White Morning Glory Seed

Traditional Use

Primary Actions

• Drives out retained water by forceful downward purgation - used for edema, ascites, swollen face, and abdominal fullness when excess water and accumulation require a strong exit through stool and urine.
• Unblocks the bowels and reduces accumulation - applied to excess-type constipation, food stagnation, and obstructed abdominal distension rather than to weak or deficient constipation.
• Drains phlegm and retained fluid from the Lung - classical use extends to cough, wheezing, and dyspnea when phlegm-fluid obstruction combines with swelling or bowel blockage.
• Kills parasites and relieves abdominal pain - used in worm accumulation patterns, especially when parasites coexist with distension or constipation.

Secondary Actions

• This Bai Chou record represents the pale or whitish seed form of Qian Niu Zi rather than a separate medicinal species.
• Traditional processing, especially frying, is used to temper harshness, but Bai Chou remains a strong downward-draining herb rather than a routine laxative.

Classic Formulas

• Mu Xiang Bing Lang Wan (木香槟榔丸) - a classic accumulation-breaking formula in which Qian Niu Zi helps purge intestinal excess contributing to constipation, tenesmus, and abdominal oppression.
• Zhou Che Wan (舟车丸) - a drastic water-expelling formula for severe ascites and edema in relatively strong patients, where Qian Niu Zi opens a downward route for fluid elimination.
• Combinations with Ting Li Zi or Sang Bai Pi - classical and later-practice pairings for cough and wheezing from phlegm-fluid retention with facial swelling or difficult breathing.

Classical References

• Traditional materia medica classifies Qian Niu Zi as bitter, cold, slightly toxic, and strongly downward-draining, with emphasis on edema, constipation, phlegm-fluid, and parasites.
• The modern review literature explicitly notes that Pharbitidis Semen is also known as Bai Chou or Hei Chou, confirming that these sibling records represent naming and appearance variants of the same crude drug.
• Older teaching repeatedly warns that this is an attack herb suited to excess repletion patterns and small supervised doses, not a tonic or everyday bowel aid.