Bulbus Fritillariae Ussuriensis

Bulbus Fritillariae Ussuriensis

　　Bulbus Fritillariae Ussuriensis

　　Bulbus Fritillariae Ussuriensis, also known as Pingbeimu or simply Beimu, is a type of medicinal fritillary bulb. The use of fritillary bulbs 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, characterized by an acrid and neutral nature, used to treat cold damage with feverish restlessness, sore throat, and difficulty in lactation... The "Mingyi Bielu" (Supplementary Records of Famous Physicians) from the Wei and Jin periods recorded its use for treating abdominal hardness, cough with upward qi rebellion, and relieving feverish restlessness 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) also documented the efficacy, harvesting, and species origins of fritillary bulbs. However, these did not specifically refer to this particular species. The northeastern region of China has long had the tradition of using Bulbus Fritillariae Ussuriensis to treat illnesses. By the mid-19th century, during the Xianfeng era, folk remedies among the Han, Korean, Manchu, and Hui ethnic groups in the northeast included using fritillary bulb and pear to treat lung heat-induced cough and wheezing. In the early 20th century, pharmacies in Jilin City such as Shi Yitang were already trading in medicinal materials like Bulbus Fritillariae Ussuriensis, which were then distributed to inland areas via Yingkou and other ports. Thus, Bulbus Fritillariae Ussuriensis began entering the domestic medicinal materials market, supplying various regions for medicinal use.