Tendrilleaf fritillary bulb
The small ivory bulb of Fritillaria cirrhosa, pea-sized and closed like a tiny bud, sold whole or ground to powder. Bitter-sweet in taste, it is usually crushed and double-boiled with snow pear or used in dun tong rather than long-boiled, adding a clean, faintly bitter medicinal note.
TCM properties
Nature · cooling Flavour · bitter、sweet Meridians · lung、heart
Traditional food therapy
Cantonese food therapy reserves it for heat-type dryness, traditionally crushed and steamed with snow pear to clear heat, moisten the lungs and transform thick phlegm.
Cautions: read first
- Safety criticalOnly for a hot or dry cough. With a cold cough (thin watery white phlegm, feeling chilled) it makes the illness worse.
- Traditionally held to clash with aconite-type herbs (烏頭類), so they are not used together
- Take care if your spleen and stomach run cold and weak
Preparation
Crush it or grind it to powder and add it late, or double-boil it (隔水燉, the covered jar sits in a water bath), which draws out more of its strength.
Origin · Geo-authentic (道地) source
Sichuan (highland districts such as Songpan and Garze). AU herbal shops sell true Sichuan chuan bei alongside much cheaper Zhejiang zhe bei, a different species
Availability in Australia
Herbal shops / specialists
