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Mu Bie Zi木鳖子

Momordicae Semen · Cochinchina Momordica Seed

Herbs for External Application 外用药《开宝本草》

Overview

  • ·.*

The flat, shell-like seed of Momordica cochinchinensis — bitter, faintly sweet, cool and toxic. It breaks up hard lumps and swelling and attacks the toxin behind a sore, and it is used mainly on the surface: ground with oil or vinegar and spread over unresolved boils, scrofulous nodes, breast abscess, ringworm and haemorrhoids. Very small internal doses appear in the classical record, but the margin is narrow enough that external use is now essentially the whole of its practice. Note the name: is a different herb altogether — Ma Qian Zi, the strychnine seed — and the two must never be confused.

Nature & Flavor

Bitter, slightly sweet · Cool · Toxic

Channels

Liver · Spleen · Stomach

Typical Dosage

0.9–1.2 g
木鳖子Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

4 core actions

  • Disperses nodules, reduces swellingFirm unresolving swellings: scrofulous neck nodes, breast abscess, and boils that will neither ripen nor recede. Applied over the lump.
  • Attacks toxin, treats soresRingworm and scalp fungal infection, chronic ulcerated sores, and painful haemorrhoids and anal fissure — as a paste or ointment.
  • External use is the practical routeThe internal dose that the pharmacopoeia allows is under a gram and a half, and poisoning has followed only slightly more. Where a practitioner has no clear reason to give it internally, it stays on the skin.
  • Not the same as Fan Mu Bieis Ma Qian Zi 马钱子, the strychnine-containing seed of Strychnos, and it is far more dangerous. The similarity of the names has caused real dispensing errors.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Mu Bie Zi

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

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Scrofulous nodes and firm unresolving swellings (external)
    - Breast abscess and stubborn boils (external)
    - Ringworm and scalp fungal infection (external)
    - Haemorrhoids and anal fissure (external)

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

Skin abscessLymphadenitisTinea capitisHaemorrhoids

Contraindications

Cautions

Mu Bie Zi is toxic. Its saponins and toxic protein irritate the gut and, in overdose, depress the nervous system: reported poisonings involve nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, headache and dizziness, and in serious cases falling blood pressure and depressed breathing. Keep any internal use inside the 0.9–1.2 g pharmacopoeia limit, on prescription, and never as a long course; there is no safe self-directed internal use. It is unsuitable for weak or deficient patients and for children. Applied to the skin it can irritate and blister, so keep it off healthy skin around the lesion, off mucous membranes and away from the eyes, and do not use it over a large area or on broken skin. Do not confuse it with (Ma Qian Zi 马钱子). Any accidental ingestion of a larger amount needs medical assessment.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: Contraindicated in pregnancy, internally and externally.

For licensed practitioners’ reference only

References

  1. Kai Bao Ben Cao《开宝本草》(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.