "chinese five-spice" powder. The berries are carminative and anti-spasmodic.

The north american prickly ash is known as the atoothache treea because the powdered bark was used as a toothache remedy and to heal wounds. The bark and berries are stimulative and used as a blood purifier and digestive. One of the popular ingredients of east asian cooking, the peppers are indeed one of the richest sources of essential oils, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. Unlike other pepper verities, sichuan pepper contains unique essential oils, which gives them special citrus-flavor with biting pungent sense. Their aromatic flavor comes to them from terpenes such as b-myrcene, limonene, geraniol, linalool, cineol, citronellal, and dipentene; whereas, their hotness property is due to certain alkamides embedded in their outer shell.

Like black peppercorns, szechuan peppers too aid in the digestion power through increasing gastro-intestinal juice and enzymes in the gut. Szechuan peppers are also good source of vitamins such as vitamin-a, carotenes, pyridoxine, and thiamin and minerals like copper, potassium, iron, manganese, phosphorous, selenium and zinc. Native north americans use ground bark of szechuan plant as a remedy for toothache.

Like in anise, these peppercorns too found application in traditional medicines as stomachic, anti-septic, anti-spasmodic, carminative, digestive, expectorant, stimulant and tonic. (medical disclaimer).

One of the popular ingredients of east asian cooking, the peppers are indeed one of the richest sources of essential oils, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants.

Unlike other pepper verities, sichuan pepper contains unique essential oils, which gives them special citrus-flavor with biting pungent sense. Their aromatic flavor comes to them from terpenes such as a-myrcene, limonene, geraniol, linalool, cineol, citronellal, and dipentene; whereas, their hotness property is due to certain alkamides embedded in their outer shell.

Like black peppercorns, szechuan peppers too aid in the digestion power through increasing gastro-intestinal juice and enzymes in the gut.

Szechuan peppers are also good source of vitamins such as vitamin-a, carotenes, pyridoxine, and thiamin and minerals like copper, potassium, iron, manganese, phosphorous, selenium and zinc.

Sichuan peppercorns are actually the spicy "outer peel" of berries belonging to the "prickly ash" family. Popularly known as huajiao, these sharp, pungent yet flavorful, rusty-red "peppercorn-like" coveringsaare one of the top ingredients in "chinese five-spice" powder.

Prickly-ash tree is a citrus family flowering plant native to mountainous szechuan region in china. It is a small tree with numerous short spines on both the stems and leaf petioles and large knobs on the branches as in lemon. During the winter season, flowers appear in slender cymes, which subsequently develop into tiny reddish-brown berries by the end of spring. The ripe fruits split-openato releasearound, black seeds from inside. Whataremain after seeding is the outer coat (husk), which is used as szechuan peppercorn spice, whereas its seeds are discarded.

Sichuan peppercorns are different from black peppercorns, which are native to indian subcontinent in plant characteristics, aroma and hotness. Sichuan peppers feature anise like flavor with slight tangy taste and produce less pronounced pungency than black peppercorns.

Below is a list of most common chinese remedies.

Da jan zhong tang comes from jin gui yao lue (essential prescriptions of the golden coffer).

Main herbal ingredients are chuan jiao, gan jiang (dried ginger root), and ren shen (ginseng root).

This formula is good at treating deficiency-cold in spleen and stomach, abdominal cold pain, vomiting, and loss of appetite.

Chuan jiao wain is drawn from xiao er wei sheng zhong wei fang lun (treatise on formulas for infantile health care).

The combination of rou dou kou (nutmeg seeds) is able to cure damp-cold induced injuries in summer and nonstop diarrhea.

Wu mei won is from shang han lun (on cold damage).

Other major herbs include wu mei (mume fruit), gan jiang (dried ginger root), and huang bai (phellodendron).

This is a major prescription used for worm accumulation abdominal pain, extremely cold limbs, annoy, and vomiting of ascaris.

Jiao zhu wan is a formula from pu ji fang (prescriptions of universal relief).

The other herb is cang zhu (atractylodes).

This combination is mainly formulated for yang deficiency in spleen and stomach, cold-damp stagnation, watery diarrhea, and indigestion.

Jiao zhu tung is from yi ji bao jian (precious mirror of the records of medicine).

It is mainly designed for woman pruritus vulvae, which is so unbearable that nothing but hot soup can end it.

Other herbs include wu zhu yu (evodia fruit), she chuang zi (cnidium seed), li lu (veratrum), and so on.

Duck and chicken dishes in particular work well with the spice.

Hua jiao yen is a mixture of salt and szechuan pepper, roasted and browned in a wok and served as a condiment to accompany chicken, duck and pork dishes.

Star anise and ginger are often used with it and figures prominently in szechuan cuisine.

Native north americans use ground bark of szechuan plant as a remedy for toothache.

Like in anise, these peppercorns too found application in traditional medicines as stomachic, anti-septic, anti-spasmodic, carminative, digestive, expectorant, stimulant and tonic. (medical disclaimer).