Common Carpesium Fruit

Traditional Use

Primary Actions

• Kills intestinal parasites and alleviates pain - He Shi is a focused anthelmintic for roundworms, pinworms, hookworms, and tapeworm-type infestations marked by intermittent cramping abdominal pain, especially when worms disturb the middle burner and the patient feels pain that comes and goes without a clear food trigger.
• Resolves accumulation caused by chronic worm burden - beyond simply attacking worms, He Shi is used when parasite infestation has already produced abdominal distension, poor appetite, thin limbs with a swollen belly in children, foul breath, or long-standing digestive stagnation.
• Assists with parasite-related childhood malnutrition patterns - traditional texts and later clinical summaries use it when children eat poorly or fail to thrive because worms are consuming nourishment and weakening Spleen transport, making the herb part of a broader strategy to remove the pathogen before rebuilding digestion.
• Can be applied externally for localized parasite or toxic-itch presentations - later practice extends He Shi into washes, powders, or suppository-style use for pinworm-related anal itching and some genital itching or toxic sores, though its main internal identity remains parasite killing.

Secondary Actions

• He Shi is slightly toxic and therefore classically prescribed in short courses, often combined with purgative, Qi-moving, or Spleen-supporting herbs so dead parasites are expelled instead of remaining lodged in the intestines.
• There is longstanding botanical confusion between true northern He Shi from Carpesium abrotanoides and southern substitutes derived from wild carrot or other regional species, so identification matters when comparing older formula records.

Classic Formulas

• Hua Chong Wan (化虫丸) - classic pediatric worm formula pairing He Shi with Bing Lang, Ku Lian Pi, Hu Fen, and Bai Fan to address abdominal pain, malnutrition, vomiting, and restless worm accumulation.
• He Shi with Bing Lang - broad-spectrum parasite-killing strategy in which He Shi attacks the worms while Bing Lang helps drive them downward and out through the bowels.
• He Shi with Shi Jun Zi - child-friendly pairing used when roundworm infestation coexists with poor appetite and weak digestion, because Shi Jun Zi is gentler while He Shi adds stronger killing power.
• He Shi with Bai Bu, Ku Lian Pi, or She Chuang Zi - external or suppository-style approach for pinworm-related itching or lower-orifice irritation.

Classical References

• Tang-era materia medica records He Shi as bitter, neutral, and slightly toxic, primarily for roundworm and pinworm disorders, often given as a powder or pill with fatty broth to improve delivery and expulsion.
• Ben Cao Tu Jing calls He Shi one of the most important herbs in parasite-killing prescriptions, reinforcing its narrow but important role in classic anti-worm therapy.
• Later sources such as Ri Hua Zi Ben Cao and Ling Nan Cai Yao Lu broaden the picture by noting use for malarial-type disorders, sores, snake toxin, and external application, but these remain secondary to its core identity as a parasite herb.