Benincasa hispida（Thunb.）
Aliases：Dong Gua、Bai Dong Gua、Shui Zhi、Pu Gua、Di Zhi、Zhen Gua、Bai Gua
Donggua (Winter Melon), a commonly used Chinese medicinal herb. It is derived from the outer peel, mature seeds, leaves, and pulp of the plant Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn. (family Cucurbitaceae). It is produced in most regions of China. The different parts have distinct actions and indications, described as follows: Dongguapi (Winter Melon Peel): Promotes diuresis and reduces swelling; clears heat and relieves summer heat. Indicated for edema and fullness, difficult urination, thirst due to summer heat, and scanty dark urine. Dongguazi (Winter Melon Seed): Clears heat and transforms phlegm; drains pus; removes dampness. Indicated for cough with phlegm‑heat, lung abscess, intestinal abscess, leukorrhea, strangury, and edema. Dongguaye (Winter Melon Leaf): Clears heat, removes dampness, and resolves toxicity. Indicated for wasting thirst disorder (diabetes mellitus), summer‑dampness diarrhea and dysentery, malaria, sores and toxic swellings, and bee stings. Dongguarang (Winter Melon Pulp): Clears heat and quenches thirst; promotes diuresis and reduces swelling. Indicated for thirst and irritability due to febrile disease, wasting thirst disorder, strangury, edema, and carbuncles. Note: All parts of Donggua are cool and cold in nature. Caution is advised for those with spleen‑stomach deficiency cold.
Efficacy & Actions
Promote diuresis, clear heat, transform phlegm, promote fluid production, and resolve toxin.
Indications
It is often used for edema and abdominal distension, summerheat vexation and thirst, wasting thirst disorder (Xiaoke), and phlegm‑heat cough, among others.
Modern Pharmacology
Antioxidant: Polysaccharides, flavonoids, and polyphenols in winter melon peel and pulp scavenge free radicals. Gastroprotective: Winter melon peel pectin polysaccharide (WGPP‑1a) activates the PI3K/AKT pathway, inhibits apoptosis, and promotes gastric mucosal repair. Anti‑inflammatory: Citrulline exerts anti‑inflammatory effects by regulating the mTOR pathway in macrophages; the alcohol extract improves colitis. Diuretic: Low sodium and high potassium content, along with cucurbitacins and total amino acids, improve water‑sodium retention and promote urination. Hypoglycemic: Winter melon juice inhibits α‑glucosidase, delaying carbohydrate absorption; high dietary fiber increases satiety and stabilizes blood glucose. Renoprotective: Total amino acids and cucurbitacins in winter melon protect against and block mercury‑induced kidney injury. Antitumor: Cucurbitacins in winter melon seeds have shown inhibition of cancer cell growth in laboratory studies. Anti‑obesity: Malonic acid inhibits the conversion of sugar into fat. Antibacterial: Exhibits inhibitory effects against certain bacteria.
Ingredients
Polysaccharides: Winter melon polysaccharides (e.g., pectin polysaccharide WGPP‑1a) Flavonoids: Quercetin, kaempferol, rutin Triterpenoids: Cucurbitacins, oleanolic acid Amino acids: Citrulline, arginine, etc. Organic acids: Malic acid, tartaric acid Others: Malonic acid (inhibits conversion of sugar to fat), dietary fiber, vitamin C, potassium, sodium, etc.
Usage & Dosage
Internal use: 60–120 g (fresh product) in decoction. May also be baked, crushed for juice, or cooked as a dish. External use: Appropriate amount, crushed and applied topically to the affected area, or decocted for external washing.
Contraindications
Winter melon is cool/cold in nature. The following groups of people should pay special attention: Those with Spleen‑Stomach deficiency cold: Often manifesting as diarrhea and cold pain in the stomach; consumption may aggravate discomfort. Those with cold constitution and women during menstruation: People with a cold constitution, cold extremities, or dysmenorrhea should not eat too much, and should also avoid it during menstruation. Those with chronic diarrhea (prolonged diarrhea): Not suitable for consumption. Food incompatibilities: According to ancient texts, winter melon should not be cooked together with red beans (adzuki beans) to avoid a sudden increase in urine output leading to dehydration, nor with vinegar or red crucian carp, which may affect nutrient absorption.
Selected Formulas
I. Wax Gourd Peel (Dongguapi) Edema, scanty urine: 30 g Dongguapi, 9 g Acanthopanacis Cortex (Wujiapi), 12 g ginger peel. Decoct and take orally. Nephritis edema: 18 g Dongguapi, 18 g watermelon peel, 18 g Imperatae Rhizoma (Baimaogen), 90 g Vignae Semen (Chixiaodou). Decoct in water, divide into doses. Low back pain due to injury: Burn Dongguapi to ash, grind, take 3 g with wine. Cough: 15 g frosted Dongguapi, a little honey. Decoct in water and take orally. Frostbite: 250 g Dongguapi, appropriate amount of eggplant root. Boil in water and wash the affected area. II. Wax Gourd Seed (Dongguazi) Lung abscess (Qianjin Weijing Decoction): 60 g reed rhizome (Phragmitis Rhizoma, Lugen), 30 g coix seed (Coicis Semen, Yiyiren), 24 g Dongguazi, 9 g peach seed (Persicae Semen, Taoren). Decoct and take orally. Intestinal abscess (Dahuang Mudan Decoction): 12 g rhubarb (Rhei Radix, Dahuang), 9 g moutan bark (Moutan Cortex, Mudanpi), 9 g Taoren, 15 g Dongguazi, 9 g mirabilite (Natrii Sulfas, Mangxiao). Decoct and take orally. White turbid urine in men, leukorrhea in women: Stir‑fry old Dongguazi to brown, grind into powder. Take 15 g each time with rice water. Wasting thirst disorder (Xiaoke): 60 g each of dried Dongguazi, Ophiopogonis Radix (Maimendong), and Coptidis Rhizoma (Huanglian). Decoct in water and drink. III. Wax Gourd Flesh (Winter Melon) Ascites (abdominal distension): One large winter melon (use its decoction to make 10 bowls of liquid), 90 g Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma (Baizhu), 15 g Plantaginis Semen (Cheqianzi), 6 g Cinnamomi Cortex (Rougui). Cook together. Acute bronchitis: 200 g winter melon, 7.5 g Glycyrrhizae Radix (Gancao), 15 g Armeniacae Semen Amarum (Xingren), 15 g Platycodonis Radix (Jiegeng). Cook soup and eat. IV. Combined Formula Eczema: 30 g Dongguapi, 30 g Dongguazi, 30 g Chixiaodou, 24 g Yiyiren, 15 g Poria rubra (Chifuling), 12 g talcum (Talcum, Huashi), 15 g Lonicerae Japonicae Flos (Jinyinhua), 15 g Forsythiae Fructus (Lianqiao), 6 g Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex (Huangbai), 6 g Atractylodis Rhizoma (Cangzhu), 9 g Picrorhizae Rhizoma (Huhuanglian), 3 g Gancao. Decoct in water and take orally.
Daily Consumption
Winter Melon Lean Pork Soup Winter Melon Carp Soup Lotus Leaf Winter Melon Soup Winter Melon Congee Astragalus Winter Melon Congee
Medicinal Parts
The fruit, peel, seed, leaf, and pulp of winter melon can all be used medicinally.
Selection & Storage
Store dried Dongguapi (wax gourd peel), Dongguazi (wax gourd seed), and Dongguaye (wax gourd leaf) in a dry container in a well-ventilated, dry place, protected from insects.