Common Name: Chuan Bei Mu

General Information

Fritillaria cirrhosa is a perennial plant growing from a fleshy bulb composed of 2 scales 10 - 20mm in diameter; it can grow around 15 - 60cm tall[, , ].
A very popular Chinese Traditional Medicine, with a long history of use, the plant is harvested in large quantities from the wild and also cultivated for use as a food and medicine. The bulbs are often dried and sold in local markets and also exported to various countries for medicinal use[]. The plant is also grown as an ornamental.
Fritillaria cirrhosa is over-exploited for its bulbs, which are valued for medicinal purposes. Extensive harvesting and illegal trade are serious concerns for its survival. At most localities, the density of the species is low and its population is rapidly diminishing. Habitats of the species are also prone to livestock grazing, deforestation, and climate change. Considering the rate of decline, long generation length, poor germination potential, high trade value, extensive harvesting pressure and illegal trade, the plant is classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2022)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

W. Asia - Himalayan regions from Pakistan, India and China to Myanmar, also in central and eastern China

Habitat

Mountain slopes in alpine and sub-alpine meadows and scrub, usually on open stony moist hillsides[, ]. Forests, alpine thickets, meadows, flood lands and moist places; at elevations from 3,200 - 4,600 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Vulnerable
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Bulb
Height	0.45 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Fritillaria cirrhosa is a plant of the temperate zone, growing in an area with cool summers and summer rainfall plus dry winters that can be cool or cold. Plants dislike high winter rainfall.
Succeeds in a well-drained loamy soil[]. Grows in the wild in light, sandy or medium loam well-drained acidic soils, preferring open sunny areas with moderate slopes that are rich in humus[]. Prefers peat bed conditions, the plant should not be allowed to dry out[].
The plant is in cultivation at Kew[] and thriving in a sunny stony bed at Keillour Castle in Perthshire[], this species does not, however, do well in all gardens[].
The species is very slow-growing, taking at least 5 years from seed before it is large enough to flower[]. It is longlived and has a generation length of 7.5 - 8.75 years. Reproductive constraints and long life cycle are well recognized in the species[].
This species is closely related to Fritillaria meleagris[].

Edible Uses

Bulb - boiled or roasted as a vegetable[, ]. The fleshy bulbs have a slighly bitter flavour[]. The bulb is bitter-sweet. The bulb is about 2cm in diameter[].

Medicinal

Chuan bei mu has a long history of medicinal use in Chinese traditional medicine and also in the traditions of several other countries in the Himalayan region. It is especially valued in the treatment of a range of chest complaints, especially associated with coughing, often combined with various other herbs[]. The bulbs are anthelmintic, antiasthmatic, antitussive, astringent, cardiac, demulcent, diuretic, expectorant, febrifuge and pectoral[, , , , ]. They contain fritimine which lowers blood pressure, diminishes excitability of respiratory centres, paralyses voluntary movement and counters the effects of opium[, , ]. The dried bulb is used internally in the treatment of tuberculosis, coughs, bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, feverish illnesses, abscesses etc[, ]. The bulbs also have a folk history of use against cancer of the breast and lungs in China[, ].
This remedy should only be used under the supervision of a qualified practitioner, excessive doses can cause breathing difficulties and heart failure[].
The bulbs are harvested in the winter whilst they are dormant and are dried for later use[].

Good quality bulbs, when dried, seem white and fine, and they can be utilized as entire or in powdered form as remedies for clearing the lungs from mucus and cooling heat. The bulb has been utilized to cure diseases like asthma and cough in TCM for over 2000 years and it also acts as an expectorant, astringent and demulcent[].


The plant juice is taken to cure stomach pain and gastritis[].

The bulbs are used as tonic to increase memory and reduce mental disorders. Bulbs are also used in fever, cough and cold[].

Fruit powder is mixed with nine other herbs and the mixture is rolled to prepare small pills with honey. The pills are prescribed for treating different disorders[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as ripe in a well-drained, sandy or gritty soil in a cold frame, it should germinate in the spring[]. Protect from frost[]. Stored seed should be sown as soon as possible and can take a year or more to germinate[]. Sow the seed quite thinly to avoid the need to prick out the seedlings. Once they have germinated, give them an occasional liquid feed to ensure that they do not suffer mineral deficiency. Once they die down at the end of their second growing season, divide up the small bulbs, planting 2 - 3 to an 8cm deep pot. Grow them on for at least another year in light shade in the greenhouse before planting them out whilst dormant.
Division of offsets in August[]. The larger bulbs can be planted out direct into their permanent positions, but it is best to pot up the smaller bulbs and grow them on in a cold frame for a year before planting them out in the autumn.
Bulb scales[].