Tung oil also known as tong oil, is an oil extracted from the seeds of the oil tung tree, a plant in the Euphorbiaceae family. It is used for expectorating phlegm and saliva; clearing heat and detoxifying; and killing insects. It can also be applied to a baby's umbilical cord, but what effect does it have when applied to a baby's umbilical cord? Let's find out together with the editor!
Tung oil
Alias: Tung seed oil (Compendium of Materia Medica).
Taste: Sweet, pungent, cold, and toxic.
Part used: Oil extracted from the seeds of the oil tung tree, a plant in the Euphorbiaceae family. Mainly used for expectorating phlegm and saliva; clearing heat and detoxifying; killing insects and moisturizing the skin. It can be externally used to treat scabies, furuncles, burn injuries, and chapped skin caused by frostbite.
Usage and dosage of Tung oil
External use: Apply, spread, or use for gargling.
Efficacy and main uses of Tung oil
Efficacy: Expelling wind-phlegm; clearing heat and detoxifying; killing insects and moisturizing the skin.
Main uses: Externally used to treat scabies, furuncles, burn injuries, and chapped skin caused by frostbite.
The effect of applying Tung oil on a baby's umbilical cord
This is a folk remedy that has the effect of dispelling wind. However, if the umbilical cord has not fallen off or has not fully healed, use caution to avoid causing infection.
Efficacy and uses of Tung oil
Tung oil formulations
1. Treatment for blood-stagnant furuncles: Mix powdered talc (calcined and ground) with Tung oil and apply as a plaster on parchment paper. Mix Chen Tung oil with powdered lime (calcined) and human hair (mix with roasted Tung oil) to make a paste, apply it on paper, and attach it to the affected area with puncture holes (from "Simple Prescriptions").
2. Treatment for chronic ulcers: Take Tung oil and fresh mulberry bark in appropriate amounts. Mash them and apply them to the wound, replacing them when dry until healed (from "Compilation of Simple Prescriptions for Herbal Medicine").
3. Treatment for foot fungus such as tinea pedis: Mix Tung oil and human milk in equal parts. Apply several times (from "Collection of Simple Prescriptions").
4. Treatment for alcoholic red nose: Apply Tung oil mixed with realgar and arsenic sulfide (from "Selected Prescriptions").
5. Treatment for frostbite and chapped skin: Take a bowl of Tung oil and a handful of human hair. Cook and collect in a bottle. Wash with warm water to soften and apply (from "Emergency Prescriptions").
6. Detoxification of arsenic poisoning: Inject three liters of Tung oil, the poison will be expelled by vomiting (from "Hua Tuo's Dangerous Disease Prescriptions").
7. Treatment for burns caused by fire: Mix Tung oil with lime. Stir the lime with water until clear, take the clear water, add a few drops of Tung oil, and stir with a bamboo stick. After half an hour, a white gel will form. Apply it to the affected area for a remarkable soothing effect (from "Chinese Medical Science" (4): 63, 1936).
8. Treatment for felon: Soak gauze in Tung oil and wrap it around the affected area; or soak the affected finger in Tung oil (from "Guizhou Herbal Medicine").
Clinical applications of Tung oil
1. Treatment of surgical inflammation
Use Tung oil and plaster powder to apply to the affected area. If used in a timely manner, it has a promoting effect on the absorption and regression of acute suppurative inflammation.
2. Treatment of burns
Within 10 minutes after the burn, immerse the burned limb in a tub of Tung oil. The immersion should continue until the pain disappears or there is only a slight burning sensation when the patient's limb is removed from the oil. After soaking, use sterilized gauze soaked in raw Tung oil to apply to the affected area, changing it once a day until the wound is dry. In a trial of 9 cases, the redness and swelling around the burn site significantly decreased, and the formation of blisters also decreased. Third-degree burns healed after the scabs dried and fell off on their own. No infection occurred, and the scars softened after healing, causing no functional impairment.
3. Treatment of common warts
First, lightly scrape the surface of the wart with a needle or knife, then drop the sap of Tung fruit on the wart and let it dry naturally until a scab forms and falls off. If after the scab falls off, there is still some wart tissue that has not fallen off, drop the medicine 1-2 more times until it is completely gone. After dropping the medicine, do not wash the affected area with water to avoid affecting scab formation. In a treatment of 8 cases, except for 1 case of multiple warts that did not respond to 3 rounds of treatment, the remaining 7 cases of simple warts all fell off after 1-3 rounds of treatment, and no recurrence was observed after 6 months of follow-up.
