Traditionally used for
- Cough & breathing
- Digestion
- Bowel health
- Skin
Cautions & contraindications
- Pregnancy
- Liver conditions
- Toxic — professional use only
☯ TCM Properties
Resolves toxicity and reduces swellings; Reduces swelling and invigorates the Blood
Traditional Chinese Uses
Mu Bie Zi (Semen Momordicae) is the seed of Momordica cochinchinensis (gac). Bitter, slightly sweet and warm, and classified as toxic, it enters the Liver, Spleen, Stomach, Large Intestine and Lung channels and is used mainly as an external toxin-resolving, swelling-reducing agent. Ground into paste or medicated oil, it is applied topically to boils, carbuncles and other toxic swellings, scrofula, non-healing sores, hemorrhoids, tinea and traumatic swelling, where it reduces swelling, disperses nodules and invigorates the Blood.
Because the seed is toxic, it is primarily for external use; internal use is small, cautious and requires professional guidance, and it is contraindicated in pregnancy and in weak, deficient patients. It is generally reserved for excess, Stasis- and toxin-type swellings rather than deficiency conditions.
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Momordica cochinchinensis, gac, is a vigorous perennial dioecious climbing vine of the Cucurbitaceae family native to southern China, Southeast Asia, and northern Australia. The plant produces angled stems that ascend by unbranched tendrils, bearing alternate, deeply three- to five-lobed, broadly cordate leaves with finely serrate margins. Solitary pale-yellow flowers with a conspicuous dark center are borne in leaf axils, male and female on separate plants. The fruit is the most distinctive feature: a large ovoid berry up to fifteen centimeters long, densely covered with short soft conical spines and ripening from green through orange to brilliant red. Inside, large flattened dark-brown to black seeds about two centimeters across are embedded in a thick, deep-crimson, aril-like pulp extraordinarily rich in lycopene and carotenoids.
Active Constituents
Momordica saponin I
Oleanane-type triterpenoid saponinConcentration: one of the two principal saponins of the seed and a species-specific chemical marker; reported oral LD50 for the saponin fraction 0.958 g/kg and intraperitoneal LD50 37.34 mg/kg in rodents
Reduces nitric oxide production in LPS-activated RAW264.7 macrophages without cytotoxicity, and lowers iNOS and COX-2 mRNA, which is the mechanistic basis of the traditional use for swellings and sores. Also investigated for anti-gastritis and wound-healing activity.
Momordica saponin II
Oleanane-type triterpenoid saponinConcentration: the second of the two marker saponins; quantified together with saponin I in quality control of the crude drug
Shares the anti-inflammatory profile of saponin I and, with it, forms the basis of chemical identification of Momordicae Semen against adulterants.
Cochinchinin
Type 1 ribosome-inactivating proteinConcentration: reported intraperitoneal LD50 16 mg/kg in mice
A highly cytotoxic N-glycosidase that inactivates ribosomes and halts protein synthesis. It is the constituent that makes the raw seed genuinely dangerous rather than merely irritant, and the reason the seed is a topical and low-dose internal drug rather than a food.
MCoTI-I and MCoTI-II
Cyclotide (cyclic cystine-knot peptide) trypsin inhibitorConcentration: identified only in the seed of this species
Exceptionally stable head-to-tail cyclised, disulfide-rich peptides with potent trypsin-inhibitory activity. Their stability to heat and proteolysis means decoction does not destroy them, and they are widely used as scaffolds in peptide drug design.
Stearic acid
Saturated long-chain fatty acidConcentration: about 60.5% of the seed fatty acids, with linoleic acid near 20%, oleic acid near 9% and palmitic acid 5-6%; total unsaturated fraction 41.91%
The bulk of the fixed oil. Traditional processing removes most of this oil (the shuang or defatted-frost preparation) before internal use, which both reduces the purgative effect and concentrates the active saponins.
Mubezhisol
LignanConcentration: isolated as a new compound from the water-soluble seed fraction
One of two new lignans (with mubezhisal) reported from the water-soluble fraction of the seed alongside twenty-six known compounds; several of the lignans and saponins in that fraction showed significant cytotoxicity in vitro.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Hepatotoxic drugs (e.g. paracetamol/acetaminophen, methotrexate, isoniazid)
The 2019 Molecules review of Momordicae Semen records that high-dose extract, of the order of 8-12 g, may elevate liver enzymes with prolonged use, against a traditional oral dose of only 0.6-1.2 g daily of the defatted seed. Acute toxicity data for the crude water extract (oral LD50 4.03 g/kg, intraperitoneal 146.17 mg/kg) show a much narrower margin by the parenteral route than by mouth.
Clinical note: Keep to the pharmacopoeial internal dose of the processed, defatted seed and prefer external application where possible. Avoid the combination in existing liver disease, and do not extend internal courses without checking liver function.
Pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (pancrelipase) and orally administered peptide or protein drugs
The seed contains potent and unusually stable trypsin inhibitors (the cyclotides MCoTI-I to MCoTI-III) and a chymotrypsin inhibitor (MCoCI). Because the cyclotide scaffold resists heat and proteolysis, these inhibitors survive decoction and reach the gut intact, where inhibition of luminal trypsin and chymotrypsin is mechanistically plausible. No clinical study has measured this.
Clinical note: Separate dosing from pancreatic enzyme supplements, and watch for loss of symptom control in pancreatic insufficiency. This is a mechanistic caution, not a documented clinical failure.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 0.9–1.2 g | — | — | — | ChP 2025. Caution in pregnancy. Corrected from a generic 'As needed' poultice filler value generated from tcm_category. |
| topical | Appropriate amount | — | — | — | ChP 2025. 外用适量，研末，用油或醋调涂患处。 |
⚠ Safety & Contraindications
- Pregnancy
- Liver conditions
- Toxic — professional use only
Contraindications
Contraindicated in pregnancy and in the weak or depleted.
Safety Warnings
- Chiefly an external medicine; internal use is small-dose.
- Distinct from Mu Bie Zi's edible relative — confirm the drug before dispensing.
⚠ Toxicity Information
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, headache and, in overdose, haemolysis and hepatic injury.
Historical Texts
Kai Bao Ben Cao
Northern Song dynasty (973 CE)References
- Xu X-R, Yu H-T, Hang L, Shao Y, Ding S-H, Yang X-W. A Potential Anti-Tumor Herb Bred in a Tropical Fruit: Insight into the Chemical Components and Pharmacological Effects of Momordicae Semen . Molecules (2019) [DOI]
- Deng X, Liu Y, Zhu X, Zhu H, Huang C, Hong Y. Momordicae Semen: A Review of Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Toxicology, Herbal Processing, Clinical Applications, and Q-Markers Prediction . Drug Design, Development and Therapy (2025) [DOI]
- Vuong LT, Dueker SR, Murphy SP. Plasma β-carotene and retinol concentrations of children increase after a 30-d supplementation with the fruit Momordica cochinchinensis (gac) . The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2002) [DOI]
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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