Tendrilled frittalaria

[Darklight]

Seeking info, sites or actual bulbs or seed for tendrilled frittalaria for a mate. Apparrantly its used in traditional chinese medicine, but a quick look online revealed nothing yet...

Any TCM practitioners here? I don't even have a complete botanical name to start from

[This message has been edited by Darklight (edited 26 July 2001).]

[G Dawg]

Found a botanical name for it Fritillaria cirrhosa. I'll have a look in some of my catalogues for it.

Later

[theobromos]

Fritillaria cirrhosa is known in TCM as chuan bei mu (shell mother from Szechuan). There is also a Fritillaria thunbergii, the zhe bei mu (shell mother from Zhejiang) which is cheaper and often used instead of the Szechuan variety. I remember seeing F. thunbergii in gardens so it is available.

Lots of Fritillarias are available as ornamentals now, some are strange and some are beautiful. There are other species used in various parts of China.

Never take either bulb raw or unprocessed as it is very toxic. Dose 1 to 1.5 g used as a powder.

Do not exceed the dose. Large doses have the opposite effect to the bronchodilation for which it is normally used. Stimulates the uterus, so do not take if pregnant. The symptoms of overdose include reduced breathing, pupil dilation, tremors and coma.

Is it for ornamental use or has your mate got bad lung problems? There may be better choices.

[Darklight]

Thanx for that garret, theo...think he just wants to see if it will grow up here. I don't think he'd be partaking of it or giving it out as a remedy until he'd done further research.

[theobromos]

F. cirrhosa is from Szechuan, Yunnan and Tibet. F. thunbergii is from Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui and Hunan so it is probably more suited to your conditions. You never can tell before you put them in, though.