Chuan Bei Mu
English Name: fritillaria cirrhosae (and other species) bulb, Himalayan frillitary lily bulb
Pharmaceutical Name: Bulbus Fritillariae Cirrhosae
Medica Category: Phlegm-Resolving Herbs
Properties: Chuan Bei Mu enters the Heart and Lung channels; it is bitter and sweet in nature and cool in temperature.
What is Chuan Bei Mu?:
The Chinese Herb Chuan Bei Mu is the dried bulbs that come from one of several species of fritillaria (Fritillaria cirrhosa D.Don.; and several others). Fritillaria is a perennial flowering plant in the lily family, and the species that give us Chuan Bei Mu grow primarily in the mountainous areas of Sichuan, Yunnan and Gansu provinces in China. The bulbs are collected in summer and autumn (when the snow is melted) and dried for use as medicine.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Therapeutic Actions of Chuan Bei Mu:
Chuan Bei Mu cools and moistens the Lung and dissolves phlegm and is best used to address dry cough with scanty, difficult-to-expectorate, yellow phlegm.
Chuan Bei Mu clears heat and disperses nodules and can be used to address sores, nodules, goiter, scrofula, and lung and breast abscesses.
note for students and practitioners: Chuan Bei Mu and Zhe Bei Mu have similar actions with the main difference being that Chuan Bei Mu is a bit milder and good for treating chronic cough (with underlying Lung deficiency) whereas Zhe Bei Mu is quite bitter and cold and appropriate for treating coughs due to Lung heat with copious yellow phlegm.