Trichosanthes / Tianhuafen / Gualougen, teratogenicity & Pregnancy

[Guest guest]

Hi Valerie, Tom, & All,

 

Valerie wrote:

> My understanding is that tian hua fen is teratogenic and

> contraindicated in pregnancy.

 

Tom Verhaeghe replied:

> I didn't know that. It is being used in China though, during

> pregnancy. Could it be that the teratogenic effect is lost in the

> formula?

 

I found no relevant hits to Tianhuafen / Gualougen / Trichosanthes /

Trichosanthis and teratogenicity on WWW, but Medline has one

hit. See below.

 

However, Efrem Korngold and Harriet Beinfield (Kan Herbs) have a

most informative letter (Canadian Health Products and Food

Branch issued a warning to Kan Herbs: A response) at

http://www.acupuncture.com/Herbology/chest-relief.htm

 

They state that trichosanthin is ABSENT from (or at extermely low

levels in) Trichosanthes SEED (Gualouzi). I assume that this

applies also to the FRUIT (Gualou / Gualouzi).

 

However, trichosanthin is PRESENT in the ROOT (Gualougen /

Tianhuafen).

 

My notes (which include data from Korngold and Beinfield) are at

the end of this mail.

 

Korngold and Beinfield stress that trichosanthin is a protein, thus

easily denatured by digestive enzymes and by devcoction.

Thererfore, little if any trichosanthin (the most active ingredient in

Tianhuafen) is absorbed from oral use. However, if injected im/iv,

trichosanthin can cause toxicity & side effects, including foetal

abnormality, abortion and allergic reactions.

 

Tianhuafen at standard doses usually is safe by mouth, but there

are some cautions (see notes, below), including pregnancy.

 

Best regards,

Phil

 

 

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Chan WY, Ng TB, Wu PJ, Yeung HW. Developmental toxicity and

teratogenicity of trichosanthin, a ribosome-inactivating protein, in

mice. Teratog Carcinog Mutagen. 1993;13(2):47-57. Dept of

Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese Univ of Hong Kong. The

embryotoxic and teratogenic effects of trichosanthin (TCS), a

protein isolated from tubers of Trichosanthes kirilowii (family

Cucurbitaceae), were studied both in vivo and in vitro. The protein

was administered i.p. to ICR mice on day 8.0 of pregnancy, and

the animals were sacrificed 1 day before parturition. The fetuses

were fixed and subsequently sectioned. At the highest TCS dose

employed (7.5 mg/kg body weight), the viability of fetuses declined

to 70.2%, compared with 96.5% in the saline-treated control group.

The number of resorbed fetuses increased, and the crown-rump

length of the surviving fetuses was reduced. At the doses of 5.0

and 7.5 mg TCS/kg body weight, 2.3% and 9.0%, respectively, of

the surviving fetuses were found to be abnormal. The abnormalities

observed included exencephaly, micromelia, and short tail. When

mouse embryos at the early organogenesis stage were cultured

with TCS at a dose of 200 micrograms/ml or above, a significantly

larger number of embryos were found to be abnormal as compared

with the controls. The abnormalities were observed in the head,

trunk, and limb regions. Hence, TCS produced adverse effects on

prenatal development both in vivo and in vitro. PMID: 8102209

[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 

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Hb Pinyin Name | Gualou (Fr); Gualu (Fr); Gualoushi (Fr);

??Gualushi; Gualouren (S); Gualouzi (S); Guaren (S) Guazi (S);

Gualouziren (S)

 

Hb Latin Name | Fr/S Trichosanthis Kirilowii/Rosthornii/Japonici

 

Hb Common Name | Trichosanthes Fr/S, Snakegourd Fr/S

 

Main Hb Class | Clear Phlegm Heat + Ease Cough/Calm

Asthma~Cool; Expectorant;

 

Nature | Sweet; Bitter; Cold

 

Enters | LU; ST; LI

 

Contains | S has fatty acids, saponins, & resins; has no

trichosanthin

 

Dose | As Dec: Gualou 12-30g; S Trichosanthis 6-15g

 

Main Actions | (1) Aid LU; Clear LU Heat, Moisten LU; Clear

Phlegm; mucolytic; Clear Phlegm Heat; Clear Dry Heat; Rectify Qi;

Ease Cough/Antiasthma; (2) Move Qi & Ease Chest; Release

Chest; Ease Chest Stas; Move LU Qi, Diuretic; Boost HT Xue

Flow; (3) Clear Heat + Clear Toxin, esp Endotoxin; Reduce

Swelling; Drain Sepsis; Resolve Carbuncle; (4) Moisten; Moisten

Dryness; Moisten SI-LI; Laxative; Purge; Drain Sepsis;

angiogenetic*; HT~CHD; HT~Antiarrhythmia; Antiplatelet-

Aggregation; Vasodilator~Peripheral; Antihypoxia (Boost Hypoxic

Tolerance); HT Muscle~Antiischaemia; Boost HT Xue Flow;

Anticancer; Antimicrobial; Antiulcer;

 

Combined with | (1) Gualou + Huangqin, Dannanxing & Zhishi in

Heat/LU Heat, LU Dryness/LU Phlegm, esp LU Phlegm Heat +

cough + sputum~thick, sticky & yellow, chest pain & chest

oppression; Gualou + Chuanbeimu & Nanshashen in LU Heat +

Dryness + cough, sputum~thick & yellow, throat~dry &

mouth~dry; Gualouren w Zhebeimu & Houpo as Aid LU & Ease

Cough in cough & respiratory DysFx; (2) Gualou + Banxia in Chest

Qi/Phlegm Stas Heat + chest pain, chest oppression &

Hypochondrium oppression, angina pectoris; F: yellow & greasy,

cough + sputum~thick & yellow; Gualou + Xiebai, Guizhi in Gualou

Xiebai Jia Guizhi Tang in SJU Phlegm Damp Stag in HT Yang Xu;

Phlegm Damp Stag disturbing HT & LU, chest pain, angina; (3)

Gualou + Danggui, Gancao, Ruxiang; Moyao in mammary nodules

like fibroadenoma; LU abscess, LI~appendicitis~acute, Carbuncle,

Swelling; nodule~subcutaneous, scrofula, etc; Gualoupi is better to

Clear Phlegm; Resolve Lumps; Resolve Carbuncle; (4) LI Dryness

+ constipation; Hyperlipemia; Hypertension; Gualou is better to

Moisten Dryness & Moisten LI; Other: TH DysFx; LU DysFx

 

Cautions | non-toxic & safe @ normal doses; Incompatible w Rx

Aconiti

 

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Hb Pinyin Name | Gualougen; ??Gualugen; Tianhuafen (= Heavenly

Fl Powder); Huafen (=Fl Powder)

 

Hb Latin Name | Rx Trichosanthis Kirilowii/Rosthornii/Japonici

 

Hb Common Name | Trichosanthes Rx, Mongolian Snakegourd Rx

 

Main Hb Class | Clear Heat; 2.1 Clear Heat + Purge Fire; CB; Clear

Heat + Purge Fire*; Clear Phlegm~Cool Hb; Ease Cough in

Phlegm Heat; 2.1 ??Antifever; Clear Heat~Internal; Purge Fire

 

Nature | Sweet; Bitter~Mildly; Cool-Cold

 

Enters | LU; ST

 

Contains | trichosanthin (as in Compound Q)

 

Dose | As Dec: 9-15g; Injection: 10mg of trichosanthin added in

physiological saline 500 ml IV for drips, once 5-7d after test, used

for trophocytic tumor; labour induction

 

Main Actions | (1) Antifever; Purge Heat; Clear Heat; Build Fluids**;

Ease Thirst~excessive; (2) Clear LU Heat; Clear Phlegm, esp

Phlegm Heat; Moisten, esp LU; Ease Cough, esp in LU Heat; (3)

Clear Heat + Toxin, esp Endotoxin; Resolve Carbuncle; Drain

Sepsis; (4) Antimicrobial; Bacteriostat; Antibacterial; Expel

Sepsis; Drain Sepsis; Resolve Carbuncle; Reduce Swelling;

Diuretic; Vulnerary in trauma; (5) Abortifacient in second trimester;

Damage chorionic syncytial trophoblast; (6) Immunomodulator;

Immunsuppressant; Anticancer***; AntiHIV/AIDS

 

Combined with | (1) Heat// Febrile Disease + Fluid Impaired/Fluid

Xu*/ Fluid Consued, w thirst~excessive; diabetes; (2) LU Heat w

Phlegm, esp Phlegm Heat; LU Dryness, Cough, esp in LU Heat/LU

Dryness Heat w cough, haemoptysis/cough + blood; (3) Heat +

Toxin, esp Endotoxin, w carbuncle, sepsis: Gualougen + Lianqiao,

Chuanshanjia in dermatitis~early, skin infection~early; Gualougen

+ Chuanshanjia; Zaojiaoci in abscess; Gualougen + Huangqi,

Gancao in abscess ruptured; (4) Bacterial infections w Sepsis,

carbuncle, swelling; trauma; Ulcer; (5) Abortifacient in second

trimester; Damage chorionic syncytial trophoblast: (6) Autoimmune

diseases, Cancer*** (thyroid, SI-LI/LI*; LU*; mammary*);

trophocytic tumor; hydatiform tumour); Tianhuafen +/- Cytotoxic

Chemotherapy/surgery: Tian Zao formula: Tianhuafen 60mg,

Yazaojiao 25mg ground into fine Powder; put into capsules. Insert

into vagina once every 5-7d; trichosanthin (iv/im, as in Compound

Q) is Antiviral & AntiHIV/AIDS; oxytocin-like action to stimulate

uterus~contraction; im/iv is abortifacient for mid-term abortionOther

uses: Heat/Heat Toxin; Phlegm Heat/LU Heat/Dry w cough; Febrile

Disease/Heat w Fluid Impaired / Heat w Fluid Xu**;

thirst~excessive; cough in haemoptysis/cough w blood; Swelling;

Sepsis; trauma; Carbuncle; ulcers; hydatiform tumour; LU Heat;

Phlegm; cough w thick Phlegm; Heat/Heat Toxin; sepsis;

HIV/AIDS; cancer; Immunosuppresion; bacterial infection; to

provoke Abortion; Febrile Disease w thirst; Boils/Carbuncle

 

Cautions | CI: LV, HT; KI diseases, severe anaemia; psychosis;

Febrile Disease w Surface Pattern; CI/Caution: Pregnancy; induces

abortion/ parturition; may cause foetal brain damage (in last

trimester); CI: SP Xu; ST Xu; iv injection may cause fever; allergic

reaction/allergic shock, which can be Reduced by preceding use of

corticosteroids. Bed rest for 1-2d is necessary after injection; non-

toxic & safe @ normal doses; trichosanthin (protein) is inactivated

by digestive enzymes & by Dec; not absorbed by SI-LI from either

crude Hb/water extract; iv/im overdose can damage LV, KI,

placenta & foetus & may cause allergy, like malaise, sore throat,

headache, swelling, itch & rashes

 

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Best regards,

 

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