Japanese stemona

A cough that has outlasted its cold, still coming in dry spasms at night, in someone who is otherwise not feverish

Paroxysmal whooping cough in a child, where the herb is combined with sha shen and mai dong

Overview. Bai bu is the fleshy, spindle-shaped tuberous root of several climbing or erect Stemona species; Stemona japonica grows in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui and Fujian and shares the pharmacopoeial name with Stemona sessilifolia and the larger Stemona tuberosa. The roots are dug in spring or autumn, scalded, and dried. In the Chinese materia medica it is the cough herb that suits both new and old coughs because it is gently warm and moistening rather than drying, and it doubles as a traditional insecticide against lice, worms and mites.

Clinical Notes. Bai bu is the herb for the cough that lingers: the dry, tickling, spasmodic cough after a cold, the night cough of a child with pertussis, or the chronic cough of someone with weak lungs. It works best combined.

Chinese Medicine Profile. Temperature: slightly warm. Taste: sweet, bitter. Channels: Lung. Actions: Moistens the Lung and directs Lung qi downward to stop cough; Treats both new and long-standing cough, including consumptive cough; Kills parasites and lice when applied externally or given as an enema.