Herbs that Cool / Transform Phlegm Heat: Chuan Bei Mu

川贝母

Chuan = River
Bei = Shell
Mu = Mother

yin deficient, chronic coughs / heat clearing / dissipate nodules

My mother has a chronic, yin deficient cough, and has afternoon fever. Chuan Bei Mu, River shell mother, would be good for her dry cough, and to clear her yin deficient heat.

This important cooling herb is bitter and sweet. It travels to the heart as well as the lung.

In addition to its primary function as a heat clearing, phlegm transforming herb for those dry deficient coughs that are difficult to expectorate, Chuan Bei Mu also clears heat and dissipates nodules, sores, lung or breast abscesses.

It is an important herb of this category, along with Zhe Bei Mu, but Chuan Bei Mu is gentler and good for chronic coughs (C for Chuan, C for chronic), and Zhe Bei Mu is good for acute, excess coughs. They come from the same plant family, fritillaria.