Chinese Medical Journal

32 THE CHINESE MEDICAL JOURNAL

patients have a slight nausea after taking the drug. We are of the opinion that areca nut 2-3 liang (about 60-100 gm), pumpkin seeds 2.5-4 liang (about 80-125 gm) and magnesium sulphate 1 lang (380 gm) are quite sufficient. In the case of an inpatient, the physician, according to the state and constitution of the patient, may prescribe higher doses; but a dosage of over 100 gm of either areca nut or pumpkin seed seems unnecessary. As stated before, areca nut contains a large amount of tannin; its crude decoction is not only unpleasant to taste but also irritative to the stomach and is unsuitable especially to patients with a “weak stomach”. In clinics or hospitals where a pharmacy is available, the tannin may be removed by titration with gelatin solution to lessen the irritative property of the decoction.

With regard to pumpkin seeds, we recommend the use of powder pre-

pared from the kernels, the powder as it is or after being boiled in water. A decoction of areca nut is taken two hours later and a cles of magnesium sulphate after another half an hour. In conclusion, it may be said that the result of the combined use of pumpkin seed and areca nut in the treatment of tapeworm infections is entirely satisfactory. Traditional drugstores are found everywhere in the country and slices of areca nut can be purchased without difficulty. Pumpkin seeds can also easily be obtained in groceries in towns and cities, and in rural areas the plant is widely cultivated. Therefore, even in remote country villages there is no difficulty in obtaining the seeds. The combined use of pumpkin seed and areca nut could be popularized in the treatment of tapeworm infections.

SUMMARY

1. The results of investigations on the combined use of pumpkin seeds and areca nut in the treatment of tapeworm infections are reported.

2. In vitro experiments on T. saginata and T. solium show that the action of pumpkin seeds and areca nut on tapeworms is different. The paralytic effect of pumpkin seeds is on the middle and posterior parts of the worm and that of areca nuts is chiefly on the scolex and the immature segments of the anterior parts.

3. Both our in vitro tests and clinical cases prove that when sumniplen seeds and areca nuts are used in combination their actions are synergistic, and a high percentage of cure results.

4. We treated 165 cases of T. saginata and 20 cases of T. soliwm infections. Sixty-nine of the former cases were treated differently for ex-