INDIVIDUAL HERBS
| Pharmaceutical Latin: | Fructus Crotonis |
| Common English: | Croton Seed Croton Fruit |
| Taste | Temperature | Entering Meridians | Dosage |
Acrid |
Hot Toxic |
Stomach Large Intestine Lung |
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 |
| Actions | Indications/Syndromes |
Warmly unblocks and vigorously purges (purges accumulated Cold) |
Severe Internal Cold Accumulation leading to constipation, abdominal fullness, distention and pain Food Stagnation |
Drives out water and reduces edema |
Ascites due to end stage schistomiasis |
Breaks up clogged Phlegm and improves the condition of the throat |
Difficult breathing, wheezing, and severe fullness and distention in the chest and diaphragm Phlegm Blocking the Orifices |
Promotes healing of abscesses and ulcers topically and kills parasites |
Abscesses that have suppurated but not ulcerated Severe ulcers |
Stops diarrhea |
Diarrhea due to Cold |
Insecticide topically |
|
CONTRAINDICATIONS |
|
INCOMPATIBILITIES |
|
HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS |
Accumulation of Cold in the Interior. |
Phlegm Misting the Orifices. |
Lung Abscess with cough, chest pain, and copious, fishy-smelling sputum. |
Sm. Phaseoli |
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Accelerates the ulcerating process topically. |
Edema associated with swelling and urinary difficulty. |
Edema and abdominal distention, shortness of breath and urinary difficulty. |
Rx. Sophorae Flavescentis |
Realgar |
|
Applied topically as a warm poultice for painful sores. |
Sores that have not ulcerated. |
Topically for skin disorders. |
- It is traditionally considered the herbal equivalent of a battering ram.
- It is most often used in its defatted form and called Prepared Semen Crotonis Ba Dou Shuang.
- Croton Root, Ba Dou Gen, is a medium strength remedy, given for rheumatoid arthritis, hematomas, and snakebite. Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.
- This herb has been shown to have an inhibitory effect on the growth of cancer cells. When used for this purpose, remove the oil.
- For acute diseases of the digestive tract, take raw with the peel, kernel, skin and juice removed.
- For chronic diseases of the digestive tract such as Food Stagnation and abdominal masses, bur black and pulverize into a powder.
- This herb clears the bowels and cures diarrhea.
- It has been used topically for boils.
- For acute paralysis of the throat (which can be fatal if not treated in time), make a pill (Jie Du Wan) of 14 granules of this herb with 30g of Realgar Xiong Huang which clears away accumulated Qi and 3g of Rx. Curcumae Yu Jin which dissolves extravasated Blood. This pill is devastating and should be used with care.
- Both Ba Dou and Rx. et Rz. Rhei Da Huang are purgatives, drive out the old to bring in the new, reduce accumulation and harmonize the middle. Da Huang is cold and is used for Heat buildup in the Yang organs, has a low toxicity, breaks up Blood Stasis, clears Damp-Heat and relieves toxicity. Ba Dou is Hot, is used when Cold accumulates internally in the Yin organs and is very toxic.
- Defatted Croton Kernels (Fructus Crotonis Pulveratum) Ba Dou Shuang is less toxic, yet only very small doses should be taken . It is used to drain downward, attack Phlegm, soften hardness and grind down accumulations.
- The unripe fruit is more toxic than the ripened fruit.
- Dry-fried Croton Kernels Chao Ba Dou Ren is less toxic and less purgative.
- Sand-washed Croton Kernels Sha Yu Ba Dou Ren is less toxic
- Croton Husks Ba Dou Ke or Ba Dou Qiao also known as Croton Skin reduces accumulation, breaks up hardness, transforms Phlegm and is used for accumulated Food Stagnation, scrofula, and Phlegm nodules. Charred, it can alleviate dysenteric disorders.