Jujube

Name: Jujube

Other Names: Red Date, Chinese Date, Ziziphus zizyphus

Description: Ziziphus zizyphus commonly called Jujube, Red Date , or Chinese Date, is a species of Ziziphus in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae, used primarily for its fruits.Its precise natural distribution is uncertain due to extensive cultivation, but is thought to be in southern Asia, between Syria, northern India, and southern and central China, and possibly also southeastern Europe though more likely introduced there.It is a small deciduous tree or shrub reaching a height of 5-10 m, usually with thorny branches. The leaves are shiny-green, ovate-acute, 2-7 cm long and 1-3 cm broad, with three conspicuous veins at the base, and a finely toothed margin. The flowers are small, 5 mm diameter, with five inconspicuous yellowish-green petals. The fruit is an edible oval drupe 1.5-3 cm long; when immature it is smooth-green, with the consistency and taste of an apple, maturing dark red to purplish-black and eventually wrinkled, looking like a small date. There is a single hard stone, similar to an orange or a olive stone.The fruits are used in Chinese and Korean traditional medicine, where they are believed to alleviate stress.The fruit is ground to powder, with very small amounts required to promptly calm nerves and purify blood quality. The Australian drink 1-bil makes de-stressing claims on the basis of its jujube ingredient.
Ziziphin, a compound in the leaves of the jujube, suppresses the ability to perceive sweet taste in humans. The fruit, being mucilaginous, is also very soothing to the throat and decoctions of jujube have often been used in pharmacy to treat sore throats.