What are the benefits, effects and side effects of boat sterculia seed?
Boat sterculia seed is a common medicinal herb. Some people treat it as a specific remedy for hoarseness, but sometimes it can cause some negative effects. So what are the benefits and effects of boat sterculia seed? What are the side effects? Let's take a look below.
Benefits of boat sterculia seed
1. Purgative effect: The seed infusion of boat sterculia seed has a mild laxative effect on rabbits, because it can increase intestinal content volume (increasing volume to 8 times that of agar), causing mechanical stimulation and resulting in mild laxation. When the outer skin, soft shell and kernel of boat sterculia seed are separately soaked in water and extracted, for anesthetized dogs, no matter which administration method is used, they can all significantly increase intestinal peristalsis (the kernel has the strongest effect, the soft shell is next, and the outer layer is the weakest), and this effect can be antagonized by atropine. The infusion of the kernel at 1:400,000 increases the peristalsis of isolated rabbit intestine, while the other two layers show no obvious effect.
2. Blood pressure-lowering effect: The kernel of boat sterculia seed (defatted dry powder) is made into a 25% solution. Whether given by intravenous injection, intramuscular injection or oral administration, it can all significantly lower the blood pressure of dogs and cats. Further experiments show that its blood pressure-lowering principle may be related to the central nervous system. The aqueous infusion of boat sterculia seed kernel has a blood pressure-lowering effect on anesthetized dogs, but raises blood pressure in rabbits (the effective dose in rabbits is 10 times larger than in dogs). The different effects on the blood pressure of dogs and rabbits can all be sensitized by histamine.
3. Other effects: The water-soaked extracts of the outer skin, soft shell and kernel of boat sterculia seed all have a certain diuretic and analgesic effect, with the kernel being the strongest. None of the three has a local irritant effect. In an acute toxicity test using boat sterculia seed kernel (defatted dry powder), rabbits showed difficulty breathing and motor incoordination. After dogs were killed by continuous use of large amounts for 10 to 15 days, pulmonary congestion and edema and fatty degeneration of the liver were seen. The oral median lethal dose in mice is 12.96 g/kg. When a large amount (1%, 2 mL) of boat sterculia seed kernel aqueous infusion is intravenously injected into rabbits, breathing stops first, the heart still beats, and the surface of the gastrointestinal tract is very red.
What side effects does boat sterculia seed have?
Boat sterculia seed can be used both as medicine and as food, but every medicine has some toxicity. Drinking boat sterculia seed temporarily without identifying the cause or distinguishing the constitution will harm health. Boat sterculia seed is not the same as varieties that are both medicine and food, such as lily, lotus seed and adzuki bean; it is a pure Chinese medicine. When consumed, its toxicity needs to be excreted through the kidneys and liver. If it is consumed temporarily, it will bring burden to the kidney and liver systems.
Although boat sterculia seed is said to be very effective, it should not be taken in too large an amount. Each time must not exceed three seeds.