Herpetospermum pedunculosum. H. caudigerum  波 棱 瓜 Bō lénɡ guā        
PART USED: Seed
Nature- cold    FLAVOR: Bitter
FUNCTIONS
1. Sedate Liver Fire, counteract toxic effects.[1]
INDICATIONS
1. Contagious hepatitis with jaundice, cholecystitis, indigestion.[1]
PREPARATIONS: Dried ripe seed  0.5-1 g.[1]
ORIGIN: Thickets and forest margins on mountain slopes; 2300-2500 m. Xizang, Yunnan in China and Bhutan, India and Nepal.
References
[1] A Complete English Dictionary of Medicinal Terms in Chinese Acupuncture and Herbalism 1981- Henry Lu Chinese Foundations of Natural Health- The Academy of Oriental Heritage, Vancouver, Canada.
Images
1. shpa.org.uk
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Research

Protective effect of seed oil of Herpetospermum pedunculosum against carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury in rats.
Li G, Wang XY, Suo YR, Wang HL.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES:
To investigate the protective effect of Herpetospermum pedunculosum (H. pedunculosum) seed oil against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver damage.
METHODS:
This experimental study was conducted at the Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Yantai University, China from November 2012 to May 2013. The H. pedunculosum seed oil was extracted using supercritical carbon dioxide. The antioxidant activities of H. pedunculosum seed oil were assayed in vitro by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay, lipid peroxidation assay, and antihemolytic assay. Adult Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into 6 groups (10 rats/group) including control, CCl4, CCl4+bifendate, and CCl4+H. pedunculosum seed oil (3 different doses) groups.
RESULTS:
The CCl4-induced liver lesions include hepatocyte necrosis, ballooning degeneration, calcification, and fibrosis. Moreover, CCl4 damage results in an obvious increase of serum triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, malondialdehyde, total bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase activity. In addition, CCl4 also significantly decreased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD). By contrast, H. pedunculosum seed oil administration significantly ameliorated the CCl4-induced liver lesions, lowered the serum levels of hepatic enzyme markers, and increased the activities of SOD.
CONCLUSION:
The results of this study show that H. pedunculosum seed oil can be proposed to protect the liver against CCl4-induced oxidative damage in rats, and the hepatoprotective effect might be correlated with its potent antioxidant and free radical scavenging effect.
PMID: 25228180 Saudi Med J. 2014 Sep;35(9):981-7. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov