Bencao Gangmu Reference Library
龙珠果 / 毛西番莲 / 龙爪珠 / 假苦瓜 / 臭西番莲 — Passiflora foetida L.
Pinyin: Lóngzhūguǒ / Máoxīfānlián · Malay: Pokok Letup-letup / Buah Ulat Bulu / Rambusa · Family: Passifloraceae (西番莲科)
Energetics
Cool to Neutral (平 / 微凉)
Flavor
Sweet, subacid, slightly bitter (甘、微酸、微苦)
Meridians
Heart (心), Lung (肺), Liver (肝)
Traditional Edict
Stinking Passionflower (Pokok Letup-letup / Long Zhu Guo / Rambusa). Mossy glandular-hairy bracts enveloping golden fruit. Pacifies anxious Heart-Shen, induces natural sleep, calms asthmatic dry cough, dissolves scabies and weeping skin sores.
Cautions & Contraindications
- Consume only fully ripe orange-yellow berries (unripe green berries contain cyanogenic glycosides). High safety profile in dried vine tea. Safe in pregnancy in moderate tea amounts.
Clinical Applications
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), primary insomnia, dry paroxysmal cough in bronchitis, childhood restlessness and ADHD agitation, and cutaneous scabies/eczema.
Quality Markers
Mechanism & Phytochemistry
1. Vitexin, isovitexin, and apigenin cross blood-brain barrier and bind GABA-A benzodiazepine sites, enhancing inhibitory GABAergic neurotransmission for restorative sleep. 2. Flavonoids downregulate airway iNOS/COX-2. 3. Glandular bracts insecticidal.
Preparation & Dosage
THE SOVEREIGN PASSIONFLOWER SLEEP & COUGH TISANE: 10 to 15 g dried whole flowering vine steeped in 400 mL boiling water for 10 min covered; taken warm 45 min before sleep for insomnia. Fresh ripe orange-yellow berries: 10-20 fruits eaten raw for Vitamin C.
Appended Prescriptions
- 1. The Sovereign Neuro-Anxiety & Deep Sleep Synergy with Matricaria chamomilla (Chamomile) and Ziziphus seeds (Suan Zao Ren). 2. Lung-Clearing Antitussive Decoction with Siraitia grosvenorii.
Yemama Apothecary · Petaling Jaya, Malaysia · For educational and clinical reference only
