Chinese Cucumber
OTHER NAME(S): Chinese Cucumber Fruit, Chinese Cucumber Root, Chinese Cucumber Seed, Chinese Snake Gourd, Compound Q, Fruit de Concombre Chinois, Graine de Concombre Chinois, Gua Lou, Gua Luo Ren, Gualou, Racine de Concombre Chinois, Tian Hua Fen, Trichosanthes, Trichosanthes Fruit Peel, Tricosanthes, Trichosanthes kirilowii, Trichosanthes japonica, Trichosanthes, Chinese Cucumber Fruit, Gua-Lou, Chinese Cucumber Seed, Chinese Cucumber Root, Pepino Chino, Concombre Chinois
Overview
Chinese cucumber is an herb. People use the fruit, seed, and root to make medicine.
Chinese cucumber ROOT is taken by mouth or injected for HIV/AIDS, cough, cancer, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses. There is also concern that using Chinese cucumber root is unsafe.
Chinese cucumber FRUIT and SEED are taken by mouth for cough, diabetes, and other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
Chinese cucumber ROOT contains a chemical that might cause abortions when injected during the first trimester of pregnancy. Chinese cucumber SEED might help decrease pain and swelling (inflammation). The FRUIT might also help protect against stomach ulcers.
Chinese cucumber ROOT contains a chemical that might cause abortions when injected during the first trimester of pregnancy. Chinese cucumber SEED might help decrease pain and swelling (inflammation). The FRUIT might also help protect against stomach ulcers.
Uses
Insufficient Evidence for
- Osteoarthritis.
- HIV/AIDS.
- Cough.
- Fever.
- Tumors.
- Diabetes.
- Causing an abortion, when the root is given as a shot or the fruit is applied to the vagina.
- Other conditions.
More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of Chinese cucumber for these uses.
Side Effects
When taken by mouth: Chinese cucumber FRUIT is POSSIBLY SAFE for most people when used as food. The fruit can cause some mild side effects such as diarrhea and upset stomach. There isn't enough reliable information to know if Chinese cucumber FRUIT, SEED, or the unprocessed ROOT extract are safe when used as medicine.
When given as a shot: Unprocessed Chinese cucumber ROOT is LIKELY UNSAFE. Injections of unprocessed Chinese cucumber root can cause severe side effects, including allergic reactions, seizures, fever, fluid buildup in the lungs and brain, bleeding in the brain, heart damage, and death.
Precautions
When taken by mouth: Chinese cucumber FRUIT is POSSIBLY SAFE for most people when used as food. The fruit can cause some mild side effects such as diarrhea and upset stomach. There isn't enough reliable information to know if Chinese cucumber FRUIT, SEED, or the unprocessed ROOT extract are safe when used as medicine.
When given as a shot: Unprocessed Chinese cucumber ROOT is LIKELY UNSAFE. Injections of unprocessed Chinese cucumber root can cause severe side effects, including allergic reactions, seizures, fever, fluid buildup in the lungs and brain, bleeding in the brain, heart damage, and death.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: It is UNSAFE to take Chinese cucumber root, fruit, or seed by mouth or to have Chinese cucumber root administered by injection. Chinese cucumber ROOT can be toxic. Chinese cucumber FRUIT and SEED might cause an abortion or birth defects.
There isn't enough reliable information to know if Chinese cucumber root, fruit, or seed is safe to use when breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.
Surgery: Chinese cucumber might lower blood sugar levels. It might interfere with blood sugar control during and after surgery. Stop using Chinese cucumber at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.
Interactions
Moderate Interaction
Be cautious with this combination
- Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs) interacts with Chinese CucumberChinese cucumber root might decrease blood sugar. Diabetes medications are also used to lower blood sugar. Taking Chinese cucumber root along with diabetes medications might cause your blood sugar to go too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely. The dose of your diabetes medication might need to be changed. Some medications used for diabetes include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glipizide (Glucotrol), tolbutamide (Orinase), and others.
Dosing
The appropriate dose of Chinese cucumber depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for Chinese cucumber. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.
References
- The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
- McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.
- Akihisa T, Yasukawa K, Kimura Y, et al. Five D:C-friedo-oleanane triterpenes from the seeds of Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim. and their anti-inflammatory effects. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo) 1994;42:1101-5.
- Ozaki Y, Xing L, Satake M. Anti-inflammatory effect of Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim, and its effective parts. Biol Pharm Bull 1996;19:1046-8.
- Takano F, Yoshizaki F, Suzuki K, et al. Anti-ulcer effects of Trichosanthes fruits. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo) 1990;38:1313-6.
- Hikino H, Yoshizawa M, Suzuki Y, et al. Isolation and hypoglycemic activity of trichosans A, B, C, D, and E: glycans of Trichosanthes kirilowii roots. Planta Med 1989;55:349-50.
- Jung YB, Roh KJ, Jung JA, et al. Effect of SKI 306X, a new herbal anti-arthritic agent, in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee: a double-blind placebo controlled study. Am J Chin Med. 2001;29(3-4):485-91.
- Lo HY, Li TC, Yang TY, et al. Hypoglycemic effects of Trichosanthes kirilowii and its protein constituent in diabetic mice: the involvement of insulin receptor pathway. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2017;17(1):53.
- Lu J, Peng J, Xiang M, et al. Trichosanthes kirilowii lectin alleviates diabetic nephropathy by inhibiting the LOX1/NF-?B/caspase-9 signaling pathway. Biosci Rep. 2018;38(5). pii: BSR20180071.
- Ni L, Zhu X, Gong C, et al. Trichosanthes kirilowii fruits inhibit non-small cell lung cancer cell growth through mitotic cell-cycle arrest. Am J Chin Med. 2015;43(2):349-64.
- Xiang DJ, Chen LM, Gu JS, Stone P, Chen Q. Trichosanthin, a Chinese medicine for the medical treatment of ectopic pregnancy with high levels of ß-hCG. Reprod Sci. 2012;19(5):534-8.
- Hou Z, Zhu L, Meng R, Wang B. Hypolipidemic and antioxidant activities of Trichosanthes kirilowii maxim seed oil and flavonoids in mice fed with a high-fat diet. J Food Biochem 2020;44(8):e13272.