Herb: Tiger Lily


Latin name: Lilium lancifolium


Synonyms: Lilium tigrinum


Family: Liliaceae (Lily Family)



Medicinal use of Tiger Lily:

The bulb is antiinflammatory, diuretic, emmenagogue, emollient and expectorant. They are used to relieve heart diseases, pain in the cardiac region and angina pectoris. They are used in Korea to treat coughs, sore throats, palpitations and boils. The flowers are carminative. They are used to strengthen the eye-lid muscles and are commended in the treatment of myopic astigmatism. A tincture made from the flowering plant, harvested when in full flower, is used in the treatment of uterine neuralgia, congestion, irritation and the nausea of pregnancy. It relieves the bearing-down pain accompanying uterine prolapse and is an important remedy in ovarian neuralgia.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Bulb


Height:
120 cm
(4 feet)

Flowering:
August to
September

Habitat of the herb:

Long cultivated and not known in a truly wild situation, though it can naturalise in woodlands. Possibly of hybrid origin involving L. leichtlinii and L. maculatum.

Edible parts of Tiger Lily:

Bulb - cooked. Somewhat bitterish. Fairly pleasant, when properly cooked they are highly esteemed as a vegetable and somewhat resemble parsnips in flavour. The bulbs are up to 8cm in diameter. They are a good source of starch. The bulb can be dried and ground into powder. Flowers - raw or cooked. Used fresh or dried in salads, soups, rice dishes etc.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - this species is completely sterile and does not produce seed. Division with care in the autumn once the leaves have died down. Replant immediately. Bulb scales can be removed from the bulbs in early autumn. If they are kept in a warm dark place in a bag of moist peat, they will produce bulblets. These bulblets can be potted up and grown on in the greenhouse until they are large enough to plant out. Bulbils - gather in late summer when they start to fall off the stems and pot up immediately. Grow on in a greenhouse until large enough to go outside. Plants can flower in three years from bulbils.

Cultivation of Tiger Lily:

Long cultivated and not known in a truly wild situation, though it can naturalise in woodlands. Possibly of hybrid origin involving L. leichtlinii and L. maculatum.

Known hazards of Lilium lancifolium:

The pollen is said to be poisonous, producing vomiting, drowsiness and purging.

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.