Wuchang Pingbei

Wuchang Pingbei

　　Wuchang Pingbei

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

　　Pingbei, also referred to as Pingbeimu or Beimu, is a type of medicinal fritillary bulb. The use of Beimu dates back to the Eastern Han Dynasty’s “Shennong Bencao Jing” (The Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica), where it was classified as a medium-grade herb with the properties of “pungent and neutral,” used to “treat cold damage with feverish vexation, sore throat, and difficulty in lactation…”. During the Wei and Jin periods, the “Mingyi Bielu” (Supplementary Records of Famous Physicians) noted its use for “treating abdominal hardness, cough with upward qi rebellion, and relieving vexation and thirst…”. Later medical texts such as “Yaoxing Lun” (Treatise on the Nature of Medicinals), “Tang Bencao” (Tang Materia Medica), “Bencao Gangmu” (Compendium of Materia Medica), and “Zhiwu Mingzhi Tukao” (Illustrated Study of Plant Names and Realities) all documented the efficacy, harvesting, and varieties of Beimu, though not specifically referring to this species. The practice of using Pingbei for treating illnesses has long been established in Northeast China. By the mid-19th century during the Xianfeng era, folk remedies among the Han, Korean, Manchu, and Hui peoples in the region included using “Beimu Pear” to treat lung heat-induced cough and wheezing. In the early 20th century, pharmacies in Jilin City, such as “Shiyitang,” were already trading in Pingbei and other medicinal materials, which were then distributed to inland areas via Yingkou and other ports. As a result, Pingbei began entering the domestic medicinal herb market and became available for medical use across the country. (Commonly Used Chinese Herbal Medicines)

　　Geographical Distribution:

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