Indian Iphigenia Bulb — Classic Formulas

Cao Bei Mu · Bulbus Iphigeniae Indicae

Primary Actions

  • Transforms phlegm, stops cough, and relieves wheezing - used in southwest-Chinese and regional folk practice for chronic bronchitis, asthma, stubborn phlegm, and obstructed Lung Qi when a stronger, more toxic bulb is chosen.
  • Softens hardness and disperses nodules - applied to scrofula, breast or thyroid masses, and phlegm-toxin lumps where the bulb's toxic, dispersing nature is intended to break fixed accumulations.
  • Resolves toxin, reduces swelling, and alleviates pain - extended to abscesses, skin infection, snakebite, and painful swollen lesions, sometimes with external use.
  • Shows a 'fighting poison with poison' profile - traditional oncology and mass-dispersing usage relies on the herb's toxicity and should not be treated like the gentler fritillary bulbs.

Classic Formulas

  • Cao Bei Mu with Jie Geng and Xing Ren - regional cough prescriptions use this combination for phlegm-obstruction cough, wheezing, and stubborn bronchitic congestion.
  • Cao Bei Mu with Xia Ku Cao and oyster shell - folk mass-dispersing combinations for scrofula, thyroid swelling, or hard phlegm nodules.
  • Cao Bei Mu with detoxifying topical herbs - external powders or pastes are used for swollen toxic lesions, abscesses, or snakebite in local practice.

Classical Text References

  • Dictionary-style materia medica lists translate Cao Bei Mu / Bulbus Iphigeniae Indicae as Indian Iphigenia bulb and describe it chiefly as a phlegm-dissolving herb of regional practice rather than a mainstream national pharmacopoeia staple.
  • Regional herb references describe it as bitter, warm, Lung- and Liver-entering, toxic, and used for bronchitis, asthma, scrofula, and snakebite, which matches its stronger mass-dispersing profile.
  • Modern plant-genome and ethnomedicine papers note that Iphigenia indica is used in southwest China for asthma, bronchitis, gout, and cancer, confirming that its medicinal reputation remains geographically specific.