ba dou

巴豆·Fructus Crontonis

Croton Seed

Toxic

Toxicity graded by American Dragon.

About ba dou

Ba Dou (巴豆) is the seed of croton, a plant of the spurge family, recorded as Fructus Crotonis. It is acrid in flavour and hot in temperature, and enters the Lung, Stomach and Large Intestine channels. The catalogue files it among the harsh expellants. The record classes it as toxic and able to kill, names it among the most hazardous substances in the materia medica, and says it should never be self-administered.

Names

Pinyin	ba dou
Chinese	巴豆
Latin Name	Fructus Crontonis·Fructus Crotonis
English Name	Croton Seed
Japanese	hazu
Korean	padu

Classification

Category: Harsh Expellants
Channels: Lung, Large Intestine, Stomach
Flavour: Acrid
Temperature: Hot
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Species: Croton Tiglium
Tags: Chinese Herbs, Common

Actions and indications

Warms, unblocks and drastically purges Cold accumulation

Constipation with a full, distended and painful abdomen, from severe Cold building up internally, where a warm rather than a cold purgative is needed
Food stagnation

Drives out water and reduces edema

Ascites in late-stage schistosomiasis
Ascites and severe edema

Breaks up obstructing Phlegm and benefits the throat

Laboured breathing and wheezing, with marked fullness and distension of the chest and diaphragm
Phlegm misting the orifices

Promotes healing of abscesses and ulcers and kills parasites (topical)

Abscesses that have formed pus but have not yet broken open
Severe or chronic ulcers
Furuncles and warts

Stops diarrhea

Diarrhea from Cold

Kills insects (topical)

Combinations

da huang + gan jiang
Interior accumulation of Cold
zhu sha + niu huang
Phlegm Misting the Orifices.
jie geng + bei mu
Lung abscess with chest pain, cough and copious sputum with a fishy smell
ru xiang + mo yao + mu bie zi
Hastens ulceration when applied topically
bing lang + ze xie
Edema with swelling and difficult urination
chi xiao dou
Edema with abdominal distention, difficult urination and shortness of breath
ku shen
Painful sores, applied as a warm topical poultice
ru xiang + mo yao
Sores not yet ulcerated
xiong huang
Topically for skin disorders.

Dosage

Age	Raw	Granule	Tincture	Concentrate	Frequency
Any Pills or capsules: 0.1-0.3g per day; Topically: 3-9g; Defatted capsules: 15-30g every four hours if necessary; Tincture: 0.05-0.1ml	0.1-0.3 g	—	0.05-0.1 ml	—	—

Cautions

caution Classed as toxic and can be fatal; among the most hazardous items in the whole materia medica, so reserve it for professional supervision and never self-treat with it in any form
pregnancy Absolutely contraindicated in pregnancy; it is the most drastic purgative, and birth defects have been documented
lactation Not to be used while breastfeeding
contraindication Weak, debilitated, frail or elderly patients: only a person with substantial underlying strength can withstand so drastic a purge
paediatric Not for children
caution Hot drinks taken alongside it sharply intensify the purging, so avoid them
caution If diarrhea will not stop, rice congee or a tea of Huang Lian (Coptis) and Huang Bai (Phellodendron) is given to settle it
caution For poisoning, give a cold soup of Lu Dou (mung bean), or a decoction of Gan Cao and Huang Lian taken cold
caution Hazardous to handle: its phorbol esters strongly irritate the skin, eyes and mucous membranes, so keep the raw material off the skin

Interactions

Drug interactions

Medicines affected by potassium levels or hydration: a drastic purge can deplete fluids and electrolytes (a general precaution for this class of purgative, not a documented interaction)

Research

Tumor-promoting agents in two-stage carcinogenesis Prog Exp Tumor Res · Journal Article, Review · 1969
Protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms in cancer, tumor promotion and tumor suppression Semin Cancer Biol · Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S., Review · 2018
Eyes wide shut: protein kinase C isozymes are not the only receptors for the phorbol ester tumor promoters Mol Carcinog · Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S., Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S., Review · 2000
Purgative Effect, Acute Toxicity, and Quantification of Phorbol-12-Myristate-13-Acetate and Crotonic Acid in Croton tiglium L. Seeds Before and After Treatment by Thai Traditional Detoxification Process Int J Mol Sci · Journal Article · 2025
Botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacological and toxicological effects of Croton tiglium Linn.: a comprehensive review J Pharm Pharmacol · Journal Article, Review · 2022
Discovery of a novel protein kinase C activator from Croton tiglium for inhibition of non-small cell lung cancer Phytomedicine · Journal Article · 2019