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Cura x Cura

Si Gua Luo丝瓜络

Luffae Fructus Retinervus · Luffa Fibre · Vegetable Sponge · Loofah

Herbs that Dispel Wind-Dampness 祛风湿药《本草纲目》

Overview

The fibrous vascular skeleton left when a mature luffa fruit is stripped of pulp and skin — the same mesh sold as a bath sponge. Sweet and neutral, it is a light, unblocking herb whose whole reputation rests on freeing the channels and collaterals: wind-damp painful obstruction with stiff joints, chest and flank pain, and blocked breast collaterals with lumps or scant milk. Dry-fried Si Gua Luo loses the raw herb's faint coolness and sits more easily on a weak stomach, which is why it is preferred when the obstruction is cold-damp rather than hot.

Nature & Flavor

Sweet · Neutral

Channels

Lung · Stomach · Liver

Typical Dosage

4.5–9 g in decoction
丝瓜络Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

3 core actions

  • Frees the channels and collateralsWind-damp painful obstruction with aching, stiff joints and restricted movement, particularly in the shoulders and back; also chest and flank pain where qi is caught in the collaterals.
  • Opens the breast collateralsDistended, painful, lumpy breasts and sparse lactation; commonly given with Wang Bu Liu Xing and Lu Lu Tong 路路通.
  • Transforms phlegm, disperses swellingAdded to clearing formulas for phlegm-heat cough, and used topically as a wash over hot swollen sores.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Si Gua Luo

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

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Wind-damp bi with stiff, aching joints and limited range of movement
    - Chest and hypochondriac pain from collateral obstruction
    - Breast distension, lumps and insufficient lactation
    - Phlegm-heat cough as an assistant herb

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

ArthritisMastitisInsufficient lactationIntercostal neuralgia

Contraindications

Cautions

A mild herb with no classical contraindication of its own. It is faintly cooling in the raw form, so patients with Spleen-Stomach deficiency cold and loose stools do better with the dry-fried form or with warming herbs alongside. It opens the collaterals but does not treat the underlying deficiency, so on its own it rarely resolves a chronic joint problem. A breast lump should be assessed medically before it is treated as simple stagnation, and a fever with a hot, red, painful breast during lactation needs same-day care.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: No specific restriction — practitioner judgment applies.

For licensed practitioners’ reference only

References

  1. Ben Cao Gang Mu《本草纲目》(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.