Witnessed by: TCM
Lily bulb (Lilium brownii), of the Liliaceae family. Graceful perennial lily with large fragrant white trumpet flowers; native range: hillsides and woodland margins across central and southern China. Globally recognized as bai he (百合) in Chinese, and brown's lily bulb in English. The part used is fleshy bulb scales. Pale ivory overlapping fleshy scales, sweet and slightly mucilaginous with a cool, soft finish.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
LILY BULB
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- lily bulb
- Scientific name
- Lilium brownii F.E.Br. ex Miellez
- Family
- Liliaceae
Form
- Part used
- fleshy bulb scales
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- sweet
Temperature
- TCM
- cool (slightly cold)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Heart · Lung
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- moistens the Lung, stops dry cough, clears the Heart, calms the spirit
Cautions
- Contraindications
- caution in cough from wind-cold and in loose stool from Spleen deficiency with cold
- Toxicity
- none significant at customary dose
This is the card. Sign in for the full four-tradition entry — the aligned TCM · Ayurveda · Western · Unani reading, actions, dosing and cautions.