INDIVIDUAL HERBS

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Pericarpium Trichosanthis
Common English:	Trichosanthis Peel Trichosanthis Husk

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Sweet	Cold	Lung Stomach Large Intestine	6-30g For dispersing clumps: up to 60g

Actions

Indications/Syndromes

Clears and moistens the Lungs and transforms Hot Phlegm

Phlegm-Heat in the chest, pulmonary infections

Dry cough with difficult-to-expectorate yellow sputum and a dry throat due to Wind-Heat

Regulates Qi and expands chest

Qi accumulation in the chest, stuffy chest, chest pain

Chest Bi

Early stages of breast abscess

CONTRAINDICATIONS

Contraindicated for those with diarrhea due to Spleen and Stomach Deficiency Cold.
Contraindicated for those with Phlegm-Cold.
Contraindicated for those with Phlegm-Dampness.

INCOMPATIBILITIES

HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS

Bul. Fritillariae Bei Mu Rx. Platycodi Jie Geng Sm. Armeniacae Xing Ren	Rx. Trichosanthis Tian Hua Fen	Hb. Taraxaci Pu Gong Ying
Phlegm-Heat cough due to Lung Qi clogging and binding.	Non-productive cough, or one with scanty sputum, with a stifling sen-sation in the chest and thirst in the aftermath of a febrile disease.	Early-stage breast abscess due to Phlegm-Heat. (internally and topically)
Hb. Taraxaci Pu Gong Ying Rx. Platycodi Jie Geng Rx. Trichosanthis Tian Hua Fen Sp. Gleditsiae *Zao Jiao Ci*	Rz. Coptidis Huang Lian Rz. Pinelliae Preparatum Zhi Ban Xia	Bul. Allii Macrostemi Xie Bai Rz. Pinelliae Preparatum Zhi Ban Xia
Breast abscess that have already formed pus.	Xiong Bi with cough and yellow sputum.	Xiong Bi due to Cold and Damp Accumulation in the Upper Jiao.

Some sources say that this herb moistens the Lungs.
The earlier texts do not differentiate between this herb (the fruit), the seed Gua Lou or the husk, Gua Lou Pi.
This herb is used for dry cough with difficult to expectorate Phlegm and a dry throat due to Wind-Heat. It is weaker in soothing the Intestines, moving the bowels, resolving Phlegm and disintegrating masses but stronger in relieving Stagnation in the chest.
It specifically mobilizes Qi in order to unbind the diaphragm and ease the chest, transform Phlegm and disperse clumps.
It also directs turbid Qi downward to be eliminated.
This herb can be beneficial for a patient with Phlegm-Heat who also has loose stools.
This has the best anti tumor-anticancer action of the plant.
Dry-fried Trichosanthis Peel Chao Gua Lou Pi is less cold for use with cough and Phlegm that is not so Hot. If bran is added, it harmonizes the Stomach to use when there are loose stools due to Spleen Deficiency.
Honey-prepared Trichosanthis Peel MI Zhi Gua Lou Pi is better at moistening the Lungs and alleviating cough and is used for Lung Yin Deficiency with chronic cough.