Trichosanthes kirilowii.   栝 楼 or 瓜 楼  Guā lóu   Snake gourd   Family: Cucurbitaceae    
The shoots, tendrils, and leaves of some or possibly all species may be eaten as greens, and at least two species (Serpent gourd, T. cucumerina, and point gourd, T. dioica) are grown commercially for their fleshy fruits used as vegetables, most popular in South Asia and Southeast Asia.

瓜 楼  Guā lóu  Entire fruit with seed- harvested in Autumn when the fruit has ripened.  
Nature: Cold    FLAVOR: Sweet, slightly bitter, pleasant   CHANNEL: Lung, Stomach, Large Intestine
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Antitussive and expectorant, clearing Hot Phlegm
1. Clears Heat.[1,2,3] Detoxifies.[1]
2. Transform Phlegm Heat.[4] Promoting flow of Qi to soothe the chest.[2,3] Clear the chest.[4] Promotes salivation and quenches thirst.[1] Lubricate Lungs.
3. Aids pus drainage and reduces swelling.[1] Dissipates nodules.[4] Subdues swelling to relieve carbuncles.
4. Moistens the bowels to relieve constipation.
INDICATIONS
1. Heat induced coughs with sputum that is yellow and thick and difficult to expectorate,[4] fullness in the chest, dry stools. Bronchitis, laryngitis, mumps.[1]
2. Obstruction of Qi in the chest manifesting as chest pain, stiffling sensation, constriction or diaphragmatic pressure.[4]
3. Breast and lung abscesses.[4] For red swelling with burning pain at the beginning of acute mastitis. Mastitis.[1,2,3] Various boils and  abscesses.[1] Subcutaneous swelling or abscess.
4. Pulmonary abscess with purulent and bloody expectoration.
5. Dryness syndrome of the intestines with constipation.
6. Parchness in high fever.[1]
7. Jaundice, difficult urination.[1]
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Cold from deficiency of the spleen and Stomach, Phlegm Cold, or Phlegm Dampness. According to some traditional sources, this herb is incompatible with Aconitum carmichaeli- Wu tou,[3,4] antagonizes Zingiber officinale- Gan jiang and counteracts Achyranthes bidentata- Niu xi.[4]
PATENT COMBINATIONS
COMBINATIONS
PREPARATIONS: Decoction 10-20g of the entire fruit.[3] 9-30 g.[4] Good quality is large, intact, and orangish yellow, with a sugary taste.
The whole fruit is hung and dried in the shade after being harvested. Its peel and seeds can be used separately as drugs.
Fruits, gourd, fruit peels, seeds, roots 6-12 g for each dose.[1] For external purposes, a suitable amount may be used.[1]
         
天 花 分 Tiān huā fěn   Snake gourd root- harvested in Autumn and Winter  
Nature: Cool, Cold       FLAVOR: Sweet, slightly bitter  CHANNELS: Lung, Stomach
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Antitussive and Expectorant Clearing Hot Phlegm
1. Clears and drains Lung Heat, transforms phlegm.[4] Expectorant clearing phlegm.
2. Promotes salivation and quenches thirst.[1,2] Moistens Lung dryness.[4] Drains Heat and generates fluids.[4]
3. Relieves toxicity, expels pus and reduces swelling.[1,2,4]
INDICATIONS
1. Phlegm Heat above the diaphragm, especially when Heat has led to dryness.[4] Cough with thick sputum or blood streaked sputum.[4]
2. Heat injuring fluids causing thirst and irritability, deficient Yin thirst, and wasting and thirsting disorder (diabetes).[4]
3. Hot toxic carbuncles and sores.[4] Especially appropriate for breast abscess- can be used topically or internally.[4]
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Pregnancy and in diarrhea due to Cold from deficiency of the Spleen and Stomach.[4] The protein of Tian hua fen causes miscarriages in mice and dogs.[4]
PATENT COMBINATIONS
COMBINATIONS
PREPARATIONS: Dried root 9-12 g.[2] 9-15 g.[4] Good quality has solid texture, white or yellowish section, rich in powder.

瓜 楼  皮 Guā lóu pí   Dried ripe fruit peel  
Nature: Cold    FLAVOR: Sweet, bitter
FUNCTIONS
1. Clears the Lungs transform phlegm, regulates the Qi.[2,4] Clear Heat.[2]
2. Clearing Heat, resolving sputum and promoting the flow of Qi to soothe the chest oppression.[4]
INDICATIONS
1. Dry cough with difficult to expectorate sputum and dry throat due to Wind Heat.[4] Cough with hot sputum, chest pain, mastitis.[2]
PREPARATIONS: Dried ripe fruit peel 9-15 g.[2] 6-12 g of the fruit peel.[3]

瓜 楼  仁 Guā lóu rén  Dried ripe seed- harvested when the fruit has ripened.  
Nature: Cold    FLAVOR: Sweet, bitter  CHANNELS: Large Intestine, Lung. Stomach
FUNCTIONS
1. Clears and transforms Phlegm Heat.[4] Lubricate Lungs, transform sputum.[2] Expand the chest.[4]
2. Moisten the Intestines.[4] Loosening the bowels and relieving constipation.[3] Make intestines sliding.[2]
3. Promotes healing of sores.[4]
INDICATIONS
1. Cough with chest pain and sticky sputum difficult to expectorate.[2,4] Stifling sensation in chest, pain, or diaphragmatic pressure.[4]
2. Dry constipation,[2,4] especially when it appears with Lung Heat with dry mouth, thrist, and irritability.[4]
3. Breast abcesses and swelling as well as sore that have not yet suppurated.[4]
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Inappropriate to combine with Zingiber officinale- Gan jiang, Achyranthes bidentata- Niu xi or Aconitum carmichaeli- Wu tou. Contraindicated in cases of diarrhea due to Cold from deficiency of the Spleen or Stomach.[4]
COMBINATIONS
PREPARATIONS: Dried ripe seed 9-15 g.[2,3] 9-12 g.[4] Good quality is round, full and oily.
HABITAT: Found growing wild along hillsides, in weed thickets and along edges of woods.
DESCRIPTION: Snake Gourd is a perennial herbaceous vine. Stem tuber; thick, cross-section white. Stem climbing: multibranching, surface shallowly grooved. Tendrils; axillary, fine and long, 2-branching at ends. Leaves: alternate, almost rounded, palmate 5-7, deeply cleft, margins sparsely serrated or notched, older leaves contain coarse spots on undersides. Flowers; in summer/autumn, axillary white flowers appear. Fruit: a gourd, ovate rounded, orange-yellow when ripe. Seeds; long-ellipsoid, dull yellow. 
References
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
COMPARISONS
Constituents
Research
Root is quite antigenic and can cuase very strong allergic reactions in mice and guinea pigs. In dogs the feeding of this protein has caused depression of the S-T segment of the ECG. Extremely large doses have been associated with srious and even fatal changes in hepatic and renal function.[1]
References
[1] Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica- Dan Bensky and Andrew Gamble- Eastland Press 1986 Seattle Washington ISBN 0-939616-15-7

Antiinflammatory effect of Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim, and its effective parts.
Ozaki Y, Xing L, Satake M.
Abstract
This study was carried out to elucidate the antiinflammatory effect of 50% ethanol extract obtained from the fruit of Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxm, and its effective parts. The cut dried fruit was separated into the whole fruit, seeds and remaining parts, and each part was extracted with 50% ethanol. The antiinflammatory activity of these extracts was investigated on acetic acid-induced vascular permeability in mice, carrageenin-induced edema and cotton pellet-induced granuloma formation in rats, as well as writhing symptoms in mice. The whole fruit and seed extractions showed an antiinflammatory activity and analgesic activity, but the other part did not when given perorally. These results suggest that the antiinflammatory effect and analgesic effect induced by ethanol extract of the fruit of T. kirilowii may be due to the seeds contained in the fruit.
PMID: 8874813 Biol Pharm Bull. 1996 Aug;19(8):1046-8. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Trichosanthes kirilowii fruits inhibit non-small cell lung cancer cell growth through mitotic cell-cycle arrest.
Ni L, Zhu X, Gong C, Luo Y, Wang L, Zhou W, Zhu S, Li Y.
Abstract
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 80% of lung cancer cases and the reported overall 5-year survival rate is less than 5%. Natural medicines have attracted much attention due to their lower toxicity and fewer side effects. Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim (TKM) fruits are commonly used in cancer treatment in combination with other Chinese medicinal herbs. However, little is known about their biological functions and mechanisms in NSCLC cells. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of TKM fruits in NSCLC cells using cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and anchorage independent assays and a Xenograft NSCLC tumor model, and explored the possible biological mechanism by flow cytometric analysis, cDNA microarray and real-time PCR. Results showed that TKM fruits significantly suppressed NSCLC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, tumorigenicity and tumor growth, and significantly extended the survival time of NSCLC-bearing mice. Flow cytometric analysis showed that TKM fruits significantly induced G2-M arrest, necrosis and apoptosis in NSCLC cells. cDNA microarray analysis revealed that TKM fruits regulated the differential expression of 544 genes, and the differential expression of selected genes was also confirmed. Gene ontology (GO) analysis showed that 18 of first 20 biological processes were involved in cell cycle and mitosis. These results indicate that TKM fruits have certain inhibitory effect on NSCLC cells through cell-cycle and mitosis arrest, and suggest that TKM fruits may be an important resource for developing new antitumor drugs, and a potent natural product for treating patients with NSCLC.
PMID: 25779643 DOI: 10.1142/S0192415X15500238 Am J Chin Med. 2015;43(2):349-64. doi: 10.1142/S0192415X15500238. Epub 2015 Mar 17. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov