Vol. 1, Issue 2, Part A (2019)

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) which is an essential part of the health care system in most Asian countries, relies on natural products and has been playing a very important role in health protection and disease control for many years. Chinese medicine classifies the lily plant as bitter in taste, mild in nature, and beneficial to our hearts and lungs. The flowers are dried and used in cooking stews or soups. The healing properties of lily include moisturizing the lungs, relieving cough from lung-dryness, clears heart-fire and tranquilizes the mind. Dried lily bulbs are commonly used in herbal formulas for promoting lung health, treating yin-deficiency of the heart which manifests as irritability, insomnia, dreaminess, palpitation and absent-mindedness, and promotes vital fluid and improves skin complexion. Lily bulbs have numerous important pharmacological activities and it can be considered as a valuable source of nutraceuticals.