WH Acupuncture & Herbs Centre

It is the dried bulb of Fritillaria thunbergii Miq.,family Liliaceae. In the past, those produced in Xiangshan, Zhejiang province were superior in quality , so they were called Xiangbei, now they are mainly cultivated in Zhangshu, Yin county, Ningbo. The bulbs are dug and collected after the plants are withered in early summer. They are washed clean, brushed barks away, mixed with calcined powder made from shells to absorb sap, and then cut into thick slices or broken into fragments.

[ Medicinal Properties ]: Bitter and cold relate to lung and heart meridians.

[ Medicinal Efficacies ]: Clear heat and resolve phlegm; remove stagnation and dissipate mass.

[ Clinical Applications ]: 1. Cough caused by wind-heat, dryness-heat and phlegm-heat        For cuogh due to exogenous wind and heat, it is ususally combined with Sangye, Niubangzi and Qianhu; for cough due to phlegm-heat accumulation in lung, usually with Gualou and Zhimu.

2. Scrofula,goiter, carbuncle ,pulmonary abscess       For scrofula, it is combined with Xuanshen and Muli in XIaoluo PIlls; for goiter ,with Hiazao and Kunbu; for carbuncle, with Lianqiao and Pugongyig; for pulmonary abscess, with Yuxingcao and Lugen.

[ Usage and Dosage ]: 4.5-9g.

[ Precautions ]: It is incompatible  with Wutou.

[ Medicinal Comparison ]: Similarities: Chuanbeimu and Zhebeimu can clear heat, resolve phlegm, remove stagnation and relieve swelling, they can treat cough due to phlegm-heat, scrofula and pulmonary abscess.

Differences: Chuanbeimu is sweet, cold and moist, can moisten lung and relieve cough, so it usually treats deficiency syndrome such as chronic cough due to lung deficiency and cough due to lung dryness. Zhebeimu is bitter, cold and purging and it has strong powder for clearing heat and removing stagnation. It usually treat excess syndrome such as cough due to wind-heat or phlegm-heat, phlegm-fire accumulation , scrofula and carbuncle.

浙贝母 为百合科植物浙贝母 Fritillaria thunbergii Miq.的鳞茎。原产于浙江象山，现主产于浙江鄞县。此外，江苏、安徽、湖南、江西等地亦产。初夏植株枯萎时采挖，洗净，擦去外皮，拌以煅过的贝壳粉，吸去浆汁，切厚片或打成碎块。