Nature: bitter, cold, toxic

Enters: Large Intestine, Liver

Actions: Treats dysenteric disorders; treats intermittent fever and chills; topically treats corns and warts.

Indications:
• Topical: for warts and corns. For warts, the wart can be seen as a parasite and Ya dan zi as an antiparasitic herb which feeds the parasite and then kills it. Ya dan zi is broken open and the white seed inside is applied to the wart. Usually requires continuous application for at least 10 days. For the first 10 days, nothing may appear to be happening. By 14 days, the wart should suddenly be gone.
• Chronic or recurring dysenteric disorders. An important herb for chronic cold stagnation dysenteric disorders that wax and wane, or alternating hard and soft stool. Particularly useful for dysentery due to protozoa.
• Malarial disorders: alternating fever and chills. Yan dan zi’s antimalarial effect is stronger than that of Chang shan and equal to quinine. In experiments the dosage required for an antimalarial effect was quite high and side effects of nausea and vomiting sometimes occurred.
• Generalized inhibitory effect on the CNS.
• Kills Entamoeba histolytica and the malarial parasite, but has no effect against Shigella or Salmonella. The herb has a success rate from 72-94% against amebic dysentery with a recurrence rate of approximately 6%.
• Antiparasitic against a number of intestinal parasites.
• Extremely bitter taste, stimulates the stomach to the point that it may cause nausea, pain, and diarrhea. It is therefore not used in decoctions. It is either placed in capsules or inside Long yan rou.

Dose: 10-15g for malarial disorders; 10-30g for dysenteric disorders