- Region
- Asia
- Origin
- East Asia, especially China
Asia · Herb · № 718
Trichosanthes kirilowii
Herb · Asia
Trichosanthes fruit (gua lou)
Trichosanthes kirilowii
Traditionally attributed effects: fruit and seed dissolve hot phlegm and open the chest; the root (tian hua fen) cools and moistens.
Safety notes
Not with cold dampness or diarrhoea. The root contains trichosanthin, which can cause miscarriage: absolutely not during pregnancy. Traditional use is no proof of effectiveness; if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or have a medical condition, consult a doctor or pharmacist.
Preparation
Fruit, seed, peel and root. Usually as a decoction, together with other herbs.
Use in traditions
Described in the classical Chinese materia medica, in the group 'herbs that transform phlegm and stop cough'. The fruit (gua lou) transforms phlegm in tightness and pain in the chest, in Gua Lou Xie Bai Ban Xia Tang. The root (tian hua fen) is used for thirst; a protein from it was studied as a remedy against HIV.
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Chinese materia medica
- Nature and taste
- sweet, cold (fruit and seed); bitter, sweet, sour, cold (root)
- Meridians
- lung, stomach, large intestine
Attributed effects
The fruit cools hot phlegm in cough with sticky phlegm and opens a tight, painful chest; the peel especially for a dry throat. The seed moistens lungs and bowel in constipation with thirst. The root cools lung heat in dry cough, thirst and blood in the phlegm and reduces inflammation and pus.
Preparation and amount
Traditional dosage: 6–18 g a day, usually in a decoction.
Combinations
- With spring onion and wine for a tight chest
- With bei mu and zhi mu for hot phlegm
- Ways to prepare herbs
- Decoction