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Da Feng Zi大风子

Hydnocarpi Semen · Chaulmoogra Seed · Hydnocarpus Seed

Herbs for External Application 外用药Ben Cao Yan Yi Bu Yi 《本草衍义补遗》

Overview

  • ·.*

The oily seed of the chaulmoogra tree — acrid, hot and toxic — and for six centuries the standard treatment for leprosy in China, India and much of Asia. The crushed seed or its expressed oil was applied to the lesions, and in some periods taken internally or injected as prepared esters. It has been completely superseded: leprosy has been curable since the sulfone drugs of the 1940s and has been treated with WHO multidrug therapy, provided free, since the 1980s. Leprosy is also a notifiable disease in most countries. This entry records a historically important drug that no longer has an indication.

Nature & Flavor

Acrid · Hot · Toxic

Channels

Liver · Spleen · Kidney

Typical Dosage

External use as the crushed seed or the oil compounded into an ointment. The classical internal dose was 0.3–1 g in pills or powder — a route that is obsolete and should not be revived.
大风子Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

3 core actions

  • Attacks toxin, kills parasitesThe classical indication was leprosy, along with syphilitic sores; the seed or its oil was applied to the lesions over long periods.
  • Dispels wind, dries dampStubborn ringworm, scabies and chronic scaly itching patches, and the reddened thickened skin of rosacea — as an external preparation.
  • Superseded for its main indicationChaulmoogra oil was the mainstay of leprosy treatment until dapsone, and multidrug therapy replaced both. No practitioner should be treating leprosy with this herb, and anyone with a suspected case needs referral, not a prescription.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Da Feng Zi

No published formula lists this herb yet — the library is growing.

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Leprosy (historical; now treated with multidrug therapy)
    - Syphilitic sores (historical)
    - Stubborn ringworm, scabies and scaly itching patches (external)
    - Rosacea with reddened thickened skin (external, classical)

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

LeprosyTineaScabiesRosacea

Contraindications

Cautions

Da Feng Zi is toxic, and it is effectively obsolete. Taken internally it causes nausea, vomiting, chest and abdominal pain, dizziness and headache, and larger amounts have caused haemolysis and injury to the liver and kidneys; the injected esters used in the early twentieth century produced severe reactions and were abandoned. Do not use it internally. External preparations are irritating: keep them off healthy skin, mucous membranes and the eyes, and stop if the skin blisters or becomes painful. It is unsuitable in yin deficiency with heat signs and in liver or kidney impairment, and it is not for children. Above all, its historical indication is not a reason to use it: leprosy is curable with free multidrug therapy and is notifiable in most jurisdictions — a suspected case is referred, not treated herbally.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: Contraindicated in pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

For licensed practitioners’ reference only

References

  1. Ben Cao Yan Yi Bu Yi《本草衍义补遗》(classical source, public domain).
    2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
    3. 《中华人民共和国药典》.

Professional reference notice. Entries are scholarly references for licensed TCM practitioners and students — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to self-prescribe. Chinese herbal formulas should be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. Content is an original editorial compilation by Cura x Cura, cross-checked against the cited references.