Abstract
Kaki Calyx, which is mainly used for treating hiccups in Japan, is listed in The Japanese Standards for Non-Pharmacopoeial Crude Drugs as the calyx left of the persimmon plant after the fruit has ripened (Diospyros kaki Thunberg). In this study, we investigated the clinical applications and origin of Kaki Calyx, historically and morphologically, from the viewpoint of quality control. We found descriptions of Kaki Calyx in 47 medicinal books written in China, Korea and Japan between the 8th and 19th centuries. Most of them mentioned the medicinal efficacy of Kaki Calyx for treating hiccups, but there was no detailed description regarding morphological characteristics. Kaki Calyx consists of a calyx disk, abscission zone and calyx lobe.
We morphologically compared contemporary and historical Kaki Calyx samples: the former were purchased at a store in 2014 (four batches) and the latter were collected between the early 20th century and 1980s (seven batches). We found that the contemporary samples (2014) lacked the calyx lobes, whereas the lobes remained on most of the historical ones. This suggests that calyx lobes were originally necessary for Kaki Calyx in Chinese Pharmacopeia and consideration should be given to the significance of calyx lobes.
