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Fruits of Fritillaria

Dan Long Jing (Red Dragon's Pupil, a specific variety of Fritillaria)

Fritillaria (Beimu)

Taste: Acrid, Bitter. Nature: Neutral, Slightly Cold. Non-toxic. It grows abundantly in Jing and Xiang regions. The seedlings and stems are green. The leaves resemble those of barley, and the flowers look like those of soybean sprouts. The roots are harvested near winter and sun-dried for use. It has scales that gather like shells, hence the name "Bei Mu" (Shell Mother). Those that are yellowish-white and light in texture are of good quality; those that are oily-black, heavy, and hard should not be used. Remove the heart, slice it, and it enters the Lung Meridian to circulate through the channels. It eliminates thick phlegm above the diaphragm and is immediately effective for chronic coughs; it disperses rebellious Qi in the heart/mind area and shows special merit for those who are prone to sorrow and depression. Zhang Zhongjing treated cold-solid chest binding syndrome with Xiao Xian Xiong Tang (Minor Intra-thoracic Decoction), using Trichosanthis Fructus Seed (Gualouzi) and Coptidis Rhizoma (Huanglian) to assist Bei Mu as the principal agent. (Because its acrid taste disperses and bitter taste purges, it can descend Qi; it is an error in current prescriptions to replace it with Pinelliae Rhizoma.) Hai Zang treated postpartum agalactia by establishing San Mu San (Three Mothers Powder), respecting Bei Mu as the sovereign drug along with Oyster Shell (Muli) and Anemarrhenae Rhizoma (Zhimu). (Take with decoction of pig trotters.) For malignant ulcers on the feet resembling human faces, burn to ash and apply with oil to close the wound. For difficult labor where the placenta fails to deliver, grind into powder and take with wine to separate and expel it. It can驱除 (drive away) jaundice caused by epidemic diseases and can be applied topically for red eyes and corneal opacities. It eliminates hernias and throat obstruction, and stops thirst and heat irritability. Furthermore, Dan Long Jing consists of a single scale without splitting. If mistakenly decocted and taken orally, it causes the tendons of the whole body to become flaccid and uncontrolled. Indigo naturalis juice and Polygonati Rhizoma (Huangjing), when drunk together, can detoxify it.

(Chen Jiamo) Commentary: Secular people often discard Ban Xia (Pinelliae Rhizoma) due to its toxicity and frequently substitute it with Bei Mu. They do not realize that Bei Mu is a herb for the Taiyin Lung Meridian, whereas Ban Xia is a herb for the Taiyin Spleen and Yangming Stomach meridians. How can they be interchangeable? Moreover, for conditions such as coughing with expectoration, deficiency-consumption with hematemesis or hemoptysis, blood in sputum, sore throat and throat closure, lung abscess and lung萎 (flaccidity), postpartum breast difficulties and carbuncles, and various stagnation syndromes, Bei Mu serves as the guiding drug, while Ban Xia is contraindicated. As for saliva (Xian), it is the fluid of the Spleen. Delicious foods, rich pastries, and roasted spices generate damp-heat in the Spleen and Stomach. Thus, saliva transforms into thick, sticky phlegm; over time, it generates fire. Phlegm-fire attacking upward causes dizziness, unconsciousness, lockjaw, hemiplegia, sudden collapse, slurred speech, and death within days. Without Ban Xia and Arisaema Cum Bile (Nanxing), who could treat this? If Bei Mu were substituted, one would be helpless and await death.