gua di

瓜蒂·Pedicellus Melo

muskmelon fruit pedicel

Slightly toxic

Toxicity graded by American Dragon.

About gua di

Gua Di (瓜蒂) is the pedicel of the muskmelon, the stub where the fruit joined its stalk, recorded as Pedicellus Melo. It is bitter in flavour and cold in temperature, entering the Stomach channel alone.

Names

Pinyin	gua di
Chinese	瓜蒂
Latin Name	Pedicellus Melo
English Name	muskmelon fruit pedicel

Classification

Category: Relieve Coughing & Wheezing
Channels: Stomach
Flavour: Bitter
Temperature: Cold

Actions and indications

Induces vomiting to expel Phlegm-Heat, retained food or swallowed poison

Phlegm-Heat or Phlegm and food trapped above the diaphragm, when vomiting is the chosen method: full chest and epigastrium, a blocked feeling in the throat or throat Bi, wheezing, seizures, mania, restlessness or insomnia
Undigested food lodged in the upper Stomach, with distension and pain of the chest and epigastrium; may be given alone
A swallowed poison or harmful substance, where rapid expulsion is the priority (historical use)

Clears Damp-Heat and relieves jaundice

Damp-Heat jaundice in which Damp predominates
Obstinate jaundice of the eyes and face, with nasal stuffiness and headache, when Damp is trapped in the head, treated by blowing the fine powder into the nostrils to draw out a yellowish discharge

Combinations

chi xiao dou
Phlegm or food lodged above the diaphragm, food poisoning at its very earliest stage, and Hot Phlegm: brings on vomiting
huang lian + bing pian
Chronic rhinitis
rock brown sugar
Strengthens emesis

Dosage

Age	Raw	Granule	Tincture	Concentrate	Frequency
Any 1.5-6g; Pills: 0.3-1g	1.5-6 g	—	—	—	—

Cautions

pregnancy Contraindicated in pregnancy and after childbirth, as the strain of forced vomiting is unsafe
contraindication Debilitated, weak or elderly patients, who cannot withstand the emetic reaction
contraindication Vomiting or coughing up blood, gastrointestinal or other bleeding, or a bleeding tendency, which forced vomiting can provoke or worsen
contraindication Bleeding from deficiency
caution Only for Excess patterns, or Heat of Excess type
caution For trained practitioners only; not for self-administration

Interactions

Drug interactions

Anticoagulant, antiplatelet and liver-toxic medicines: a precaution only, reasoned from the bleeding cautions, the vomiting it induces and the liver effects of its cucurbitacins in the laboratory; no clinical interaction is documented