Morus alba (sang ye) is sweet, bitter and cold and enters the Lung and Liver channels. It dispels Wind and clears Heat from the head, clears Lung Heat and Liver Fire, moistens the lungs, removes Blood Heat and improves eyesight. It treats the common cold caused by Wind Heat, cough due to Lung Heat,dizziness, headache, inflammation of the eyes and blurred vision.
History
The first known record of Morus alba leaf (sang ye) as a medicinal herb was in”Divine Husbandman’s Clasic of the Materia Medica” (Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing) written by an unknown author or authors in the Eastern Han dynasty (25-220CE) It has since been recorded in formulas in various collections such as:
“Antelope Horn and Uncaria Decoction” (ling jiao gou teng yin) and “Mulberry Leaf and Moutan Decoction to Drain the White” (sang dan xie bai tangI) from “Revised Popular Guide to the Discussion of Cold Damage” by Fang You-Zhi (1592).
“Mulberry Leaf and Sesame Seed Pill” (sang ma wan) from “Achieving Longevity by Guarding the Source” by Gong Ting-Xian (1615)
“Mulberry Leaf and Chrysanthemum Decoction” (sang ju yin) ” and “Mulberry Leaf and Apricot Kernal Decoction” (sang xing tang) from the “Systematic Differentiation of Warm Pathogen Diseases” by Wu Tang (1798)
O.n p.55 of ‘Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica 3rd edition’ by Bensky, Clavey and Stoger, there is a excellent commentary on the development of the use of sang ye.
Botanical outline
Morus alba is a member of the family Moraceae which has around 40 genera of flowering plants covering 1000 species, most are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, Morus alba is one of 10-16 deciduous ‘”mulberry” species in the genus Morus.
It grows 10-20metres tall with gray-brown fissured bark. The leaves are simple,alternate 5-10cm long and 4-10cm wide with petioles 1.5-4cm long. The apex is acute and the leaf edge has coarse teeth.The superior surface is glossy green and the inferior surface pale green.
The flowers are are single-sex, yellowish-green catkins flowering in spring, with male and female flowers usually on separate trees although sometimes occurring on the same tree. The fruit is an achene with numerous fleshy perianths fused into an aggregate fruit 1-2.5cm long. It is green, maturing to white or mauve. It is cultivated throughout China , mainly in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. It is collected and sun dried or briefly steamed and then dried.
Medicinal properties
TCM: Morus alba (sang ye) is sweet, bitter and cold and enters the Lung and Liver channels. It dispels Wind and clears Heat, clears Lung Heat and moistens the lungs, removes Blood Heat and improves eyesight. It treats the common cold caused by Wind Heat, cough due to Lung Heat,dizziness, headache, inflammation of the eyes and blurred vision.
General: Morus alba contains rutin, quercetin, isoquercetrin, quercetin-3-triglucoside, astragalin, inokosterone, ecdysterone, vitamin B1, B2, C, volatile oils and inorganic salts. In animal experiments it has been shown to reduce blood sugar and has antibiotic effects. It can also excite the smooth muscle of the uterus.