Use of croton fruits (Bā Dòu) in TCM

Please note that you should never self-prescribe TCM ingredients. A TCM ingredient is almost never eaten on its own but as part of a formula containing several ingredients that act together. Please consult a professional TCM practitionner, they will be best able to guide you.

Preparation: Collect fruits and dry them

Dosage: 0.1 - 0.5 grams

Main actions according to TCM*: Strongly purges Stagnation and accumulation due to Cold. Drains water and Dissolves Phlegm. Clears warts and speeds healing of abscesses, carbuncles and furuncles. Can be used as an insecticide.

Primary conditions or symptoms for which croton fruits may be prescribed by TCM doctors*: Constipation Abdominal bloating Edema Phlegm Chest congestion Ulcers

Contraindications*: This herb should not be used by pregnant women nor by those with a weak constitution. One should not ingest hot liquids while taking this herb. This herb should not be used with Semen Pharbitidis. This is a very strong and penetrating herb and only used internally or externally in prescribed dose and with caution.

Common TCM formulas in which croton fruits are used*:

• For ascites (abnormal accumulation fluid in the abdomen) combine croton fruits with apricot seeds.
• For bronchial ulcerations combine croton fruits with anemarrhena rhizomes and platycodon roots.

Key TCM concepts behind croton fruits' properties

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), croton fruits are plants that belong to the 'Cathartic herbs that drain downward' category. The herbs in this category are those whose main purpose is to treat constipation. They're called 'cathartic' because they have an especially strong effect and should only be used for severe intestinal blockage or gastrointestinal swelling.

Furthermore croton fruits are plants that are Hot in nature. This means that croton fruits typically help people who have too much "cold" in their body. Balance between Yin and Yang is a key health concept in TCM. Those who have too much cold in their body are said to either have a Yin excess (because Yin is Cold in nature) or a Yang deficiency (Yang is Hot in Nature). Depending on your condition croton fruits can help restore a harmonious balance between Yin and Yang.

Croton fruits also taste Pungent. The so-called "five elements" theory in Chinese Medicine states that the taste of TCM ingredients is a key determinant of their action in the body. Pungent ingredients like croton fruits tend to promote the circulations of Qi and body fluids. That's why for instance someone tends to sweat a lot when they eat spicy/pungent food.

The tastes of ingredients in TCM also determine what organs and meridians they target. As such croton fruits are thought to target the Stomach and the Large intestine. In TCM the Stomach is responsible for receiving and ripening ingested food and fluids. It is also tasked with descending the digested elements downwards to the Small Intestine. The Large Intestine on the other hand receives the "impure" parts of the digested food from the Small Intestine, absorbs the remaining fluids and excrete the remainder as feces.

Research on croton fruits

Croton fruits have cocarcinogenic principles.¹

Sources:

1. Erich Hecker. Cocarcinogenic Principles from the Seed Oil of Croton tiglium and from Other Euphorbiaceae. Cancer Res November 1 1968 (28) (11) 2338-2348;