1. Alias
Sweet melon seeds, sweet melon kernels, and sweet melon petals.
2. Plant morphology
Annual climbing creeping herb. The stem is round, with a regular concave shape and a longitudinal concave shape, covered with numerous short hairs. The tip of the tendrils does not bifurcate and has prickly hairs. Leaves alternate, with long stalks, about 10 centimeters long. The leaves are nearly circular or kidney shaped, 4-12 centimeters long, roughly equal in width and length. They are 3-7 palmately lobed, with soft hairs on the third side and short bristles on the lower veins. The leaf veins are palmately shaped, with neat serrations on the edges. Flowers are unisexual, monoecious, growing in the axils of leaves. Male flowers are clustered, while female flowers are solitary. The sepals are cylindrical, 5-lobed, and the tips of the lobes are pointed, densely covered with white soft hairs. The corolla is yellow, 5-lobed, and the lobes are oval shaped with small pointed tips, about 2 centimeters long. Male flowers have long stems, 5 stamens, and 3 stamens. The filaments are extremely short and closely attached to the corolla tube. The calyx is S-shaped and the top of the septum is elongated. The female flower stem is short, the ovary is lower, long elliptical, the style is extremely short, and the stigma is 3, and they are close together. Gouguo, its shape and color vary depending on the variety, generally elongated, 10-15 centimeters long, with a yellow, yellow white or green outer skin, sometimes patterned, smooth, slightly fragrant, and sweet taste. The seeds are mostly flattened and elongated, often yellow white or grayish white in color. The flowering period is from June to July, and the fruiting period is from July to August.
3. Origin distribution
It is cultivated in various parts of our country.
4. Harvesting and processing
Collect, wash, and sun dry fruits when they mature in summer and autumn.
5. Characteristics of medicinal herbs
It is flat and oval shaped, measuring 5-9 millimeters in length and 2-4 millimeters in width. The surface is yellow white, light brownish red or brownish yellow, smooth and slightly glossy. One end is slightly pointed, and the other end is blunt and round. The seed coat is hard and brittle, with membranous endosperm and two cotyledons inside. The air is faint and the taste is light.
6. Sexual Taste Returning to the Classics
Cold in nature, sweet in taste. Return to the lung meridian, stomach meridian, and colon meridian.
7. Effect and Function
Clear the lungs, moisten the intestines, remove blood stasis, discharge pus, treat injuries and relieve pain. A blood activating painkiller classified under the category of blood activating and stasis removing drugs.
8. Clinical application
Use 9-30 grams, decoct in water, or grind to powder. Used to treat lung heat cough, constipation, lung abscess, intestinal abscess, traumatic injury, and muscle and bone fracture.
9. Pharmacological research
Deworming; Antibacterial.
10. Chemical composition
Seeds contain 30.6% protein, 48.7% fat, vitamin C, carotenoids, and various amino acids. They also contain 5.78% globulin and gluten, as well as galactose, glucose, gum, resin, etc. Nuts contain 49.4% lipids, of which neutral lipids account for 91.5%, glycolipids account for 6.4%, and phospholipids account for 2.1%.
11. Usage taboos
Patients with spleen and stomach deficiency cold and diarrhea should avoid taking it.
12. Compatibility prescription
① Treatment of chronic bronchitis: 60 grams of sweet melon seeds. Grind powder, 6 grams each time, take with boiling water, twice a day. (Zhejiang Medicinal Plant Chronicles)
② Treatment of pulmonary edema and exudative pleurisy: 120 grams each of winter melon seeds and sweet melon seeds. Crush and boil soup to replace tea drinks. (Shi Jinmo on Medicine)
③ Treatment for restlessness and thirst: 9g sweet melon seeds, 12g Ophiopogon japonicus, 12g smallpox pollen. Boil it in water. (Qingdao Herbal Medicine Handbook)
④ For treating intestinal and lung abscesses: 30g of sweet melon seeds, add an appropriate amount of white sugar, crush and grind finely, and take with boiling water. (Food, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Toilet Formula)
⑤ Treating bad breath: Sweet melon seeds as a powder, mixed with honey. Daily hollow washing, containing one pill as big as a jujube pit, also applied to teeth. (From "Qian Jin Yao Fang")
⊙ The content of the article is for clinical reference only. Non TCM professionals are not allowed to test drugs.