In Chinese herbal practices, Bǎi Hé — 百合, "a hundred united" — is named for its layered scales and recorded in the Shennong Ben Cao Jing (~200 CE). Its traditional actions are to nourish yin and moisten the lungs (養陰潤肺) and clear the heart and calm the spirit (清心安神). The Han Dynasty physician Zhang Zhongjing devoted a chapter of the Jin Gui Yao Lue to "Bai He disease" — a state of restlessness, poor sleep, and low mood treated with lily bulb — making it one of the earliest herbs recorded for emotional balance.
In Western herbal traditions, Lilium bulb is better known as a food than a medicine, but its chemistry is now studied in its own right. Key constituents include steroidal saponins, phenolic glycosides (regaloside), polysaccharides, and colchicine-free alkaloids. Modern pharmacology has examined antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, sedative, and lung-supportive activities, with particular attention to lily bulb polysaccharides and their effects on sleep and immune markers in animal models.
