Herb

Bitter Melon (Ku gua)

苦瓜ku gua
1 sourceMomordica charantia L.

Recorded for dispelling heat-evil, relieving fatigue, clearing the heart and brightening the eyes, and resolving summerheat and toxin.

Source

Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu)卷二十八·蓏菜·苦瓜·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：除邪热，解劳乏，清心明目；清暑涤热、解毒。

Nature, flavor & meridians

Nature & flavor: 苦，寒，无毒。

Citations
  • Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷二十八·蓏菜·苦瓜·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·苦瓜·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·苦瓜·主治Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its traditional functions.