Daun Loquat

Loquat Leaf (, Pí Pá Yè) is the dried leaf of Eriobotrya japonica, an evergreen tree cultivated across southern China, Japan, and the Mediterranean for its sweet-tart fruits. While the fruit is enjoyed fresh or in syrup, it is the large, leathery leaf — harvested, dried, and carefully brushed to remove its irritating fine hairs — that holds a prominent place in the Chinese materia medica. The leaf contains an array of biologically active compounds including triterpenoids, flavonoids, and megastigmane glycosides that underpin its traditional therapeutic reputation.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Loquat Leaf enters the Lung and Stomach meridians with a bitter, slightly cold character. Its primary action is to redirect rebellious Qi downward: in the Lung, this means stopping cough and wheezing caused by Lung Heat or Phlegm-Heat; in the Stomach, it means relieving nausea, hiccup, and vomiting caused by Stomach Heat with upward-counterflow of Qi. The leaf must be prepared carefully — its surface hairs cause throat irritation if not fully removed — and is traditionally honey-fried (zhì pí pá yè) to moderate its cold nature and enhance its Lung-moistening action. It is the key ingredient in the widely known Chuan Bei Pipa Gao (Fritillary & Loquat Syrup).

Loquat Leaf has been used in Chinese medicine for well over a thousand years, with its earliest records emphasising its power to calm rebellious Lung Qi and settle Stomach counterflow. Its fame spread through classical formula texts and later through the beloved over-the-counter syrup that carries its name to this day.