Bai he

Bulbus Lilii (Baihe) Lily Bulb Lily bulb is the dried fleshy scale leaf of Lilium lancifolium Thunb., Lilium brownii F. E. Brown var. viridulum Baker or Lilium pumilum DC. The drug is collected in autumn, and washed clean. The scale leaves are stripped off, treated with boiling water for a moment, and dried. Description Elongated elliptical, 2-5 cm long, 1-2 cm wide, 3-4 mm thick at middle. Externally whitish, pale brownish-yellow or purplish, with several longitudinal and paralled white vascular bundles. Apex somewhat acute, base relatively broad, margins thin, undulate, slightly curved inwards. Texture hard and fragile, fracture relatively even, horny. Odourless; taste, slightly bitter. Identification To 3 g of the coarse powder add 50 ml of 90% acidic ethanol (adjust with dilute sulfuric acid to pH 2-3), heat under reflux on a water bath for 1 hour, filter. Evaporate the filtrate near dryness, add 30 ml of water, heat to dissolve, allow to cool, add dropwise sodium hydroxide TS to a