Gorgon fruit
Naming
Qian Shi (Gorgon fruit)——Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (Shen Nong’s Herbal)
Origin
The ripe seeds of the annual plant Euryale ferox Salisb. of the family Nyphaeace.
Location
Hunan, Jiangxi and Anhui provinces in China.
Harvest
Collected in late autumn to early winter. Peeled, taken seeds out, then shelled and dried in the sun.
The actual smell and taste
No smell, slight flavor.
Best quality
Full, rich powder and white cross section without fragments.
Processing
Crushed, unprocessed or stir-baked.
Property
Sweet, astringent, neutral; spleen, and kidney meridians entered.
Actions
Tonify kidney and secure essence; tonify spleen to check diarrhea, dry dampness and stop leukorrhagia.
Indications
A. Seminal emission and spermatorrhea
It can tonify kidney to secure essence. For seminal emission and spermatorrhea, soreness and limpness of knees and lumbar due to insecurity of kidney qi, it is combined with Jin Ying Zi for mutual reinforcement of astringency, such as in the formula Shui Lu Er Xian Dan from Ren Chun Tang Jing Yan Fang. It is also combined with kidney-tonifying and astringing herbs. For instance, it is used with Lian Zi, Lian Xu and Mu Li in the formula Jin Suo Gu Jin Wan from Yi Fang Ji Jie.
B. Chronic diarrhea due to spleen deficiency
It can both tonify spleen and dry dampness, and astringe intestine to check diarrhea. For chronic diarrhea due to spleen deficiency with excessive dampness, it is combined with Bai Zhu, Fu Ling and Bai Bian Dou.
C. Leukorrhagia
It is a good herb for leukorrhagia due to spleen deficiency or kidney deficiency, because it can tonify spleen, kidney, astringe and dry dampness, and the latter is not the action of Lian Zi. For thin leukorrhagia due to kidney and splecn deficiency, it is combined with herbs to tonify spleen qi. For instance, it is used with Dang Shen, Bai Zhu and Shan Yao. For yellow and thick leukorrhagia, it is combined with heat-clearing and damp-draining heabs. For instance, it is used with Huang Bai and Che Qian Zi in the formula Yi Huang Tang form Fu Qing Zhu Nv Ke.
Dosage and Administration
Decoct 10~15 g.