Lilium pumilum
StarLilium pumilum
Synonyms: Lilium pumilum var. sinensium, Lilium puniceum, Lilium pumilum var. potaninii, Lilium tenuifolium f. chrysanthum, Lilium linifolium, Lilium tenuifolium var. chrysanthum, Lilium tenuifolium, Lilium potaninii, Lilium stenophyllum, Lilium sinensium, Lilium chrysanthum, Lilium pumilum var. flavum
Safety at a glance
No rule in our tables for this herb: pregnancy, breastfeeding, incompatible pairs (十八反 / 十九畏), herb–drug, dose ceiling. This is not a safety clearance.
Not graded — No toxicity grade is recorded. Most herbs in the catalogue carry none.
Traditionally used for
- Sleep
- Energy & fatigue
Western Herbalism Properties
Botanical Description
Lilium pumilum, the coral lily or Siberian lily, is a small bulbous perennial of the Liliaceae family native to northeastern China, Mongolia, the Russian Far East and the Korean Peninsula, where it grows on dry grassy hillsides, rocky slopes and open pine forest from 400 to 2600 m. The plant arises from a small ovoid bulb 2–3 cm in diameter composed of fleshy white scales and produces a slender erect unbranched stem 20–60 cm tall. The numerous alternate leaves are linear and grass-like, 5–10 cm long and only 1–3 mm wide, scattered along the upper stem. From early to midsummer the plant bears one to several nodding turk's-cap flowers on slender pedicels; the six strongly recurved tepals are a vivid scarlet-red to coral colour, unspotted or sparsely spotted, with bright orange anthers held below on long pollen-bearing filaments. The fruit is a small erect oblong capsule.
Active Constituents
Pumilum A
Spirostanol steroidal saponinConcentration: Isolated as a minor constituent of the methanol extract of the bulb; not quantified
A spirostanol glycoside first described from this species and named for it, with an aglycone characterised as a 3,17,27-trihydroxy-spirostan-6-one. It was inactive against sodium-potassium ATPase in the assay that accompanied its isolation, so its naming reflects novelty rather than known activity.
Dioscin
Spirostanol steroidal saponinConcentration: One of five known steroidal saponins recovered from the methanol extract of the bulb
A widely distributed spirostanol saponin, here confirmed as a genuine constituent of L. pumilum bulb. Dioscin-type saponins are the class that reviews associate with the antioxidant and sedative activity attributed to Lilii Bulbus generally.
Spirostanol glycosides inhibitory to sodium-potassium ATPase
Steroidal saponinConcentration: Two of seven compounds isolated from the bulb methanol extract
Two of the isolated glycosides inhibited sodium-potassium ATPase with IC50 values of 7.3 x 10 to the minus 5 M and 9.1 x 10 to the minus 6 M, against an ouabain control at 1.0 x 10 to the minus 6 M in the same assay. The authors themselves described the activity as weak: it is roughly nine to seventy times below the cardiac glycoside standard, so it is a structural curiosity rather than a demonstrated cardiac effect.
Phenolic propanediol glycoside
Phenolic glycosideConcentration: A single new compound of molecular formula C22H28O11 isolated from the bulb
A previously undescribed threo-configured aryl propanediol glycoside from the bulb. It was inactive in the sodium-potassium ATPase assay and has no assigned pharmacology.
Regalosides
Phenylpropanoid glycerol glycosideConcentration: Characteristic of Lilii Bulbus as a drug; not separately quantified for authenticated L. pumilum material
The regaloside series is the marker class for the Lilii Bulbus drug as a whole and the basis of its pharmacopoeial identification. Published quantitative work is dominated by L. lancifolium and L. brownii var. viridulum, which together supply about 98 percent of market Lilii Bulbus, so regaloside content specific to authenticated L. pumilum is poorly documented.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Digoxin and other cardiac glycosides
Two steroidal saponins from this bulb inhibit sodium-potassium ATPase, the digoxin target, with IC50 values of 7.3 x 10 to the minus 5 M and 9.1 x 10 to the minus 6 M against ouabain at 1.0 x 10 to the minus 6 M in the same cell-free assay. Mechanistic overlap with digoxin is therefore real but the potency gap is one to two orders of magnitude, and there is no absorption, plasma-concentration or animal data to suggest these saponins reach the myocardium at active concentrations after oral dosing. No case report of a lily bulb and digoxin interaction has been published.
Clinical note: Do not withhold the herb on this basis. It is worth noting only if a digoxin-treated patient takes large or prolonged doses and shows unexplained changes in digoxin level or rhythm, in which case stop the herb rather than assume it is inert.
Lilium lancifolium and Lilium brownii var. viridulum supplied as Lilium pumilum
L. lancifolium and L. brownii var. viridulum account for roughly 98 percent of the Lilii Bulbus on the Chinese market, leaving L. pumilum a small minority of supply. Material sold under this binomial is therefore statistically more likely to be one of the other two pharmacopoeial species. All three are legally interchangeable as Lilii Bulbus, so the substitution is not illicit, but it defeats any prescription that depends on this species in particular.
Clinical note: If a formula genuinely calls for L. pumilum rather than for Lilii Bulbus in general, insist on botanical or DNA authentication; assume ordinary commercial Bai He is not this species.
Dosage Calculator
⚖ Dosage Calculator
A weight-based mathematical estimate for Lilium pumilum. Not a prescription.
Evidence Tier
2 studies on recordRecorded 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
2
0 verified · 2 unverified
Other / unclassified
0
Verified: design read from PubMed for a DOI that resolves to the cited paper Unverified: taken from the study's recorded description
Clinical Studies
Steroidal and Phenolic Glycosides from the Bulbs of Lilium pumilum DC and Their Potential Na+/K+ ATPase Inhibitory Activity
Seven compounds were isolated from a methanol extract of L. pumilum bulbs, including the new spirostanol saponin pumilum A and a new phenolic propanediol glycoside, together with five known steroidal saponins including dioscin. Only two of the seven inhibited sodium-potassium ATPase, with IC50 values of 7.3 x 10 to the minus 5 M and 9.1 x 10 to the minus 6 M against an ouabain control at 1.0 x 10 to the minus 6 M; the remainder were inactive above 1.0 x 10 to the minus 4 M. Cell-free enzymology on isolated compounds, with no cellular, animal or human component.
Novel Steroidal Glycosides from the Bulbs of Lilium pumilum
Structural characterisation of previously undescribed steroidal glycosides from L. pumilum bulbs by a group with a long record in Lilium steroid chemistry. A phytochemistry paper: it establishes what is in the bulb and carries no therapeutic or dosing implication.
Historical Texts
Ri Hua Zi Ben Cao (Ri Hua Zi's Materia Medica)
Five Dynasties period, 10th century CEBen Cao Yan Yi (Dilations upon Materia Medica), Kou Zongshi
Northern Song dynasty, 1116 CEZhonghua Renmin Gongheguo Yaodian (Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China), Lilii Bulbus monograph
Modern, 2020 and 2025 editionsReferences
- Zhang W, Wang JL, Zhang ZJ, Peng HS, Zhan ZL, Yang HJ. [Herbal textual research on triditional Chinese medicine "Baihe"( Lilii Bulbus)]. . Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi (China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica) 44(22) (2019) [DOI]
- Zhou J, An R, Huang X. Genus Lilium: A review on traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology . Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2021) [DOI]
- Wang Y, Chen H, Feng P, Wang D, Du X. Traditional uses, nutritional properties, phytochemical metabolites, pharmacological properties, and potential applications of Lilium spp.: a systematic review . Frontiers in Pharmacology (2025) [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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