Gua Lou
| Gua Lou in TCM:Explore the properties of Gua Lou according to Chinese
Nutrition and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM):
Factoids:
English Name: trichosanthes fruit, snake gourd fruit
Pharmacuetical Name: Fructus Thricosanthis
Properties: sweet, cold
Temperature: cold
Channels: LU, LI, ST
Flavors: sweet
Special Properties:
resolves phlegm, resolves dryness, reduces swelling, alleviates bi syndrome
Actions / Indications:
- Clears heat and transforms phlegm (Pi / Ke, Shi,
Ren) (heat in LU; cough with thick sputum that is difficult to expectorate)
- Treats abcess; reduces swellings; dissapates clumps
(Pi / Ke, Shi, Ren) (abcess of LU, breasts, intestines, carbuncles,
breast tenderness, and swelling)
- Expands chest; Relieves chest bi (Pi / Ke) (painful
obstruction of chest due to phlegm turbidity; modern use for coronary
artery disease)
- moistens intestines (Ren) (dry constipation)
Special Notes:
- (note: incompatible with wu tou, fu zi)
- In earlier times Gua Lou was used as a whole fruit, but today the individual parts have different functions.
Contraindications: - (cc: cold from deficiency)
|