Morning Glory Seed Classic Formulas … Natural Herb Library

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Drastically drives out water through stool and urine - a classic harsh expellant for edema, ascites, swollen face, and distension when water retention is severe and excess in nature.
Unblocks the bowels and disperses accumulation - used for severe constipation and abdominal fullness from replete stagnation rather than dryness from deficiency.
Drains phlegm and retained fluid downward - applied to wheezing, asthma, and cough when phlegm-fluid obstructs the chest and a strong descending approach is needed.
Kills and expels intestinal parasites - used for worm accumulation with abdominal pain, distension, or constipation.

Mu Xiang Bing Lang Wan (木香槟榔丸) - a classic intestinal accumulation formula where Qian Niu Zi helps purge replete stagnation contributing to constipation and tenesmus.
Zhou Che Wan (舟车丸) - a drastic water-expelling formula for severe edema or ascites in stronger patients, with Qian Niu Zi opening the downward exit route.
Traditional combinations with Ting Li Zi, Sang Bai Pi, or Bing Lang - used when phlegm-fluid, edema, cough, parasites, and accumulation appear together.

Traditional materia medica places Qian Niu Zi among the harsh downward-draining herbs, emphasizing edema, constipation, wheezing from retained fluid, and intestinal parasites.
The modern review confirms that Pharbitidis Semen is also known as Bai Chou or Hei Chou, so those sibling records are aliases or appearance variants rather than separate herb identities.
Older sources uniformly warn that it should be used in small doses, for short courses, and only in patients strong enough to tolerate a drastic expelling strategy.