Wax gourd peel, the skin of the winter melon
Dong Gua Pi reads “skin of the winter melon”. Yet the melon does not grow in winter: when ripe, the fruit is covered with a white, waxy bloom reminiscent of frost, hence its name, and hence the name wax gourd; another explanation holds that the whole fruit keeps all winter long. This large climbing gourd, whose fruit can reach 60 to 80 cm, is grown all over China. Its peel is a by-product of the kitchen: removed when the fruit is eaten, it is simply washed, cut and dried. The best still keeps its white bloom, the sign of a fully ripe fruit.
Harmonising the Fluids, gently
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, wax gourd peel is cool, with a sweet and bland flavour. The bland flavour is what matters here: according to tradition, it guides the Fluids gently downwards, without forcing them, while sweetness spares the Spleen. Its three channels trace the whole pathway of the Fluids: the Lung distributes them, the Spleen transforms them, the Small Intestine separates the clear from the turbid. A classical principle explains its speciality, “peels act on the skin”: itself an envelope, it reaches the Dampness that gathers at the surface of the body. Gentle enough to be a food, it often reinforces stronger plants such as poria.
A summer coolness
Its coolness answers Heat, summer Heat in particular: in southern China, it is one of the simplest summer teas, alone or with green watermelon rind, which cools from above while the gourd opens the way out below. The same fruit gives three substances not to be confused: the flesh, a vegetable; the seed, directed towards the Lung; and the peel, directed towards the surface of the body. It is readily added to Wu Pi Yin, the five-peel drink, although it is not one of the five.
Key benefits
Lightness & Ease
Bland and sweet, it helps the Fluids circulate smoothly at the surface of the body and promotes a feeling of ease and lightness.
Urinary Comfort & an Open Lower Pathway
According to Chinese tradition, it gently opens the lower pathway and promotes urinary comfort.
Coolness & Heat Cleared
Cool, it clears Heat, summer Heat in particular, without harshness.
