Fritillaria is a perennial, flowering plant that is part of the lily family. It grows in the meadows and mountain slopes of Nepal and China. Several species of fritillaria are used medicinally; the plant's bulb is processed and used in various herbal formulas.
As a medicine, fritillaria is graded into four categories (song pei, lu pei, ching pei or ming pei) depending on the plant’s shape and the region in which it was grown.
In traditional Chinese medicine, fritillaria has bitter, sweet, and slightly cold properties. The bulb's color, white, is believed to affect the heart and lung meridians. As such, it is used to treat various lung conditions, such as asthma, bronchitis and tuberculosis.
Fritillaria is particularly useful for all types of coughs. TCM practitioners often employ fritillaria to moisten dry mucus membranes, resolve phlegm and control coughing. Research conducted in China has shown that compounds in fritillaria (including verticine, verticinone, imperialine and thymidine) help inhibit the contraction of bronchial smooth muscle and decrease mucus secretion.
Fritillaria is also used as a decongestant, and to reduce swelling.
The standard dose of fritillaria ranges from 1-1.5 grams daily (taken as a powder) to 3-12 grams (as part of a decoction or tea). The herb also may be applied externally as a cream.
Fritillaria is quite hard to find in American health food stores, but processed forms are available at some herb shops and Asian markets. Because raw fritillaria bulb is toxic, all medicinal forms are processed, usually as a powder or capsule. Whole bulbs that have been boiled or steamed, then dried, may also be available.
Raw or unprocessed fritallaria bulb is toxic and should not be consumed. Pregnant women and those with weak digestive systems are also advised to not take fritallaria unless under the advice of a practitioner trained in its use.
As of this writing, there are no known drug interactions with fritallaria. Traditionally, however, it is not combined with aconite root or gentiana. As always, make sure to speak with a licensed health care provider before taking fritallaria or any herbal remedy or dietary supplement.
References
Structured water (H3O2) can be considered a fourth state of water between liquid and solid. It has the hexagonal structure of ice; however, missing a critical bond, it behaves more like a gel than a solid, but retains some of its crystalline structure.
In the past five years of my clinical practice, I have seen an astonishing upsurge in the chronic use of proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) medications for the gastrointestinal issue diagnosed by allopathic medicine as GERD. It is not uncommon to encounter patients taking these prescriptions for five-plus years.
Working with chronically ill patients entails acknowledging the reality that not all patients will survive their diagnosis. Chinese medicine and acupuncture play a crucial role in palliative and end-of-life care, addressing medication and disease side effects, alleviating pain associated with death, reducing anxiety and stress, and helping patients find peace during the dying process.
