The fruit is also ground into a starchy powder which can be spread on scars, and is also the secret ingredient in curing intoxication. Japanese research has taken the potential use of the ling chiao into new areas with claims of its effective use in combating various forms of cancer.
目前日本正研究以一定份量的菱角，加上番杏、薏仁、牻牛兒苗等中藥煎服，以治療胃癌、子宮癌及其他多種癌症。但實際的效果如何，還有待進一步實驗證明。