Tu Bei Mu
StarBolbostemma paniculatum (Maxim.) Franquet
Traditionally used for
- Cough & breathing
- Skin
Cautions & contraindications
- Liver conditions
☯ TCM Properties
Clears Heat and removes toxins; Disperses Stagnation; Eliminates pathogenic External Phlegm, reduces sores and swellings
Traditional Chinese Uses
Tu Bei Mu is the corm-like tuber of Bolbostemma paniculatum, a Chinese endemic cucurbit. Bitter and cold, entering the Lung and Spleen channels, it clears Heat and resolves toxicity, disperses stagnation and nodules, and reduces sores and swellings. It is a classic remedy for Fire-toxin and Phlegm accumulation manifesting as carbuncles, breast abscess (ru yong), scrofula and cervical lymph nodules (luo li), subcutaneous masses, and snakebite.
In modern practice it is investigated for mammary hyperplasia and various tumors, reflecting its traditional action of dispersing Phlegm-toxin masses. The saponin-rich tuber has recognized toxicity and is used cautiously in small doses, often topically; it is not a food-grade Fritillaria (Bei Mu) despite the shared name.
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Botanical Description
Tu Bei Mu is the corm-like underground tuber of Bolbostemma paniculatum, a perennial climbing vine in the family Cucurbitaceae endemic to central and northern China. The plant arises from a large, flattened, pale-fleshed bulb-like tuber that is the part collected for medicine; aboveground, slender herbaceous stems climb by means of bifid tendrils to lengths of 2 to 4 metres. The alternate leaves are deeply palmately five- to seven-lobed, with the lobes themselves further toothed or pinnately divided, giving a delicate appearance. Small, greenish-yellow, dioecious flowers are borne in slender, branching panicles in the leaf axils, and develop into ovoid, six-seeded capsules that dehisce by an apical lid. The species favours shaded valleys, scrubby slopes, and forest margins from 300 to 1500 metres elevation.
Active Constituents
Tubeimoside I
Cyclic bisdesmosidic oleanane-type triterpenoid saponinConcentration: the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2020 edition) requires not less than 1.0% of the dried tuber
The Pharmacopoeia assay marker and the best-studied constituent of the drug. It is cytotoxic to a wide range of tumour cell lines in vitro and its aglycone chain is bridged by dicrotalic acid into an unusual macrocycle. Pharmacokinetically it is a poor oral drug: absolute oral bioavailability was 0.23% in rats at 50 mg/kg and about 1.0% in mice, because it degrades in the gastrointestinal tract, and what is absorbed distributes preferentially to liver and spleen, in the tissue order liver, spleen, blood, lung, heart, kidney, brain.
Tubeimoside III
Cyclic bisdesmosidic triterpenoid saponinOne of the cyclic bisdesmosides isolated by bioassay-guided fractionation of the bulb. In MTT assays it was among the most potent constituents against BGC-823, HeLa, HT-29 and MCF-7 cells, with the cyclic bisdesmoside group spanning IC50 values of roughly 1.30-15.64 microM.
Tubeimoside V
Cyclic bisdesmosidic triterpenoid saponinA further cyclic bisdesmoside of the bulb, cytotoxic in the same low-micromolar range as tubeimosides I and III in the bioassay-guided study of the drug.
Lobatoside C
Cyclic bisdesmosidic triterpenoid saponinA macrocyclic triterpenoid saponin isolated from the ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions of the bulb, active against BGC-823, HeLa, HT-29 and MCF-7 cells in vitro.
Isocucurbitacin B
Cucurbitane-type triterpenoid sapogeninOne of four cucurbitacin sapogenins recovered from the active fractions of the bulb. Together with cucurbitacin E and 23,24-dihydrocucurbitacin E it accounted for much of the cytotoxicity of the crude drug, with IC50 values against HeLa and HT-29 cells in the 0.93-9.73 microM range.
Cucurbitacin E
Cucurbitane-type triterpenoid sapogeninA highly cytotoxic cucurbitacin present in the bulb. Cucurbitacins as a class are potent cell-cycle and actin-cytoskeleton disruptors, and their presence is one reason the drug is not a benign substitute for a Fritillaria bulb.
23,24-Dihydrocucurbitacin E
Cucurbitane-type triterpenoid sapogeninIn the bioassay-guided study this sapogenin was the single most cytotoxic isolate, 12-fold and 8-fold more active than 5-fluorouracil against HeLa and HT-29 cells respectively.
beta-Sitosterol
PhytosterolOne of the 17 sterols catalogued from the plant, alongside stigmasterol and their glycosides and esters. It is a ubiquitous plant sterol and is not considered responsible for the drug's activity or its toxicity.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Fritillaria bulb preparations (Chuan Bei Mu, Zhe Bei Mu) - substitution and adulteration hazard
Despite the shared syllables "Bei Mu", Tu Bei Mu is the tuber of Bolbostemma paniculatum (Cucurbitaceae) and has no botanical or pharmacological relationship to Chuan Bei Mu (Fritillaria cirrhosa) or Zhe Bei Mu (Fritillaria thunbergii), which are Liliaceae bulbs containing steroidal alkaloids. Because Fritillariae cirrhosae bulbus is scarce and expensive, Bolbostemma paniculatum is documented as an adulterant of Fritillariae bulbus in molecular-authentication studies using ITS2 barcoding. Substituting it delivers cucurbitacins and cyclic bisdesmosidic saponins that are cytotoxic at low micromolar concentrations, in place of an antitussive with a wide safety margin.
Clinical note: Never accept "Bei Mu" as an unqualified label. Confirm the binomial on the certificate of analysis before dispensing, and do not let Tu Bei Mu enter a Fritillaria-based cough formula. The two drugs have different indications, different doses and different safety profiles.
Hepatotoxic drugs (e.g. paracetamol/acetaminophen, methotrexate, isoniazid)
Tubeimoside-1 distributes preferentially to liver and spleen and is cleared slowly by the liver. In dogs given 0.3-1.2 mg/kg intramuscularly five days a week for four weeks, the 1.2 mg/kg dose produced punctate necrosis of liver tissue and splenic bleeding; lower doses were tolerated. In vitro it inhibits the proliferation of normal L-02 hepatocytes as well as HepG2 cells, so the injury is not tumour-selective. No human pharmacokinetic or hepatotoxicity data exist, so this is an extrapolation from animal target-organ toxicity, not a documented clinical interaction.
Clinical note: Avoid combining with other hepatotoxic agents, and avoid entirely in existing liver disease. If used at all, keep to short courses at conventional decoction doses and check liver function if the patient is on any drug with a hepatic warning.
Cytotoxic chemotherapy (e.g. oxaliplatin, gemcitabine)
Tubeimoside-1 has been reported to enhance the cytotoxicity of platinum agents in cell culture and has been formulated with gemcitabine in experimental liposomal delivery systems. All of this work is preclinical; there are no human pharmacokinetic, safety or efficacy data for tubeimosides or for the crude drug, and no basis for assuming the combination is either safe or synergistic in patients.
Clinical note: Do not use Tu Bei Mu as an adjunct to chemotherapy on the strength of the in vitro literature. Patients seeking it for cancer should be told plainly that no human trials exist.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 5–10 g | Daily | — | — | 中国药典 2020 【用法与用量】5～10g。 【性味与归经】苦，微寒。归肺、脾经。 — Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, quoted verbatim; route and cautions preserved. Replaces a cleared category-filler value. |
Evidence Tier
Limited evidence · 2 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
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
Bioassay-guided isolation and identification of cytotoxic compounds from Bolbostemma paniculatum
Bioassay-guided fractionation of the bulb yielded four cucurbitacin triterpenoid sapogenins and eleven triterpenoid saponins. In MTT assays the sapogenins isocucurbitacin B, cucurbitacin E and 23,24-dihydrocucurbitacin E were active against HeLa and HT-29 cells with IC50 values of 0.93-9.73 microM, while the cyclic bisdesmosides (tubeimosides I, III and V, dexylosyltubeimoside III and lobatoside C) were active against BGC-823, HeLa, HT-29 and MCF-7 cells at 1.30-15.64 microM. The authors concluded the cyclic bisdesmosides are the principal anticancer constituents.
Tubeimoside I Inhibits the Proliferation of Liver Cancer Through Inactivating NF-κB Pathway by Regulating TNFAIP3 Expression
Tubeimoside I reduced viability and proliferation and increased apoptosis in MHCC97-H and SNU-449 liver cancer cells, and reduced tumour volume and weight in a subcutaneous xenograft model. RNA sequencing and network pharmacology converged on the NF-kappaB pathway, with upregulation of TNFAIP3 identified as the mechanism. This is a preclinical mechanistic study; it does not establish any human efficacy.
⚠ Safety & Contraindications
- Liver conditions
Contraindications
No special contraindications.
Source: Xi S, Gong Y. Essentials of Chinese Materia Medica and Medical Formulas. Academic Press/Elsevier, 2017, pp. 73–79.
Historical Texts
Ben Cao Cong Xin
Qing dynasty (1757)Ben Cao Gang Mu Shi Yi
Qing dynasty (1765)De Pei Ben Cao
Qing dynasty (1761)References
- Yujiao Zhou, Junyu Liu, Jianqiong Zhang, Yi Xu, Wangni Li, Pang Gao, Yanghuan Xing, Lehong Huang, Xuhua Qin, Shenrui Jin. Chinese endemic medicinal plant Bolbostemma paniculatum (Maxim.) Franquet: A comprehensive review . Frontiers in Pharmacology (2022) [DOI]
- Chang-Lin Wang, Ming-Zhou Gao, Dong-Mei Gao, Ying-Hui Guo, Zhan Gao, Xiang-Ju Gao, Jie-Qiong Wang, Ming-Qi Qiao. Tubeimoside-1: A review of its antitumor effects, pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and targeting preparations . Frontiers in Pharmacology (2022) [DOI]
- Lan-Lan Wang, Chen Liao, Xiao-Qiang Li, Rong Dai, Qing-Wei Ren, Hai-Long Shi, Xiao-Ping Wang, Xue-Song Feng, Xu Chao. Systems Pharmacology-Based Identification of Mechanisms of Action of Bolbostemma paniculatum for the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma . Medical Science Monitor (2021) [DOI]
- Li Xiang, Yanyan Su, Xiwen Li, Gang Xue, Qiang Wang, Julian Shi, Lizhi Wang, Shilin Chen. Identification of Fritillariae bulbus from adulterants using ITS2 regions . Plant Gene (2016) [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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