Caper Spurge Seed Powder

Traditional Use

Primary Actions

• Expels water by catharsis and reduces swelling - the processed frost form is used for severe edema, ascites, retained phlegm-fluid, and other robust excess patterns where a forceful downward-draining seed is needed.
• Drives out accumulations through the bowels - chosen when water retention is accompanied by constipation, difficult defecation, or obstructed Qi movement in the intestines.
• Breaks blood and disperses masses - extended in classical practice to amenorrhea, abdominal masses, and fixed obstruction patterns in which fluid retention and Blood stasis coexist.
• Treats stubborn skin lesions externally - powdered Qian Jin Zi Shuang may be applied with care for tinea, warts, and other persistent lesions that require a corrosive toxic-dispersing strategy.

Secondary Actions

• Qian Jin Zi Shuang is the defatted processed powder made from the same Euphorbia lathyris seed as Qian Jin Zi, and the processing is intended to reduce the seed's oily harshness while preserving its drastic purgative action.
• It is usually prescribed in very small pill or powder doses rather than as a routine decoction herb, and classical pairing often includes astringents or toxin-resolvers to control excessive purgation.

Classic Formulas

• Zi Jin Ding / Yu Shu Dan (紫金锭 / 玉枢丹) - classical emergency formula in which Qian Jin Zi Shuang helps scour toxic turbidity and drive foul accumulations downward through the intestines.
• Qian Jin Zi Shuang with Hong Da Ji and Wu Bei Zi - a classical processed-toxic-herb strategy for strongly attacking damp-toxin and phlegm accumulation while partially restraining excessive fluid loss.
• Qian Jin Zi Shuang with Da Huang or other downward-draining purgatives - traditional excess-pattern combinations for edema, difficult elimination, and severe accumulation.
• Topical Qian Jin Zi Shuang powder or paste - external-use traditions for warts, tinea, and stubborn superficial lesions when a toxic-expulsive medicine is indicated.

Classical References

• TCM Wiki describes Qian Jin Zi Shuang as acrid, warm, and toxic, entering the Liver, Kidney, and Large Intestine channels and treating edema, constipation, phlegm-retained fluid, amenorrhea, and external tinea or warts.
• Me & Qi's Zi Jin Ding composition notes emphasize that the processed frost form reduces toxicity while retaining the ability to purge turbid pathogenic material downward.
• IDENTITY NOTE: this is a preparation-state variant of herb #183, Qian Jin Zi, rather than a different species; the chief distinction is processing and reduced oil content.