Chinese Medical Journal

USE OF PUMPKIN SEED WITH ARECA NUT IN TAPEWORM INFECTIONS 25

80 em areca nut at 10:40 am. and 60 ce of 50 per cent magnesium sulphate at 11:10 am. At 12:30 am., during his second bowel movement, a complete tapeworm : measuring 25 feet long passed out. The patient had no nausea or other untoward reaction after taking the anthelmintics.

Case 2. Li, female, aged 39, a case of T. suginata infection. She had had the complaint for more than ten years and had been treated twice without success. The first time she had a decoction of 4 ounces each of areca nut and sour pomegranate fruit peels and the second time she was treated with an unknown amount of lai wan i, Mylitta latidensens Hor. together with black sesame seeds and brown sugar. On October 21, 1954 she came to us for treatment. She was given a 50 cc decoction of 50 gm of oil-free pumpkin seed powder at 8 a.m., a decoction of 80 gm areca nut at 9 am. and a dose of magnesium sulphate at 9:30 am. At 10:50 a.m., during her first bowel movement about half of a worm was found hanging from the anus. She then had seven watery stools, and at 11:45 am. the major part of the worm was out, and helped by gentle pulling the whole worm with the scolex attached was passed out. Apart from feeling the urgency for bowel movement she had no other reaction after the anthelmintics.

Case 3. Meng, male, aged 34, with T. saginata infection. His complaint had lasted for more than two years. He had once passed out about 20 feet of a worm after a dose of medicine from a worm specialist but was not cured and further segments were again found. In June 1953 he was treated three times at the Tungssu Federated Hospital with an interval of three to four days between each treatment but was not cured. On November 20, 1953 he came to us for treatment. He took 100 gm of pumpkin seed kernel by mastication at 2 p.m. immediately followed by a decoction of 80 gm of areca nut and then a dose of purgative at 3 p.m. He felt some peristaltic movement but otherwise no unpleasant feeling. At 5:30 p.m. he was asked to return home. He had no bowel movement until 7 a.m. the following day, when a tapeworm 20.5 feet long was passed out. The worm was found to be short of about 1 inch in length including the head. Inquiry made three months later showed that he was cured.

Case 4. Tai, male, aged 43, with 7. saginata infection. The patient had had the complaint for about eleven years. He had treated himself with decoctions of areca nut five or six times without success. He came to our clinic for treatment on May 14, 1954. He was given 100 gm of pumpkin seed kernel by mastication at 7 am., a decoction of 80 gm areca nut at 10 am. and 60 ce of 50 per cent magnesium sulphate at 10:30 am. At 12 noon, the first bowel moyement took place and some parts of the worms passed out but were severed by pulling. At 12:30, during the second bowel movement, the remaining parts of all the worms came out. Careful examination showed that there were 14 tapeworms all with their heads attached. The total length of these 14 worms measured 259.6 feet. The patient had no untoward reaction from the anthelmintics.

In summarizing the results of treatment given in the foregoing pages, it may be concluded that one single treatment with the combination of pumpkin seed and areca nut can yield a high cure rate of about 95 per cent. Exceptionally stubborn cases may also be cured after one or two repetitions of the same treatment. The combined use of pumpkin seed and areca nut in the treatment is simple. It can be carried out in the outpatient clinic, hospitalization is unnecessary.

The taking of pumpkin seeds is simple. The kernels may be masticated or taken in the powder form. Fine pumpkin seed powder is