sentences:  The fruit is an oval drupe, 10 mm long, ripening purple-black with a glaucous waxy bloom in early winter; in Japan they are popularly likened to mouse or rat droppings.The species is closely related to the Chinese "Ligustrum lucidum", differing in its smaller size ("L. lucidum" making a tree to over 10 m tall), and elongated oval (not subglobose) fruit.The fruit is used in herbal medicine as a cardiotonic, diuretic, laxative and tonic treatment.