Zhe Bei Mu - Fritillaria thumbergii

Professional Data
 Pin Yin
Zhe Bei Mu
 
 Latin
Bulbus Fritillariae
 Introduction Back to Top
Bulbus Fritillariae is the dried bulb of Fritillaria thunbergii Miq. (Fam. Liliaceae). The drug is collected in early summer when the plant withered, washed clean, and classified according to its size. The larger one is removed from the central bud and commonly known as "Dabei", the smaller one, with the central bud not removed, is commonly known as "Zhubei". The drug is removed from the outer bark by dashing mixed with calcinated shell powder to absorb the juice dashed out and dried. Or the drug is washed clean, removed from the central bud regardless their size, cut into thick slice freshly, washed clean, and dried, commonly known as "Zhebeipian".
 Western medical Back to Top
This herb is indicated in the treatment of cough, carbuncles, scrofula etc..
 Eastern medical Back to Top
  • Pattern: Clears Heat, dissolves Phlegm, relieves depression and dissolves lumps.
  • Properties: Bitter, cold.
  • Channels entered: Lung and Heart.
 Chemical constituents Back to Top
zhe bei mu contains various alkaloids, including peimine, peiminine, peimidine, peimiphine, peimisine, peimitidine and peiminoside, propeimine and starch, etc..
 Pharmacological actions Back to Top
Antitussive and expectorant effect

Perfusion of zhe bei mu at losage concentrations to isolated cat or rabbit lung could relax the smooth muscles of bronchia; at high concentrations, the smooth muscle would contract. Peimine had anti-tussive effect.

Others

Peimine as eye drip had strong pupil dilating effect. Peimine had inhibitory effect on frog hearts.

 Clinical Studies Back to Top
Cough

zhe bei mu was frequently used to treat cough due to Wind Heat common cold, acute and chronic bronchitis and pneumonia, etc. Bei Mu Hua Extracturm Tablet (each tablet equal to 1g crude drug), 3 tablets, tid, 245 cases of cough were treated. It had an effective rate of 76.5% on cough due to upper respiratory tract injections, and 68.2% on cough due to chronic bronchtisi.

Endemic goiter

Xiao Yin San (xiang bei mu, duan mu li, guang yu jin, hai zao), 3g, bid. 9 cases of endemic goiter were treated for 2 months, 6 were basically cured, 3 effective.

Chloasma

San Bai Tui Ban Gao (zhe bei mu, bai ji, bai fu zi) was applied to affected areas twice daily, 138 cases of chloasma were treated, and 109 were cured, 25 improved, 4 ineffective.

 
 References Back to Top

Except those noted, all references come from Weng Weiliang, et al., Clinical Chinese materia medica, Henan Science & Technology Press, 1998