Chinese medicine bitter sandalwood is used in medicine with its roots, leaves, and seeds. It has the effect of dispersing stasis, reducing swelling, and treating injuries caused by falls or blows. When taken internally, it can treat malnutrition and excessive sweating in children with weak constitution. However, due to the toxic nature of bitter sandalwood, caution must be exercised to avoid poisoning when using it!
[Medicinal Characteristics of Bitter Sandalwood]
Bitter sandalwood has dried seeds that are flattened, slightly kidney-shaped and attached to both ends of the pod. One side is round, and the other side is flat; the seeds in the middle of the pod are flat on both sides. They are about 4 centimeters long and 3 centimeters thick.
The surface is reddish-brown to black-brown, shiny, or with a thin film of grayish-white. The hilum is located in the middle waist depression. There are two cotyledons, thick and horny, easily fissured; there are irregular protrusions around the hilum, causing longitudinal fissures in the cotyledons.
The aroma is faint, and the taste is initially mild and then followed by a tingling sensation. It is best to choose those with reddish-brown skin, large size, and no insect damage. It is mainly produced in Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou. It is also produced in Guangxi and Guangdong.
[Toxicity Analysis of Bitter Sandalwood]
Due to its high toxicity, bitter sandalwood is often used externally, and oral administration should be cautious. Symptoms of poisoning include vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, dry mucous membranes, rapid breathing, and confusion, with initial stimulation of the nerves followed by paralysis.
Rescue methods include gastric lavage, administration of lubricating protective agents, and fluid replacement therapy. However, in Yunnan Simao, the root of this plant has been mashed and the juice has been taken orally at a dose of 2-3 qian (approximately 6-9 grams) to treat acute gastroenteritis, with satisfactory results. It can be tried under strict observation if conditions permit.
This species is a toxic plant recorded in the Chinese Plant Database, with the seeds and roots being toxic. The symptoms of human poisoning are similar to those of fish vine, including vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, dry mucous membranes, rapid breathing, and confusion.
When injected into the peritoneal cavity of mice at a dose of 1g/kg, the animals lie down and their breathing speeds up; at a dose of 5g/kg, they experience difficulty breathing, convulsions, and death. In rural areas where it is produced, it is used to poison fish and kill insects, and its toxicity to insect larvae is equivalent to that of arsenic.
[Medicinal Applications of Bitter Sandalwood]
1. Treatment of malnutrition in children: Bitter sandalwood fruit (roasted and stored) 5 fen (approximately 1 gram). Steam with chicken liver or grind into a paste and take orally with water.
2. Treatment of hand and foot pain: Bitter sandalwood 2 liang (approximately 60 grams). Boil in water and take orally.
3. Treatment of joint pain: Fresh bitter sandalwood 2 liang, fresh maple pear 2 liang, fresh mountain pepper, star anise maple, melon fragrant wood, fiveleaf aralia bark, and stone fern, all fresh and each weighing 1 liang; achyranthes root 5 qian (approximately 15 grams), gastrodia 2 qian (approximately 6 grams), and one pig's foot as a decoction assistant. Divide the decoction into two doses and take orally.
4. Treatment of excessive sweating due to weak constitution: Fresh bitter sandalwood 3 liang. Boil in water and mix with two eggs for oral administration.
