Gua Di瓜蒂
Melo Pedicellus · Muskmelon Pedicel · Melon Stalk
Overview
The dried stalk of the muskmelon fruit — bitter, cold and toxic — and the herb that gave its name to Gua Di San, the classical emetic powder. It was used to empty the stomach of phlegm, food or ingested poison, and, blown into the nose as a powder, to draw watery discharge and relieve jaundice. Both uses have been retired: gastric emptying is no longer a treatment for poisoning, and jaundice is investigated rather than provoked. The entry stands as a record of how the emetic method was practised, not as something to reproduce.
Nature & Flavor
Bitter · Cold · ToxicChannels
StomachTypical Dosage
2.5–5 g in decoctionActions
3 core actions
- Induces vomiting of phlegm and foodThe classical action: phlegm or undigested food sitting in the stomach and chest with fullness, laboured breathing and a stifling sensation; historically also for material recently swallowed.
- Drains damp, relieves jaundicePowdered and blown into the nostril so that watery fluid runs from the nose — the classical treatment of damp jaundice. The instruction was to stop as soon as the yellow fluid appeared.
- One dose, then stopThe classical texts are emphatic that Gua Di is given once and discontinued the moment it works. Repeating the dose because nothing has happened yet is how this herb causes harm.
In Formulas
Formulas containing Gua Di
Indications & Clinical Uses
- Phlegm or food stagnation in the chest and stomach with fullness (classical emetic use)
- Damp jaundice, as a nasal powder (classical)
- Emptying the stomach after recent ingestion of harmful material (historical only)
Western Medical Keywords
Searchable condition terms
Contraindications
Cautions
Gua Di is toxic. The cucurbitacins it contains irritate the gut severely; overdose has produced violent vomiting and diarrhoea, dehydration, gastrointestinal bleeding, and in serious cases circulatory failure and damage to the heart, liver and kidneys. Deaths from excessive doses are on record. Keep to 0.3–1 g of powder, give it once, and stop as soon as vomiting begins. It is contraindicated in the elderly, the debilitated, in blood loss or anaemia, in peptic ulcer or oesophageal varices, in heart disease, and in children. Do not use it to treat poisoning or overdose — that requires emergency medical care, not an emetic. If vomiting continues after the dose, seek medical help and replace fluids.
Contraindicated in pregnancy: Contraindicated in pregnancy, and during breastfeeding — toxic, and violent vomiting risks the pregnancy.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only
References
- Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing《神农本草经》(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.