Herb

Winter Melon (Dong gua)

冬瓜dong gua
1 sourceBenincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn.

Recorded for lower-abdominal water distension, promoting urination, relieving thirst, and clearing heat to disinhibit water and reduce swelling.

Used in 1 formulas

Source

Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu)卷二十八·蓏菜·冬瓜·主治

References
  • functions_en self-translated from 本草纲目 traditional_functions (public domain; the Chinese tf carries verbatim excerpt_hash citations). No modern work consulted.
  • WHO IST-TCM terminology-aligned for the English rendering.
  • public pharmacopoeia & botanical facts (public-domain reference facts; no proprietary modern source).
Traditional functions

Classical source text (Chinese) — English summary above.

传统中医记载：主小腹水胀，利小便，止渴；捣汁服止消渴烦闷、解毒；清热利水、消肿。

Nature, flavor & meridians

Nature & flavor: 甘，微寒，无毒。

Used in formulas
Citations
  • Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷二十八·蓏菜·冬瓜·气味Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its classification.
  • Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷二十八·蓏菜·冬瓜·气味Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its nature & flavor.
  • Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷二十八·蓏菜·冬瓜·主治Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its traditional functions.