Compendium of Medicinal Substances, Volume 33

[...] it is mostly water. It is primarily used to quench thirst, eliminate irritability and heat, promote urination, and clear blockages within the Triple Burner Triple Burner (Sanjiao): A concept in traditional medicine referring to the functional coordination of the organ systems in the chest and abdomen. It also treats sores of the mouth and nose.

Jiayou Refers to the Jiayou Materia Medica, an imperial pharmaceutical text compiled 1056–1060 AD. Eating this during the summer months prevents heatstroke.

Kou Zongshi A famous Song Dynasty pharmacologist (1070–1133 AD).

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Discussion

Kou Zongshi says: Although the sweet melon likely referring to muskmelons or cantaloupes relieves summer heat, its nature is cold and it damages the Yang energy Yang energy: The warm, active, and vital force of the body. Among those who eat too much of it, there are none who do not suffer from diarrhea. If one overeats in the summer, the resulting dysentery in late autumn is extremely difficult to treat. It is only beneficial when the skin is preserved in honey and stored. The skin can also be prepared as a soup.

Tao Hongjing says: A famous 5th-century naturalist and physician. All melons are cold and laxative; the early green ones are particularly so. For ripe melons, if you remove the pulp and seeds before eating, they will not harm the body.

Li Shizhen says: The most famous physician of the Ming Dynasty, author of the Compendium of Materia Medica. Melons are extremely cold in nature. If they are eaten after being sun-dried, they become even colder. Thus, Ji Sheng’s rhapsody says: "Melon is colder when sunned; oil is colder when fried." This is a peculiar property of their nature. Wang Yi’s Rhapsody on the Capital of Luoyang says: Melons eliminate summer heat, dispel mental confusion, quench thirst, and satisfy hunger. Furthermore, the Miraculous and Effective Prescriptions records a man suffering from bloody dysentery so painful he could not bear it. He ate several sweet melons that had been soaked in water, and he was immediately cured. This is further evidence of the melon's ability to clear summer heat.

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Melon Seed Kernels

Preparation

Lei Xiao says: A 5th-century expert on the processing of medicinal substances. Whenever you harvest them, sun-dry them and pound them. Pass them through a fine horsehair sieve until they become a powder. Wrap the powder in three layers of paper and press it to remove the oil. If the oil is not removed, its medicinal strength will be insufficient.

Watermelon

Properties

It is sweet, cold, and non-toxic. It is primarily used to treat internal accumulations in the abdomen and to break up abscesses and discharge pus and blood. The seed kernels have the same effect.