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Herbs & Plants

Fritillaria Cirrhosae

 

Botanical Name:Fritillariae Cirrhosae
Family:Liliaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Order: Liliales
Genus: Fritillaria
Pinyin Mandarin Name:Chuan Bei Mu

Common English Name :Fritillaria

Habitat: Fritillaria cirrhosa is  native to E. Asia – Himalayas – Nepal to China. It grows on  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, 3200 – 4600 metres.

Description:Fritillaria is a genus of about 100 species of bulbous plants.  The name is derived from the Latin term for a dice-box (fritillus), and probably refers to the checkered pattern, frequently of chocolate-brown and greenish yellow, that is common to many species’ flowers. Collectively, the genus is known in English as fritillaries; some North American species are called missionbells.

They often have nodding, bell- or cup-shaped flowers, and the majority are spring-flowering. Most species’ flowers have a rather disagreeable scent, like feces or wet fur. The Scarlet Lily Beetle (Lilioceris lilii) eats fritillaries, and may become a pest where these plants are grown in gardens.
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Several species (such as F. cirrhosa and F. verticillata) are used in traditional Chinese cough remedies. They are listed as chu?n bèi (Chinese) or zhè bèi (Chinese), respectively, and are often in formulations combined with extracts of Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica). F. verticillata bulbs are also traded as bèi m? or, in Kamp?, baimo (Chinese/Kanji, Katakana). F. thunbergii is contained in the standardized Chinese herbal preparation HealthGuard T18, taken against hyperthyroidism.

Most fritillaries contain poisonous alkaloids such as imperialin; some may even be deadly if ingested in quantity. But the bulbs of a few species – e.g. Checker Lily (F. affinis) or Yellow Fritillary (F. pudica) – are edible if prepared correctly.

They are not generally eaten in large amounts however, and their edibility is therefore still somewhat debatable.

At least one species, F. assyrica, has a very large genome. With approximately 130,000,000,000 base pairs, it equals the largest known vertebrate animal genome known to date – that of the Marbled Lungfish (Protopterus aethiopicus) – in size.

The emblematic and often unusually-colored fritillaries are commonly used as floral emblems. The Snake’s Head Fritillary (F. meleagris) is the county flower of Oxfordshire (UK) and the provincial flower of Uppland (Sweden) where it is known as kungsängslilja (“Kungsängen lily”). In Croatia this species is known as kockavica, and the checkerboard pattern of its flowers is held to be the inspiration for the šahovnica pattern on Croatia’s coat of arms. The Kamchatka Fritillary (F. camschatcensis) is the floral emblem of Ishikawa Prefecture and Obihiro city in Japan. Its Japanese name is kuroyuri, meaning “dark lily”. F. tenella is the floral emblem of Giardino Botanico Alpino di Pietra Corva, a botanical garden in Italy.
Cultivation:
Succeeds in a well-drained loamy soil. Prefers peat bed conditions, the plant should not be allowed to dry out. 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. It is much valued as a herbal remedy in China. This species is closely related to F. meleagris.
Propagation:

Seed – best sown as soon as ripe 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.

Edible Uses:

Bulb – boiled or roasted as a vegetable. The bulb is bitter-sweet. The bulb is about 2cm in diameter.

Medicinal Uses:
This herb is used in. formulas that treat most any type of cough (TCM: except coughs associated with deficient Spleen), and various types- of nodular formations (TCM: phlegm-fire hardening); also used to treat chronic bronchitis, tuberculosis, and chronic cough with sparse or hardened phlegm.

The bulbs contain fritimine which lowers blood pressure, diminishes excitability of respiratory centers, paralyses voluntary movement and counters the effects of opium. The dried bulb is used internally in the treatment of 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 Kameng and Lohit peoples in Arunachal Pradesh crush a bulk of Fritillaria cirrhosa to a paste to relieve muscle pains. Research has now confirmed the presence of a chemical similar to cocaine in a related Fritillaria plant that brings relief to muscular pain.

Traditional Usages and Functions

Clears heat, transforms phlegm, and stops coughing; clears heat and dissipates nodules.

Common Formulas Used In

Apricot Seed and Fritillaria; Fritillaria Extract Tablet.

Disclaimer:The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritillary
http://www.acupuncture-and-chinese-medicine.com/fritillaria.html

http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_C.htm

http://www.pfaf.org/User/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Fritillaria+cirrhosa

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Categories
Herbs & Plants Herbs & Plants (Spices)

White Lily

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Botanical Name:Lilium polyphyllum
Family: Liliaceae

Subfamily: Lilioideae

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Divisio: Magnoliophyta
Classis: Liliopsida
Subclassis: Liliidae
Ordo: Liliales
Genus: Lilium
Species: Lilium polyphyllum
English Name:White Lily
Sanskrit Name:Kshirakakoli
Habitat:Endemic to Himalaya-regions of Nothern India (Himal Pradesh), Nepal, Afghanistan; 1800-3700 m.

Description: The plant is a narrow bulbous herb with few narrow subequal fleshy scales.

...
BULB: long and narrow, white, forming long roots; it is said to grow up to 60 cm deep in the soil.
BESCHREIBUNG
Zwiebel: lang und schmal, weiss, lange Wurzeln bildend; soll bis zu 60 cm tief im Boden sitzen.

STEM: 60-120 (240) cm, stiff.

Stängel: 60-120 (240) cm, steif.

LEAVES: small, lanceolate, scattered.
Blätter: klein, lanzettlich, verteilt.
FLOWERS: 1-10 (40), pendant, fragrant, large, waxy, bell shaped with the lower half of the tepals strongly recurved; tepals white or pink with many dark pink or purple spots and stripes; anthers and pollen yellow to orange. Seeds delayed hypogeal germination.

Medicinal and Ayurvedic Uses:It has soothing, astrigent and anti-inflamatory properities.The bulb is swweet,bitter,refrigrant,galactagogue, expectorent, aphrodisiac, diuretic, antipyretic and tonic. They are useful angalatia,cough,bronchitis,vitiated conditions of pitta, seminal weakness, strangury, burning sensation, hyperdipsia, intermittent fevers,hematemesis, rheumataglia and general disability.

It is used in increasing the quantity of semen, condensed semen, increasing lactations in feeding mothers, creates sexual excitement both in male and female, increases vitality, vigour.

Used in Revitilizing Night Cream, Chavanaprasha

Disclaimer:The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://www.himalayahealthcare.com/aboutayurveda/cahl.htm#lilium
http://www.the-genus-lilium.com/polyphyllum.htm
http://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Lilium_polyphyllum

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Categories
Positive thinking

Spring Brings The Yellow Miracles

Daffodils
Some things on this earth look as if they were designed to bring happiness to the hearts of humans. The daffodil, with its bright yellow coloring and green stem, is one such creation. The daffodil makes its appearance in the spring, abundant and inexpensive, bringing gladness as sure as sunshine itself to whoever is lucky enough to receive a single stem, or a bunch, of these delicate yellow miracles. It is as if the sun has shed a layer of skin and fashioned a flower out of it….click & see

Color psychologists suggest that too much yellow can be too stimulating, but in small doses it inspires hope and good cheer. The daffodil is a perfect-sized package of yellow for anyone feeling glum or energetically low. It can spur us to action or simply imbue us with a feeling of optimism as it vibrantly glows in our homes or on our desks at work. The daffodil’s presence is ideal in any region where sunshine is scarce as it seems to carry the sun in the soft flesh of its petals. The bulbs are not expensive, and the flowers give so much that you may decide to plant a few in your yard or in a window box. Then again, you may simply wait until they arrive in neat little bundles in the grocery store or flower shop. They are usually very reasonably priced, so you can afford to spoil yourself, and those you love, with a large bouquet.

A daffodil placed under the windshield wiper of a loved one’s car says, “Be happy! Spring has sprung! I love you!” A collection of stems gathered and placed in a Mason jar can be left on someone’s doorstep to remind them of the simple beauties that abound in this life. Don’t forget to bless yourself with a vase of these bright blossoms on your kitchen table or nightstand. Every time you see them, you will be filled with the happiness and warmth of the sun.

Source:Daily Om

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