Medicinals

qiān niú zǐ / 牵牛子 / 牽牛子 / morning glory [seed];

Latin pharmacognostic name: Pharbitidis Semen

Alternate English names: pharbitis [seed]

Alternate Chinese names: 二丑 èr chǒu; 牵牛 qiān niú; 黑白丑 hēi bái chǒu

Origin: Plant

Use: medicinal

Category: Draining-precipitant agents / Drastic water-expelling agents

Properties: Bitter; cold; toxic.

Channel entry: lung, kidney, and large intestine channels.

Indications:

Dosage & Method:

Oral: 3–9g in decoctions; 1.5–3gr in powders. Stir-frying alters the nature of qiān niú zǐ, moderating its precipitating action and reducing its side effects (which include vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody stool, and bloody urine).

Warning:

Contraindicated in pregnancy. Do not use it with bā dòu (Crotonis Fructus) (bā dòu fears qiān niú zǐ). Unlike Western morning glory seeds, qiān niú zǐ is not significantly psychoactive.

Notes:

Western morning glory seeds are generally derived from a different species and are sometimes poisoned to discourage their consumption, so they are not a safe substitute for this medicinal.

Product Description:

The dried, ripe fruit is ovate and three-sided. Two of the sides are flat, while the third, the dorsal face, bows outward, with a wide longitudinal furrow. At the lower end of the ventral ridge that separates the two flat sides is a round light-colored hilum. The seed is 4–8 mm long, while the sides are about 3–5 mm wide. The external surface is either black (black morning glory seed, hēi chǒu) or pale brown (white morning glory seed, bái chǒu). The seed coat is hard. The transverse section shows two heavily folded pale-yellow cotyledons. When soaked in water, the seed coat splits along the ventral ridge, and becomes mucous. This seed has no smell.

Quality:

Best are full ripe seeds of mixed coloration, with no impurities.

Product Area:

Liáoníng, Shānxī.

Etymology:

The name qiān niú zǐ 牵牛子, literally ""lead-the-ox seed,"" is, according to legend, so named because a peasant led his ox to give it the healer to express his gratitude for this medicine (qiān niú xiè yào 牵牛谢药). Chǒu 丑 in alternate names is equivalent to 牛, ox.

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