Croton Seeds Classic Formulas — Natural Herb Library

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Drastically purges cold accumulation - Ba Dou is one of the strongest downward-draining herbs in the materia medica and is reserved for severe cold constipation, food stagnation, and abdominal fullness when ordinary purgatives are too weak.
Expels retained water and reduces swelling - classical use extends to ascites, edema, and severe distension patterns in which cold accumulation and water retention bind together.
Drives out phlegm and opens obstructed throat conditions - tiny doses were historically used for stubborn phlegm accumulation, throat blockage, and difficult downward movement of Lung and Stomach Qi.
Externally corrodes sores and kills parasites - topical preparations were used for scabies, tinea, toxic ulcers, and suppurative lesions when a strong corrosive or drying action was desired.

Tiny-dose Ba Dou pill or powder use for cold accumulation constipation - a classical drastic-purgative strategy that emphasizes the seed's forceful downward action and the need for very careful dosing.
Ba Dou combined with other retained-water herbs in old ascites formulas - historical usage for severe abdominal fullness and edema, now mainly preserved as a cautionary example of high-risk purgation.
External Ba Dou paste or powder - traditional topical application for scabies, tinea, and stubborn toxic sores when corrosive action was intentionally used.

Traditional materia medica texts describe Ba Dou as acrid, hot, and toxic, entering the Stomach, Large Intestine, and Lung to purge cold accumulation, expel water, and open phlegm obstruction.
Older references consistently stress that the seed is incompatible with pregnancy and unsuitable for frail or weak patients because its attack on obstruction is extremely forceful.
The common caution about incompatibility with Qian Niu Zi remains part of the traditional identity of the herb and reinforces how carefully it was classically handled.