Eriobotrya japonica
Loquat
Generally recognised as safeOther names: Japanese medlar
Loquat fruit in subtropical Japan; leaves in folk use.
Evergreen tree with leathery leaves and yellow pomes.
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Plant type
- Tree / large shrub
What the safety levels mean (expand legend)
- Generally recognised as safe. Often a common herb with reasonable harvest and use; still read the specific warnings on the card.
- Information. Primarily informational — details in the text and warnings below matter most.
- Caution. Needs extra care (dose, duration, sensitive groups, interactions).
- Risky. Significant risks — verify sources, contraindications and professional guidance.
- Not for home experimentation. Not suitable to experiment with at home without knowledge and certainty.
- High risk for internal use. Particular risk with internal use (e.g. alkaloids); avoid prolonged or irresponsible dosing.
- Not specified. Level not filled in yet — rely on individual warnings and links below.
Photograph on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Plant habit
Safety — read before use
For this herb it is important to check warnings, mix-ups and cautions. Start with the Safety section.
Quick overview
A practical summary; details are in the sections below.
- Safety grade
- Generally recognised as safe details
- Scientific sources on the card
- Yes — sources are listed with claims Science section
- When and what to harvest
- Fruit — May–June
- Leaf — January–December
- Processing methods
Herbal infusion (tea), Culinary use, Herbal liqueur
All methods and recipes on the card- Topics and symptoms
Cough and mucus, Skin
Topics section, Symptoms overview
Identification and mix-ups
Large elliptic leaves; fruits in clusters.
Possible mix-ups and risks
Related rosaceous trees by habit.
Similar herbs
No related herbs are linked yet.
Topics and symptoms
More topics are in the symptoms and topics overview.
- Cough and mucusTraditional· Traditional / cultural framing
- SkinTraditional· Traditional / cultural framing
Geographic occurrence
Japan
Occasional (garden, cultivation, or fringe of the range)
Harvest
- FruitMay–June
léto
Region: JapanNotes: Fruits ripen at the turn of spring and summer (May–June in Japan) and are picked fully coloured and soft, because they do not ripen after harvest. The seeds are discarded — they contain amygdalin.
- LeafJanuary–December
celoročně
Region: JapanNotes: The evergreen leaves for tea (biwa-cha) are picked all year, preferably older dark green ones; before drying the felty coating on the underside, which irritates the throat, is brushed off.
Storage
- Refrigeration(Fruit)
Ripe fruits keep 2–3 days at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge; they bruise and brown easily.
- Safety:
- Do not eat the seeds or grind the kernels into food.
- Drying(Leaf)
Dried, brushed and chopped leaves keep 12 months in a closed container.
- Light:
- Out of light.
- Moisture:
- Protect from moisture.
Processing methods on this herb card
Infusion or brief extraction in hot water; usually without long boiling.
Full method description (from the catalogue)
In the narrow sense, "tea" often means an infusion: you pour water just off the boil over the dried plant matter and let it steep for a few minutes. Temperature, steep time, and the herb-to-water ratio change both flavour and what dissolves into the liquid.
Compared with a decoction, heat exposure is shorter and gentler; tender leaves and flowers are often better as an infusion than with prolonged simmering. For each herb, always follow the plant card for suitable plant part, preparation, and safety notes — general rules never replace species-level judgement.
Traditional context for this method: yes·Scientific context for this method: no
Cooking, baking, seasoning as food — general category without therapeutic claims.
Full method description (from the catalogue)
Culinary use covers herbs as ingredients in dishes, drinks, or spice mixes. This overview does not evaluate medicinal effects — only reminds you about species intent, allergies, and heat treatment where needed (e.g. some fruits or plant parts).
Combining with alcohol, sugar, or long cooking changes outcomes; verify culinary sources.
Traditional context for this method: yes·Scientific context for this method: no
Sweet alcoholic macerate with herbs; sugar and ethanol drive the outcome.
Full method description (from the catalogue)
A liqueur combines herbs, spirit, and sweetener into a strongly aromatic mixture. Home batches differ from commercial products in law and in how strength is controlled.
Follow the recipe for dosing and storage; maceration time changes colour and flavour.
Traditional context for this method: yes·Scientific context for this method: no
Only flesh and skin go into the fruit liqueur (biwa-shu); discard the seeds, do not macerate them.
Traditional / spiritual use
Kept separate from science — entries are cultural or symbolic, not medical advice.
The king of medicinal trees in Buddhist monasteries
General
Traditional useFolk remediesHerbal loreRitualIn Japanese Buddhist tradition the loquat bears the title 'great king of medicinal trees' (daiyakuōju) from readings of the sutras that count the biwa leaf among healing plants; at temples of the Nara and Heian periods the leaves were made into compresses and warmed leaves were laid on the body (biwa-no-ha ryōhō). A record of religious and folk-healing tradition, not a proven effect.
- Form:
- list v chrámové léčitelské tradici, „král léčivých stromů“
- Claim strength:
- Tradition
- Source note:
- Japanese Buddhist healing tradition (readings of the Golden Light Sutra / Nirvana Sutra); folk practice biwa-no-ha ryōhō.
Scientific notes
Each claim lists a study type and a source (URL or DOI) where available. Dose notes from the literature are informational only.
How to read evidence strength and study type labels
Labels summarise how the catalogue entry is tagged — they are not a medical verdict on efficacy. For every row, read the summary, limitations and source link.
Evidence strength
- Evidence level not specified
- The author did not grade the record; judge from the summary, limitations and source link.
- Narrative / orientational literature
- Descriptive or expert literature without controlled group comparison — context rather than proof of effect.
- Weak evidence
- Study or conclusion with major methodological limits; treat only as a pointer for further reading.
- Preliminary findings
- First or smaller studies — interesting direction, not the final word on efficacy or safety.
- Moderate strength of evidence
- Moderate strength by study design; sample and context limits still apply.
- Stronger evidence
- Stronger design or consistency of results within the study's stated limits.
- Review article
- A review summarises multiple sources; quality depends on review method and field.
Study type
- Narrative / expert text
- Expert text or overview without a classical study design.
- In vitro study
- Cell culture or test-tube experiment — does not show an effect in the body.
- Animal study
- Animal model — transfer to humans is not automatic.
- Observational study
- Observing groups without random treatment assignment; confounding is possible.
- Clinical trial
- Human clinical trial; sample size and control group matter.
- Randomised controlled trial
- Randomised controlled trials are among the stronger designs when well conducted.
- Review study
- A review aggregates multiple papers — quality depends on selection rules.
- Systematic review
- Systematic review with explicit search and selection methodology.
- Meta-analysis
- Statistical pooling of studies; outcome depends on input data and heterogeneity.
- Regulatory assessment / monograph (EMA, WHO…)
- Regulatory body summary for a herbal product — different context from a single RCT; often about products, not home tea.
- Expert monograph (herbal preparations)
- Structured literature summary for a plant or drug — quality depends on author and edition year.
The review summarises the composition of loquat leaf, fruit and seed (triterpenes, flavonoids, amygdalin in the seeds) and laboratory studies of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antitussive actions of leaf extracts that match the traditional use for cough.
Narrative / orientational literatureReview studyYear: 2016Limitations: Mostly in vitro and animal data; human clinical studies are lacking. The seeds contain amygdalin and the review does not present them as a safe food.
Liu Y, Zhang W, Xu C, Li X — International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Biological Activities of Extracts from Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.): A Review
DOI: 10.3390/ijms17121983
Images
The main photo is in the card header. More images will appear here when available.
Safety
What the warning types mean
The type on each warning helps group themes — it does not replace the separate severity badge.
- Internal use
- Risks from swallowing, extracts, duration of use or concentration for internal use.
- Interactions / medicines
- Possible effect on medicines or concurrent treatment — check sources and a professional.
- Raw plant parts
- Raw, unripe or poorly prepared plant parts can be dangerous.
- Toxins and regulation
- Toxic constituents or regulated compounds (e.g. in distillates).
- Contact with the plant
- Skin or mucosa irritation from contact with fresh plant or sap.
- Allergy
- Allergic reactions, often linked to family sensitisation.
- Harvesting and contamination
- Contamination, species mix-ups or harvesting from unsuitable places.
- The seeds contain amygdalinHigh severityRaw plant parts
Loquat seeds and kernels contain the cyanogenic glycosides amygdalin and prunasin, which turn into cyanide in the body; an analysis of powdered seeds sold as a 'health food' found levels at which the recommended daily serving would exceed the safe limit. The flesh is safe; discard the seeds and never grind them.