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(Sourced from the Song Dynasty *Jiayou Bencao*)
[Names] Cucumber (*Huanggua*).
Chen Cangqi stated: People in the north changed the name to "Cucumber" (*Huanggua*) to avoid the taboo of Shi Le's name, and this usage has persisted to the present day.
Li Shizhen stated: Zhang Qian obtained seeds from the Western Regions during his missions, hence it was originally named "Hu Gua" (Barbarian Melon). According to Du Bao's *Shiyilu*: In the fourth year of the Daye era of the Sui Dynasty, due to a taboo, "Hu Gua" was renamed "Huang Gua". This differs slightly from Chen's account. Currently, folklore mistakenly identifies the "Wang Gua" mentioned in the *Liji Yue Ling* as this vegetable; this is incorrect. Wang Gua refers to *Trichosanthes cucumerina* (Earth Melon), see Herbal Section.
[Collection and Explanation] Li Shizhen stated: Hu Gua is grown everywhere. Seeds are sown in the first and second lunar months, and vines sprout in the third month.
The leaves resemble those of winter melon (*Donggua*) and are hairy. Yellow flowers bloom in the fourth and fifth months, bearing fruits with a circumference of two or three inches, some reaching up to one chi in length. They are green, with wart-like protrusions on the skin, turning yellow-red when mature. The seeds are similar to those of vegetable melons. There is a variety planted in the fifth month that bears fruit at frost time; these are white and short, edible both raw and cooked, serving dual purposes as vegetables and pickles, though they are inferior to vegetable melons when pickled with vinegar or sauce.
[Properties and Flavor] Sweet, cold, slightly toxic.
Meng Xuan stated: It should not be eaten in excess, as it can induce chills and fever, increase susceptibility to malaria, accumulate stasis-heat, trigger zhu qi (pestilential qi), cause deficiency-heat to rise upward leading to shortness of breath, damage yin and blood, induce sores, scabies, and hong jiao xia (foot tinea), resulting in deficiency swelling and various diseases. After recovering from epidemic diseases, it must not be consumed. Children must strictly avoid it, as it causes intestinal lubrication leading to gan chong (childhood malnutrition parasites). Vinegar should not be used excessively.
[Indications] Clears heat and relieves thirst, promotes urination (Ning Yuan).
[Attached Prescriptions] One old prescription, six new prescriptions.
Pediatric hot dysentery: Eat ten or more tender cucumbers with honey for good effect. (*Haishang Mingfang*).
Edema with abdominal distension and swollen limbs: Take one cucumber, split it open. Boil half with seeds in vinegar and half in water until soft. Consume all while empty-stomached; urine will flow shortly after. (*Qianjin Suifang*).
Pediatric sweating: Xiang Gua Wan (Melon Pill): Equal parts of Huang Lian (*Coptidis Rhizoma*), Hu Huang Lian (*Scutellariae Barbatae Herba*), Huang Bai (*Phellodendri Cortex*), Chuan Da Huang (*Rhei Radix et Rhizoma*, baked), Bie Jia (*Testudinis Carapax et Plastrum*, vinegar-fried), Chai Hu (*Bupleuri Radix*), Lu Hui (*Aloe*), and Qing Pi (*Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride*) are ground into powder. Take one large, yellow cucumber, cut off the top, fill with medicine, cover, secure with a skewer, and simmer slowly over low heat. Mash together, add flour paste, and form pills the size of mung beans. Take 2-3 pills per dose (5-7 for larger ones, up to 10), taken after meals with fresh water. (Qian Yi *Xiao'er Fang*).
Sore throat and swelling: Remove seeds from one old cucumber, fill with Xiao Shi (Natrii Sulfas), dry in shade, and grind into powder. Blow a small amount into the affected area. (*Yilin Jiyao*).
Swelling from beating injuries: On the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, place cucumbers in a porcelain bottle and soak in water. Apply this water to the wound repeatedly for immediate effect. (*Yilin Jiyao*).
Fire-eye redness and pain: In the fifth month, take one old cucumber, make a small hole at the top, remove the pulp, fill with Mang Xiao (Natrii Sulfas), hang in a cool place. Scrape off the exuded crystals for eye drops; very effective. (*Shouyu Shenfang*).
Scalds and burns: On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, place cucumbers in a bottle, seal tightly, and hang under the eaves. Collect the exuded liquid and brush onto the injury; good effect. (*Yifang Jiangyao*).
Leaves
[Properties and Flavor] Bitter, neutral, slightly toxic.
[Indications] Pediatric shan pi (likely referring to abdominal masses or hernias). For one-year-old infants, use one leaf, crush fresh to extract juice, and administer orally; inducing vomiting or diarrhea is considered beneficial (Chen Cangqi).
Roots
[Indications] Crushed and applied externally to treat fox thorn toxic swellings (Su Song).