Bitter Melon Seed, also known as Tu Da Feng Zi, Zhu Yao Zi, and Ku Can Zi, is a Chinese herbal medicine. Is Bitter Melon Seed highly toxic and how is it used?
Bitter Melon Seed Poisoning
Bitter Melon Seed is highly toxic. It is listed as a toxic plant in the Chinese Plant Database, and its toxicity lies in its seeds and roots.
Symptoms of poisoning are similar to those of Mauve Fish Vine, including vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, dry mucous membranes, rapid breathing, and confusion.
Medicinal Uses of Bitter Melon Seed
1. Treatment of scabies and skin diseases: Bitter Melon Seed, Sichuan pepper, Sophora flavescens, Chenopodium ambrosioides, Coptis chinensis, and Dipsacus asperoides are ground into powder and mixed with fragrant oil for topical application. (Sichuan Chinese Materia Medica)
2. Treatment of muscular pain: Bitter Melon Seed powder is taken three to five minutes per dose, mixed with boiling water. (Guizhou Folk Medicine)
3. Treatment of malnutrition in children: Bitter Melon Seed powder (calcined) is taken in a dose of five minutes. It can be eaten with steamed chicken liver or mixed with water. (Guizhou Folk Medicine)
4. Treatment of hand and foot pain: Two liang of Bitter Melon Seed is decocted in water and taken orally. (Hunan Materia Medica)
5. Treatment of joint pain: Two liang of fresh Bitter Melon Seed, two liang of fresh maple pear, Shanzhuzi, bayberry, melia fruit, Acanthopanax, and Huperzia serrata, five qian of Achyranthes bidentata, two qian of Notoginseng, and one pig's foot are used together. The mixture is stewed in water and taken in two doses. (Jiangxi "Herbal Manual")
6. Treatment of night sweats due to weak body: Three liang of fresh Bitter Melon Seed is decocted in water and taken with two eggs. (Jiangxi "Herbal Manual")
Dosage and Usage of Bitter Melon Seed
External use: Ground into powder and applied topically. Internal use: Ground into powder or calcined and ground into powder, 3-5 minutes per dose; or ground into juice for consumption.
Precautions for Bitter Melon Seed
Bitter Melon Seed is highly toxic and should be used internally with caution.
