Shangzhi Pingbei

Shangzhi Pingbei

　　Shangzhi Pingbei

　　This product consists of dried bulbs from the plant Fritillaria ussuriensis Maxim., a species in the Liliaceae family. It is listed in the 1990 edition of the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China.

　　Pingbei, also known as Pingbeimu or simply Beimu, is one type of medicinal fritillary bulb. The use of Beimu dates back to the Eastern Han Dynasty, where it was recorded in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (The Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica), classified as a mid-grade herb with the properties of being “pungent and neutral,” and indicated for treating “cold damage with feverish vexation, throat bi [obstruction], and difficult lactation…”. During the Wei and Jin periods, the Ming Yi Bie Lu (Supplementary Records of Eminent Physicians) noted its use for “treating abdominal hardness, cough with upward qi rebellion, relieving vexing heat and thirst…”. Later medical texts such as Yao Xing Lun (Treatise on the Properties of Medicinals), Tang Ben Cao (Tang Materia Medica), Ben Cao Gang Mu (Compendium of Materia Medica), and Zhi Wu Ming Shi Tu Kao (Illustrated Study of Plant Names and Realities) all documented the efficacy, harvesting, and origin varieties of Beimu. However, these did not specifically refer to this particular species. The practice of using Pingbei to treat diseases has long been established in Northeast China. By the mid-19th century, during the Xianfeng era, folk remedies such as “Beimu Pear” for treating lung heat-induced cough and wheezing were already in circulation among the Han, Korean, Manchu, and Hui peoples in the region. By the early 20th century, pharmacies in Jilin City, such as Shi Yi Tang, were already trading in medicinal materials including Pingbei, which were then distributed inland via ports such as Yingkou. This marked the beginning of Pingbei’s entry into the domestic herbal medicine market, supplying medicinal needs across the country. (Commonly Used Chinese Herbal Medicines)

　　Origin and Distribution:

　　Wild Pingbei in China is primarily distributed in the mountainous regions of the Changbai Mountain Range and the southern part of the Xiaoxing’an Mountains in the Northeast. It is mainly produced in Shangzhi, Tieli, Wushang, Yichun, Jiamusi, Muleng, Acheng, Bin County, Fangzheng, Tonghe, Yanshou, and Dongning in Heilongjiang; Hunyuan, Huadian, Ji’an, Tonghua, Liuhe, Meihekou, Dunhua, Fusong, Changbai, Jingyu, Helong, Antu, Wangqing, Huinan, Yongji, Jiaohe, Shulan, and Dongfeng in Jilin; and Kaiyuan, Qingyuan, Xinbin, Fushun, Kuandian, Donggou, Huanren, and Benxi in Liaoning. Most of it is cultivated, though it has also been introduced in Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Hebei. (Commonly Used Chinese Herbal Medicines)