Pumpkin Vine is the name of a traditional Chinese medicine. It is the stem of the pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata (Duch. ex Lam.) Duch. ex Poir.), a plant belonging to the genus Cucurbita in the family Cucurbitaceae.This herb has a sweet and bitter taste and a cool nature. It enters the Liver, Stomach, and Lung meridians. It has the effects of clearing the lungs, calming the liver, harmonizing the stomach, and unblocking the meridians. It is primarily used to treat low-grade fever associated with pulmonary tuberculosis, liver and stomach qi pain, irregular menstruation, red and painful eyes due to heat, and burns from fire or water.
Pumpkin Vine
Pumpkin Vine is the name of a traditional Chinese medicine. It is the stem of the pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata (Duch. ex Lam.) Duch. ex Poir.), a plant belonging to the genus Cucurbita in the family Cucurbitaceae.This herb has a sweet and bitter taste and a cool nature. It enters the Liver, Stomach, and Lung meridians. It has the effects of clearing the lungs, calming the liver, harmonizing the stomach, and unblocking the meridians. It is primarily used to treat low-grade fever associated with pulmonary tuberculosis, liver and stomach qi pain, irregular menstruation, red and painful eyes due to heat, and burns from fire or water.
Chinese Name : 南瓜藤
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Taste: sweet and bitter; nature: cool; enters the Liver, Stomach, and Lung meridians
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
It clears the lungs, calms the liver, harmonizes the stomach, and unblocks the meridians.
Indications
Pumpkin vine is primarily used to treat low-grade fever associated with pulmonary tuberculosis, liver and stomach pain, irregular menstruation, red and painful eyes, and burns from water or fire.
Usage and Dosage
1. Internal use: Decoct 15–30 g in water; or cut into pieces to extract the juice. 2. External use: Apply the pounded juice directly or mix the powder with a carrier to form a poultice.
Precautions
Not yet established.
Relevant Discussions
1. *Ben Cao Zai Xin*: “Calms the liver and harmonizes the stomach; unblocks the meridians; promotes blood circulation; and nourishes kidney yin. Treats liver wind; harmonizes and nourishes the blood; regulates the meridians and qi; and dispels various types of wind.”
2. *Commonly Used Chinese Herbs in Shanghai*: “Clears heat. Treats low-grade fever associated with pulmonary tuberculosis.”
Applications
Clinical Applications
1. For treating internal heat due to debility: Cut pumpkin vines after autumn just at the base, place them in a bottle, and drink the extracted juice. (*Dietary Spectrum of Suixi Residence*)
2. For treating stomach pain: Mix pumpkin vine juice with red wine and drink. (*Herbal Medicine of Eastern Fujian*)
3. For treating various burns: Apply pumpkin vine juice to the affected area several times daily. (*Fujian Traditional Chinese Medicine*)
Notes
Patients requiring treatment with traditional Chinese medicine should first consult a licensed TCM hospital, where a TCM practitioner will conduct a professional pattern differentiation and issue a prescription.
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
Harvest from June to October; use fresh or dry in the sun for later use.
Crude Drug Identification
Botanical Information
Botanical Classification
A plant of the genus Cucurbita in the family Cucurbitaceae.
Morphological Characteristics
An annual climbing herb with stems reaching 2–5 m in length. Roots often develop at the nodes, and the stems are densely covered with white bristles. Simple leaves are alternate;petioles are stout, 8–19 cm long, and covered with bristles; leaf blades are broadly ovate or ovate-round, 5-lobed or shallowly 5-lobed, 12–25 cm long and 20–30 cm wide, with an acute apex and a deeply cordate base; the upper surface is green, the lower surface pale green, both surfaces covered with bristles and downy hairs, and the margins bear small, dense, fine teeth. Tendrils are somewhat stout, branched 3–5 times, and hairy.Flowers are unisexual, with male and female flowers on the same plant; male flowers are solitary, with a bell-shaped calyx 5–6 mm long, the lobes linear, 10–15 mm long, pubescent, and expanded into leaf-like structures at the upper part; the corolla is yellow, bell-shaped, about 8 cm long, deeply 5-lobed, with the lobes’ margins revolute; there are 3 stamens, with glandular filaments 5–8 mm long and anthers flexed;Female flowers are solitary; the ovary is unilocular; the style is short; the stigma is tripartite, swollen, and bifid at the apex; the fruit stalk is stout, ridged, 5–7 cm long; and the calyx base is enlarged into a trumpet-shaped structure. The cucurbits vary in shape and often bear longitudinal grooves on the exterior. Seeds are numerous, oblong-ovate or oblong, and grayish-white. Flowering occurs from June to July, and fruiting from August to September.
Distribution Area
Widely cultivated throughout China.
Growth Habits
It prefers a warm climate. It is intolerant of both high and low temperatures and requires full sun. It is not particularly demanding regarding soil, but cultivation is best suited to deep soils with strong water and nutrient retention capacity.
Propagation Methods
Propagated by seed.
Cultivation Techniques
Direct seeding or seedling transplanting methods are used.
1. Direct Seeding Method: Sow in spring (February–March). Soak and pre-germinate the seeds before sowing. Make holes for spot seeding at a row spacing of 2 m × a plant spacing of 0.6 m. Apply 5–10 kg of base fertilizer to each hole, sow 2–3 seeds per hole, and thin to one plant per hole after germination.
2. Seedling Transplanting Method: Sow in spring (February–March). Grow seedlings in nutrient pots on a heated seedbed. When the seedlings have developed 3–4 true leaves, transplant them to the field using the method described above.