Chuan Bei Mu
StarFritillaria cirrhosa D. Don
Traditionally used for
- Nose & throat
- Cough & breathing
Cautions & contraindications
- Pregnancy
- Young children
☯ TCM Properties
Clears Heat and Moistens the Lungs; Resolves Phlegm and Stops Cough; Disperses Swelling and Dissipates Nodules
Traditional Chinese Uses
Chuan Bei Mu (川贝母) is the bulb of Fritillaria cirrhosa D. Don and related Sichuan species (Liliaceae), Bulbus Fritillariae Cirrhosae. It is bitter and sweet and cool, entering the Lung and Heart channels. It clears Heat and moistens the Lungs, resolves Phlegm and stops cough, and disperses swelling to dissipate nodules.
Its sweetness is what distinguishes it: it moistens as it clears, which makes it the fritillary for chronic, dry or deficiency-type cough — a lingering cough with scanty, sticky, difficult sputum, or blood-streaked sputum, in Lung Yin deficiency and consumptive disorders. It is the herb of the familiar pear-and-fritillary preparations for dry throat and cough. It also disperses nodules in scrofula, breast abscess and Lung abscess.
Chuan Bei Mu and Zhe Bei Mu are prescribed differently. Chuan Bei Mu is sweeter, more moistening and gentler, and is chosen for chronic deficiency patterns; Zhe Bei Mu (F. thunbergii) is more bitter and strongly cold and is chosen for acute, excess Phlegm-Heat with thick yellow sputum. Chuan Bei Mu is expensive and widely adulterated, so provenance matters. By the eighteen incompatibilities it is not combined with Wu Tou (aconite).
Western Herbalism Properties
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Fritillaria cirrhosa (Chuan Bei Mu, Sichuan fritillary) is a perennial bulbous herb in the Liliaceae family, growing 15 to 50 centimeters tall from a small ovoid white bulb 0.5 to 1.5 centimeters in diameter, composed of two fleshy scales enclosing a tiny central bud. The slender, unbranched stem is glabrous and bears whorled or opposite, narrowly linear to lanceolate leaves 4 to 12 centimeters long, the uppermost often modified into slender tendril-like tips (giving the specific epithet cirrhosa). A single nodding bell-shaped flower (sometimes two or three) terminates the stem in early summer, with six tepals about 3 to 5 centimeters long, pale yellow to greenish-yellow and conspicuously marked inside with purple or brown checkered tessellations characteristic of the genus. The fruit is an erect, six-angled capsule. The bulbs, the part used medicinally, are harvested in summer or autumn, freed from outer scales and roots, and dried. Native to high alpine meadows and rocky slopes of southwestern China, especially Sichuan, Yunnan, and Tibet.
Active Constituents
Imperialine (sipeimine)
Isosteroidal alkaloid, cevanine (jervine-type) skeletonConcentration: One of the principal alkaloids of the bulb; total alkaloid content of the drug is low overall, roughly 0.02 to 0.3%
The alkaloid on which most of the antitussive pharmacology of the bulb rests, and the marker used in the published rat pharmacokinetic work on the drug. Also occurs as imperialine-beta-N-oxide.
Peimine (verticine)
Isosteroidal alkaloid, cevanine typeA major cevanine alkaloid of Fritillaria bulbs, contributing antitussive and expectorant activity. In herb-pair work with processed aconite, peimine was among the alkaloids implicated in inhibition of intestinal P-glycoprotein.
Peiminine (verticinone)
Isosteroidal alkaloid, cevanine typeCompanion alkaloid to peimine and one of the two compounds by which Fritillaria drugs are commonly assayed. Contributes to the antitussive, expectorant and anti-inflammatory profile of the bulb.
Peimisine
Isosteroidal alkaloid, veratramine (secured C-nor-D-homo) typeReported to reduce cigarette-smoke-extract-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in bronchial epithelial cells in vitro, supporting the airway indication at the cellular level.
Ebeiedinone
Isosteroidal alkaloidMinor bulb alkaloid studied alongside peimisine for protection of bronchial epithelial cells against cigarette-smoke-induced oxidative injury.
Chuanbeinone
Isosteroidal alkaloid, cevanine typeNamed for the drug itself and used as one of the chemical markers distinguishing Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus from the cheaper Fritillaria species that substitute for it.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Bolbostemma paniculatum (Tu Bei Mu, Rhizoma Bolbostemmatis)
Bolbostemma paniculatum, a cucurbitaceous bulb, shares the Bei Mu name with the Fritillaria drugs and is recorded in ITS2 barcoding surveys of the Fritillariae Bulbus trade as one of the adulterants found in market material. Its chemistry has nothing in common with Fritillaria: the bulb yields cucurbitacin triterpenoid sapogenins and cyclic bisdesmoside saponins of the tubeimoside series, and bioassay-guided fractionation found isocucurbitacin B, cucurbitacin E and 23,24-dihydrocucurbitacin E cytotoxic to HeLa and HT-29 cells with IC50 values of 0.93 to 9.73 micromolar. The comprehensive review of the species states plainly that its acute and long-term toxicity are rarely reported, so the safety margin of a substituted batch is unknown. Chuan Bei Mu is among the most expensive herbs in the trade, which is exactly the economic pressure that drives this substitution.
Clinical note: Buy Chuan Bei Mu only as whole, morphologically intact bulbs from a supplier who will provide species authentication; never buy it as powder. Tu Bei Mu is an anti-tumour and nodule-dissipating drug with a completely different indication and an uncharacterised toxicity profile, and it must never be dispensed to a patient expecting a moistening antitussive, least of all a child or a pregnant patient.
Processed aconite (Fu Zi, Radix Aconiti Lateralis Preparata) and Aconiti Radix Cocta
Bei Mu with aconite is one of the classical eighteen incompatible pairs, and the mechanism has now been given experimental content. In rat single-pass intestinal perfusion, combining Radix Aconiti Praeparata with Bulbus Fritillariae increased the intestinal permeability of the toxic aconite alkaloid benzoylmesaconine, while co-decoction alone produced no significant change in the toxic constituents. Species matters: Fritillaria thunbergii bulb inhibited both P-glycoprotein function and expression, whereas Fritillaria cirrhosa bulb inhibited function only, and peimine was among the alkaloids identified as the P-glycoprotein inhibitors. The direction of the effect is toward greater systemic exposure to aconite ester alkaloids, which is the toxicity that matters with aconite.
Clinical note: Treat the Bei Mu and aconite combination as contraindicated outside expert supervision. If a patient is already taking an aconite-containing formula, do not add a Chuan Bei Mu cough preparation, including over-the-counter Fritillaria cough syrups, without reviewing the whole prescription. Watch for perioral paraesthesia, nausea and arrhythmia as early aconite toxicity.
Fritillaria ussuriensis and Fritillaria thunbergii bulb (Ping Bei Mu, Zhe Bei Mu)
A 2024 SNP-based quantification study of commercial Shedan Chuanbei capsules found four of eight randomly selected products adulterated with Fritillaria ussuriensis or Fritillaria thunbergii at 9 to 15% of total weight. The alkaloid profiles of these species differ from Fritillaria cirrhosa, and the P-glycoprotein work above shows that Fritillaria thunbergii and Fritillaria cirrhosa are not interchangeable in their effect on aconite absorption. Only six Fritillaria species are official as Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus and these two are not among them.
Clinical note: Do not treat a Chinese patent medicine label as evidence of species. Where the identity of the Fritillaria matters clinically, chiefly when aconite is anywhere in the case, require DNA-authenticated material.
Fritillaria pallidiflora bulb (Yi Bei Mu)
Fritillaria pallidiflora is a separate pharmacopoeial drug that is chemically distinguishable from Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus by LC-MS/MS with multivariate analysis, and it appears in the same trade channels. Its total alkaloid extract has its own respiratory pharmacology in animal models, so it is not inert, but it is not the drug prescribed and it is markedly cheaper.
Clinical note: A commercial rather than an acute safety problem, but it undermines dose reliability. Note the substitution risk when a Chuan Bei Mu preparation is unusually inexpensive.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction, or powder/pills | 3–10 g | Daily | — | — | 中国药典 2020 【用法与用量】3～10g；研粉冲服，一次1～2g。 【注意】不宜与川乌、制川乌、草乌、制草乌、附子同用。 【性味与归经】苦、甘，微寒。归肺、心经。 — Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, quoted verbatim; route and cautions preserved. Replaces a cleared category-filler value. |
Dui Yao — Herb Pairs
The classical two-herb combinations this herb appears in, each with an action neither herb has alone.
Moistens the lungs and clears heat while transforming phlegm and loosening the chest, for dry-phlegm cough with sputum that is hard to expectorate.
Core pair of a classical formula — Bei Mu Gua Lou San, Yi Xue Xin Wu (Cheng Guopeng, 1732)
Clearing and moistening the lung is combined with transforming phlegm, relieving dry or heat cough with scanty sticky sputum.
Er Mu San is recorded in several texts with differing attributions.
Named pairing — Zhongyaoxue national textbook; the pair forms Er Mu San
Evidence Tier
Moderate evidence · 5 studiesRecorded studies by study design, strongest design at the top. This is a study-design tier only, not a GRADE rating: it does not weigh risk of bias, consistency or precision.
Systematic review / meta-analysis
0
Randomized controlled trial
0
Other clinical trial
0
Observational / case report
0
In vitro / animal
4
1 verified · 3 unverified
Show 4 studies
- Studies on the Incompatibility between Bulbus fritillariae and Radix aconiti praeparata Based on the P-gp
- Molecular quantification of fritillariae cirrhosae bulbus and its adulterants
- Pharmacokinetic Study and Determination of Imperialine, the Major Bioactive Component in Antitussive Fritillaria cirrhosa, in Rat by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Evaporative Light-Scattering Detector
- Ebeiedinone and peimisine inhibit cigarette smoke extract-induced oxidative stress injury and apoptosis in BEAS-2B cells
Other / unclassified
1
1 verified · 0 unverified
Verified: design read from PubMed for a DOI that resolves to the cited paper Unverified: taken from the study's recorded description
Clinical Studies
A Systematic Review on Traditional Uses, Sources, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Pharmacokinetics, and Toxicity of Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus
Systematic review of the drug across the Chinese and English literature. Records that the Chinese Pharmacopoeia admits six Fritillaria species as Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus (F. cirrhosa, F. przewalskii, F. unibracteata, F. delavayi, F. taipaiensis and F. unibracteata var. wabuensis), that over thirty alkaloids have been isolated, and that total alkaloid content is low at roughly 0.02 to 0.3%. In acute oral toxicity testing the maximum feasible dose in mice was 452.14 g/kg with no deaths over 14 days, though liver pathological changes were observed. Evidence for the pharmacological claims is overwhelmingly preclinical.
Studies on the Incompatibility between Bulbus fritillariae and Radix aconiti praeparata Based on the P-gp
Rat single-pass intestinal perfusion plus MDR1-MDCK transport and molecular docking, testing the classical incompatibility of Bei Mu with processed aconite. Co-decoction did not change the toxic aconite constituents, but combination raised the intestinal permeability of benzoylmesaconine. Fritillaria thunbergii bulb inhibited P-glycoprotein function and expression; Fritillaria cirrhosa bulb inhibited function only. Alkaloids including peimine were implicated as the P-glycoprotein inhibitors.
Molecular quantification of fritillariae cirrhosae bulbus and its adulterants
SNP-based herb molecular quantification built on the ITS 341 site, able to separate Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus from five adulterant species and to quantify the proportion of adulterant in a mixture (linearity R-squared 0.9997, mean bias 5.973%). Applied to eight randomly purchased commercial Shedan Chuanbei capsules, four were adulterated with Fritillaria ussuriensis or Fritillaria thunbergii at 9 to 15% of total weight.
Pharmacokinetic Study and Determination of Imperialine, the Major Bioactive Component in Antitussive Fritillaria cirrhosa, in Rat by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Evaporative Light-Scattering Detector
HPLC method with evaporative light-scattering detection developed for imperialine, the alkaloid to which the antitussive action of Fritillaria cirrhosa is principally attributed, and applied to a pharmacokinetic study in the rat. Provides the basic disposition data for the marker alkaloid; there is no equivalent human pharmacokinetic study.
Ebeiedinone and peimisine inhibit cigarette smoke extract-induced oxidative stress injury and apoptosis in BEAS-2B cells
Human bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells exposed to cigarette smoke extract. Two isosteroidal alkaloids of the bulb, ebeiedinone and peimisine, reduced oxidative stress markers and apoptosis, giving a cellular mechanism for the traditional airway indication. Single-cell-line preclinical work only.
⚠ Rule-Based Cautions
These entries come from the deterministic rule tables that gate Verscienta's formula tools — classical pair prohibitions, pregnancy and lactation contraindications, and dose ceilings.
Incompatibilities (十八反 / 十九畏)
- 十八反: Wu Tou × Bei Mu — avoid combining with Fu Zi / Aconite / Aconitum / Chuan Wu / Cao Wu / Wu Tou / Shu Fu / Hei Shun Pian / Fu Pian / Guan Bai Fu / Xue Shang Yi Zhi Hao / Aconitum brachypodum
Historical Texts
Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (Divine Husbandman's Classic of the Materia Medica)
Han dynasty, compiled c. 200 CEBen Cao Gang Mu (Compendium of Materia Medica)
Ming dynasty, 1596, Li ShizhenQing-dynasty materia medica, in which Chuan Bei Mu, Zhe Bei Mu and Tu Bei Mu were finally separated
Qing dynasty, 17th to 19th centuryReferences
- Cunningham A, Brinckmann J, Pei SJ, Luo P, Schippmann U, Long X, Bi YF. High altitude species, high profits: Can the trade in wild harvested Fritillaria cirrhosa (Liliaceae) be sustained? . Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2018) [DOI]
- Wang Y, Hou H, Ren Q, Hu H, Yang T, Li X. Natural drug sources for respiratory diseases from Fritillaria: chemical and biological analyses . Chinese Medicine (2021) [DOI]
- Xiang L, Su Y, Li X, Xue G, Wang Q, Shi J, Wang L, Chen S. Identification of Fritillariae bulbus from adulterants using ITS2 regions . Plant Gene (2016) [DOI]
- Zhou Y, Liu J, Zhang J, Xu Y, Li W, Gao P, Xing Y, Huang L, Qin X, Jin S. Chinese endemic medicinal plant Bolbostemma paniculatum (Maxim.) Franquet: A comprehensive review . Frontiers in Pharmacology (2022) [DOI]
- Tang Y, Li W, Cao J, Li W, Zhao Y. Bioassay-guided isolation and identification of cytotoxic compounds from Bolbostemma paniculatum . Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2015) [DOI]
- Liu C, Liu S, Tse WM, Tse KWG, Erbu A, Xiong H, Lanzi G, Liu Y, Ye B. A distinction between Fritillaria Cirrhosa Bulbus and Fritillaria Pallidiflora Bulbus via LC–MS/MS in conjunction with principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis . Scientific Reports (2023) [DOI]
- Wang X, AGA EB, Tse WM, Tse KWG, Ye B. Protective Effect of the Total Alkaloid Extract from Bulbus Fritillariae pallidiflorae in a Mouse Model of Cigarette Smoke-Induced Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease . International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (2024) [DOI]
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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