New to this? Read about Four Natures & Five Flavors and Channel Tropism

HerbTsaoko Fructus

草果

Cǎo Guǒ

Tsaoko Fruit

The dried ripe fruit of Amomum tsao-ko (Zingiberaceae). Enters the Spleen and Stomach channels. Pungent, aromatic, and intensely warm, it excels at drying dampness and warming the center. A key herb for cold-damp obstruction and for interrupting malaria.

Actions · 功效

燥湿温中Dry dampness and warm the center
除痰截疟Eliminate phlegm and interrupt malaria
消食化积Promote digestion and transform accumulation

Indications · 主治

寒湿中阻，脘腹胀痛Cold-dampness obstructing the center with epigastric distention and pain
疟疾寒热Malaria with alternating chills and fever
呕吐泄泻Vomiting and diarrhea

Dosage · 用量

Per day · decoction · non-pregnant adult

3–6 g

去壳取仁用

Reference range for non-pregnant adults. Not a personalized prescription. Pregnancy, lactation, and pediatric use require specialist supervision.

Draft

Footnotes · 引用

[1]Yinshan Zhengyao (Proper and Essential Things for Drink and Food)
[2]Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica)

Permalink · CC BY-SA 4.0

Cite this entry

@misc{bencaodian-cao-guo,
  author       = {{Bencaodian Editorial}},
  title        = {Cǎo Guǒ 草果 (Tsaoko Fruit) — Tsaoko Fructus},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine},
  url          = {https://bencaodian.org/en/herbs/cao-guo},
  urldate      = {2026-04-16},
  note         = {CC BY-SA 4.0}
}

Permalink is fixed

@misc{bencaodian-cao-guo, author = {{Bencaodian Editorial}}, title = {Cǎo Guǒ 草果 (Tsaoko Fruit) — Tsaoko Fructus}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine}, url = {https://bencaodian.org/en/herbs/cao-guo}, urldate = {2026-04-16}, note = {CC BY-SA 4.0} }