Lijiang Mountain Toad Lily (Iphigenia indica (L.) A.Gray ex Kunth)

Lijiang Mountain Toad Lily (丽江山慈菇)

Scientific Name:Iphigenia indica (L.) A.Gray ex Kunth

Family: Liliaceae

Description:

  • Type: Perennial herb
  • Height: 10-25 cm
  • Bulb: Small, egg-shaped, white with brown membranous scales
  • Stem: Single, upright, emerging from the top of the bulb
  • Leaves:
    • Shape: Linear to lance-shaped, 7-15 cm long, 3-9 mm wide
    • Arrangement: Scattered, base tubular or sheath-like, clasping the stem, with a central vein, gradually narrowing towards the top
  • Flowers:
    • Inflorescence: Spikelike, emerging from the leaf cluster, with a triangular shape
    • Flowers: 2-10, dark purple, in a raceme, with narrow lance-shaped tepals
    • Stamens: Purple-black, about 1/3 the length of the tepals, opposite the tepals
    • Ovary: Superior
    • Fruit: Capsule, yellow-brown, 3-chambered with numerous round brown seeds having distinct linear ribs
  • Blooming Period: June to August
  • Fruit Maturity: August to September

Habitat:

  • Altitude: 1000-3000 meters
  • Environment: Mountain slopes, grasslands, or under pine forests

Distribution:

  • Regions: Central and northern Yunnan, southwestern Sichuan, western Guizhou, and Tibet, China

Reproduction:

  • Methods: Typically propagated by seeds or bulbs

Medicinal Properties:

  • Taste: Bitter
  • Nature: Warm
  • Toxicity: Highly toxic
  • Functions:
    • Dispels cold
    • Relieves asthma
    • Analgesic
    • Anti-cancer
  • Uses:
    • Treats bronchitis, asthma, gout, breast cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, and salivary gland tumors

Preparation and Usage:

  • Harvesting: Bulbs are harvested in summer and autumn, cleaned, dried, and powdered for medicinal use.

Summary

Lijiang Mountain Toad Lily is a valuable medicinal plant with notable applications in treating respiratory conditions and various cancers. Its specific growing conditions and characteristics make it a unique and significant plant in traditional medicine.

Lijiang Mountain Toad Lily (丽江山慈菇) – Main Values and Applications

Modern Applications:

  • Autumn Crocus Amide Injection: Used for various therapeutic purposes, including anti-gout and anti-cancer treatments.

Pharmacological Actions:

  • Anti-Gout: Helps in alleviating symptoms of gout.
  • Anti-Inflammatory: Reduces inflammation.
  • Anti-Tumor: Exhibits properties that inhibit tumor growth.
  • Scar Proliferation Inhibition: Prevents excessive scar formation.
  • Adhesion Prevention: Reduces the formation of adhesions.
  • Hepatoprotective: Protects the liver.
  • Gastrointestinal Irritation: May stimulate the gastrointestinal mucosa.

Medicinal Value:

  • Properties: Bitter, slightly pungent, warm, highly toxic.
  • Uses:
    • Traditional: Disperses cold, relieves asthma, analgesic, anti-cancer, dissolves masses, and stops pain.
    • Conditions Treated: Includes bronchitis, asthma, gout, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, scrofula, skin tumors, nasopharyngeal cancer, and salivary gland tumors. [7]

Pharmacological Value:

  • Cervical Cancer Treatment:
    • Formula: 18g Lijiang Mountain Toad Lily, 10g Arsenic, 12g Realgar, 18g Alum, 10g Borax, 3g Cnidii Fructus, 3g Borneol, 0.3g Musk. Grind into a fine powder and apply externally. (From “Anti-Cancer Plant Medicines and Their Recipes”)
  • Internal Use:
    • Preparation: Grind to a powder (0.3-0.6g) and steam with honey.
  • External Use:
    • Preparation: Fresh product, crushed and mixed with vinegar for topical application.

Collection and Processing:

  • Harvesting: Summer and autumn, remove stems, leaves, and rootlets, clean, and dry.
  • Processing: Remove impurities from the raw material, then crush when used.

Storage:

  • Conditions: Store in a dry, cool, and ventilated place, protect from pests and mold.

Usage Cautions:

  • Toxicity: Excessive use can lead to poisoning. Use with caution, especially in the elderly, those with kidney, gastrointestinal, or heart conditions, and avoid use during pregnancy.
  • Misidentification Risks: The bulb of Lijiang Mountain Toad Lily resembles that of Fritillaria (川贝母), leading to potential poisoning incidents if mistaken for Fritillaria. Proper identification is crucial.

Identification:

  • Appearance: Irregular short-conical bulb, 0.7-2 cm in diameter, 1-1.5 cm high. Tapered apex, often with a depressed or flat base. Surface color ranges from yellow-white to gray-yellow brown, smooth with a longitudinal groove. Hard texture, fracture surface is horn-like or slightly powdery, white or yellow-white. Bitter and slightly numbing taste.

Herbal Material Characteristics

  1. Bulb Characteristics:
    • Shape: Irregular short-conical
    • Diameter: 0.7-2 cm
    • Height: 1-1.5 cm
    • Apex: Tapering
    • Base: Often indented or flat
    • Surface: Yellowish-white or grayish-brown, smooth, with a longitudinal groove extending from the base to the apex
    • Texture: Hard, with a fracture surface that is corky or slightly powdery, whitish or yellowish-white
    • Taste: Bitter with a slight numbing effect
  2. Microscopic Identification:
    • Cross-Section of the Bulb:
      • Epidermal Cells: Single layer, flat, 30-60 μm long, 18-23 μm thick
      • Inner Tissue: Broad parenchyma with sparse vascular bundles, each bundle containing 3-7 xylem vessels with annular or reticulate thickenings, diameter 9-45 μm
      • Starch Granules: Found in parenchyma cells, mostly single, irregularly round or semi-lunar, with star-shaped or punctate hilum; many starch granules are gelatinized
  3. Physicochemical Identification:
    • Take 1 g of powdered material, add 10 ml of 85% ethanol, and reflux on a water bath for 10 minutes. Filter while hot. Take 1 ml of the filtrate, evaporate to dryness on a water bath, dissolve in 6 mol/L hydrochloric acid, boil for 2-3 minutes, add 1-2 drops of ferric chloride solution. A greenish-brown color indicates the presence of the substance. Add a few drops of chloroform, shake, and the chloroform layer should show a yellowish-brown color.

Dosage and Administration:

  • 1 to 2 fen, ground into powder and steamed with an appropriate amount of honey.

Summary

Lijiang Mountain Toad Lily is a potent medicinal herb with a range of therapeutic uses, especially noted for its anti-cancer properties. It requires careful handling due to its toxicity and similarity to other herbs that could lead to accidental poisoning. Proper processing and storage are essential to maintain its efficacy and safety.