☯ TCM Properties
Clears Heat, eliminates Dampness, relieves pain, kills parasites
Traditional Chinese Uses
Ku Dou Zi is the seed (and sometimes herb) of Sophora alopecuroides, a legume of arid northwestern China. Intensely bitter and cold, it clears Heat, dries Dampness, relieves pain and kills parasites. It is used for Damp-Heat dysentery and diarrhea, damp sores, eczema and stubborn tinea, vaginal discharge (leucorrhea) and genital itch, and epigastric pain with acid regurgitation; it also has folk use in chronic prostatitis and cervical erosion.
The seeds are rich in quinolizidine alkaloids (matrine, oxymatrine, aloperine, sophocarpine, cytisine) which carry recognized toxicity affecting the nervous, respiratory and circulatory systems in overdose. It is therefore used in restrained doses and avoided in Spleen-Stomach cold-deficiency.
Western Herbalism Properties
Botanical Description
Ku Dou Zi is the seed of Sophora alopecuroides L. (Fabaceae), a perennial herb or subshrub 30–100 cm tall of arid steppe, gravelly slopes, and saline-alkaline soils across northwestern China (Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia) and Central Asia. Stems are erect, branched, and finely silvery-pubescent. Leaves are odd-pinnate with 15–25 elliptic-oblong leaflets each 1.5–3 cm long. Terminal racemes bear dense, pale yellow to cream pea-like flowers in early summer. The legume is moniliform (constricted between seeds), 5–9 cm long, indehiscent, containing 3–7 oval, smooth, yellow-brown to dark brown seeds 5–7 mm long. Seeds contain quinolizidine alkaloids (matrine, oxymatrine, sophoridine, aloperine) and are TOXIC; small medicinal doses are used in TCM to clear heat-toxin, dry damp, and treat dysentery and parasitic infections. Overdose causes neuromuscular and cardiac toxicity; use only under qualified supervision.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 6-15g | Daily | — | — | — |
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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