What is Shi Di?

Shi Di is the dried calyx of the persimmon fruit — the small, woody, star-shaped cap that sits on top of the fruit where it joined the stem. In Chinese medicine it is used as a single drug, most often as a tea, for one narrow job: stopping hiccups.

It is also given for belching and for the feeling of gas or wind rising up from the stomach. Practitioners describe it as an herb that helps stomach energy move down rather than up.

Here is the honest verdict on the evidence. Shi Di has a long and steady record in Chinese medicine for hiccups, but we could not find published human trials that test it on its own. Long traditional use tells you people have relied on something for centuries; it does not prove the thing works, and that difference applies to everything on this page.

How does Shi Di work?

Nobody has shown clearly how Shi Di works in people, and you should treat any explanation as a theory rather than a fact.

In Chinese medicine terms, hiccups are seen as stomach qi (the body's working energy) pushing upward instead of downward. Shi Di is classed as a herb that redirects that movement back down, which is why it sits in the small group used for hiccups and belching.

In the laboratory, persimmon calyx contains tannins and flavonoids, which are plant compounds that can affect nerve signalling and muscle activity in animal tissue. Some animal work suggests an effect on the nerves that drive the diaphragm, the breathing muscle that spasms during a hiccup. That work has not been repeated in people, so it stays a hint and not an answer.

What forms does Shi Di come in?

The usual form is the whole dried calyx, sold loose by weight in Chinese herb shops. The pieces are brown, hard and flat, roughly the size of a coin.

You may also find:

Cut or crushed calyx for making tea.

Granules or powdered extract, which dissolve in hot water.

Patent formulas that combine Shi Di with cloves and ginger for hiccups, such as Shi Di Tang.

This page covers Shi Di used on its own, as a single drug.

Where it comes from:

Shi Di has been used in Chinese medicine for roughly a thousand years. It appears in Song dynasty writings and became the main herb in Shi Di Tang, a hiccup formula that pairs it with cloves and fresh ginger.

It kept that same narrow role through later Chinese pharmacopoeias and is still listed for hiccups and belching today. It is also used in Korean and Japanese herbal practice for the same complaint.

What does Shi Di help with?

• Hiccups: This is the main traditional use and it is well established in Chinese medicine texts, usually for hiccups that keep coming back after eating or during illness. The supporting evidence is traditional, not clinical. We could not find a published human trial of Shi Di on its own for hiccups. Hiccups that last more than 48 hours need a doctor, because a long run of them can point to a nerve, gut or chest problem that herbs will not fix.
• Belching: Chinese medicine uses Shi Di for repeated belching that comes with a full, tight feeling under the ribs, often alongside ginger or cloves. There is no human trial evidence for this use. Frequent belching with heartburn, weight loss or trouble swallowing should be checked by a doctor rather than self-treated.
• A feeling of gas or fullness rising from the stomach: Traditional texts describe Shi Di as settling stomach energy that is pushing upward, which practitioners apply to this sensation. This is a traditional description of a symptom, not a diagnosis, and no clinical study has tested Shi Di for it.

Which foods are rich in Shi Di?

1. Persimmon fruit: the calyx is the cap on top of the fruit, but the flesh you eat is a different food and is not used as a medicine

Practical Tips:

Eating persimmons is not the same as taking Shi Di; only the dried calyx is used.

What are the side effects of Shi Di?

• Mild stomach upset or nausea
• A dry, puckering feeling in the mouth
• Constipation with heavy or long use
• Allergic reaction such as rash or itching (rare)

Good to know:

Side effects are uncommon. Shi Di is taken in small amounts for short periods, and most people notice nothing.

Stomach upset is the most likely problem. The herb is high in tannins, which are bitter plant compounds that dry the mouth and can slow the gut.

Stop taking it and get advice if you get a rash, itching or swelling of the face or mouth.

Safety data in people is thin, so treat unusual symptoms as a reason to stop.

How much Shi Di should you take?

• Recommended daily: A common range in Chinese herbal practice is 4.5 to 9 grams of the dried calyx per day, simmered in water as a tea. Some sources go up to 12 grams. No dose has been tested and confirmed in a human trial, so these numbers come from traditional practice and pharmacopoeia listings, not from research. If you use a granule or extract product, follow the maker's label, because extracts are stronger by weight than raw herb.
• Best time of day: Take it when symptoms are present, and split the day's amount into two or three small servings. There is no evidence that any particular time of day works better.
• With or without food: Usually taken warm, shortly after meals, since the traditional target is hiccups and belching that follow eating. It can upset an empty stomach because of its tannin content, so food may help.
• Time to effect: Traditional practice expects an effect on hiccups within hours, often after one or two servings. This timing comes from practice reports, not from measured trial results.
• How long to take it: Shi Di is meant for short-term use. Most traditional practice uses it for a few days at a time, while the hiccups or belching last. If hiccups do not settle within two days, stop using it and see a doctor. Do not take it for weeks on end without a practitioner watching over you.