English: Wax gourd seeds
Chinese: 冬瓜子
Parts used: The seeds, dried
TCM category: Herbs that drain Dampness
TCM nature: Cold
TCM taste(s): Sweet
Organ affinity: Stomach Large intestine Lung Small intestine
Scientific name: Benincasa hispida
Other names: Dong Gua Ren, Winter melon seeds
Use of Dong Gua Zi (wax gourd seeds) in TCM
Please note that you should never self-prescribe TCM ingredients. A TCM ingredient is almost never eaten on its own but as part of a formula containing several ingredients that act together. Please consult a professional TCM practitioner, they will be best able to guide you.
Preparation: Extract the seeds from the fruits and dry
Dosage: 3-20g
Main actions according to TCM*: Clears Heat, expels Phlegm, expels pus and moistens the Lungs. Clears Heat and drains Dampness.
Primary conditions or symptoms for which Dong Gua Zi may be prescribed by TCM doctors*: Edema Vaginal discharge Abcesses Bronchitis Sputum
Contraindications*: Use caution for those with edema due to malnutrition. Use caution for those with Damp-Cold or loose stools.
Common TCM formulas in which Dong Gua Zi is used*
Wei Jing Tang
Source date: 627 AD
Number of ingredients: 4 herbs
Formula key actions: Clears heat from the Lungs. Transforms Phlegm. Drives out Blood-Stagnation. Discharges pus.
Conditions targeted*: BronchitisBronchiectasis and others
Dong Gua Zi is a deputy ingredient in Wei Jing Tang. This means it helps the king ingredient(s) treat the main pattern or it serves to treat a coexisting pattern.
In Wei Jing Tang, Dong Gua Zi clears and transforms Phlegm-Heat, resolves Dampness and eliminates pus.
Da Huang Mu Dan Pi Tang
Source date: 220 AD
Number of ingredients: 5 herbs
Formula key actions: Clears Stagnant Heat in the intestines. Reduces swelling and disperses lumps.
Conditions targeted*: AppendicitisPelvic inflammatory disease and others
Dong Gua Zi is an assistant ingredient in Da Huang Mu Dan Pi Tang. This means that it either serves to reinforces the effect of other ingredients or it moderates their toxicity.
In Da Huang Mu Dan Pi Tang, Dong Gua Zi expels pus, eliminates Heat and reduces abscesses, especially in the Intestines.
Key TCM concepts behind Dong Gua Zi's properties
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Dong Gua Zi belongs to the 'Herbs that drain Dampness' category. These herbs are typically diuretics, meaning that they promotes the increased production of urine in order to remove Dampness that has accumulated in the body. According to TCM Dampness accumulates first in the lower limbs, causing edema and impaired movement. From there, if unchecked, it can move upward and impair digestion and eventually the respiratory system.
Furthermore Dong Gua Zi is Cold in nature. This means that Dong Gua Zi typically helps people who have too much 'Heat' in their body. Balance between Yin and Yang is a key health concept in TCM. Those who have too much Heat in their body are said to either have a Yang Excess (because Yang is Hot in nature) or a Yin deficiency (Yin is Cold in Nature). Depending on your condition Dong Gua Zi can help restore a harmonious balance between Yin and Yang.
Dong Gua Zi also tastes Sweet. The so-called 'Five Phases' theory in Chinese Medicine states that the taste of TCM ingredients is a key determinant of their action in the body. Sweet ingredients like Dong Gua Zi tends to slow down acute reactions and detoxify the body. They also have a tonic effect because they replenish Qi and Blood.
The tastes of ingredients in TCM also determine what Organs and Meridians they target. As such Dong Gua Zi is thought to target the Stomach, the Large intestine, the Lung and the Small intestine. In TCM the Stomach is responsible for receiving and ripening ingested food and fluids. It is also tasked with descending the digested elements downwards to the Small Intestine. The Large Intestine on the other hand receives the "impure" parts of the digested food from the Small Intestine, absorbs the remaining fluids and excrete the remainder as feces. In addition to performing respiration, the Lungs are thought in TCM to be a key part of the production chain for Qi and the Body Fluids that nourish the body. Like the Stomach, the Small Intestine has a digestive role, extracting the "pure" part of what we injest to the Spleen and the "impure" down to the Large Intestine.
Use of Dong Gua Zi as food
Dong Gua Zi is also eaten as food.