Many people mistakenly think that Chishao San is a traditional Chinese medicine formula. However, Chishao San is actually used as a plant, and it is often confused with Huotanmu because they have similar appearances. Now let's learn about the differences between Chishao San and Huotanmu.
【Morphological Identification】
1. Chishao San
Chishao San has slender and reddish-brown rhizomes with swollen nodes and numerous rootlets. The stem is cylindrical, slender, slightly flattened, and has slight branching. It is pale green or slightly reddish-brown, and may or may not have hairs. The cross-section is hollow.
The leaves are ovate, elongated ovate, or triangular-ovate, 5-8cm long and 3-5cm wide. The apex is gradually pointed, the base is nearly truncate or slightly cordate, and extends down to the petiole, forming 1-3 pairs of inwardly concave circular lobes on both sides. The upper surface has triangular dark purple markings, and the leaf sheath is tubular, membranous, and brown. The inflorescence is terminal and composed of several head-like clusters. The corolla is white or pink. It has a slight aroma and a slightly astringent taste.
2. Huotanmu
Huotanmu is a perennial herb that can grow up to 1m tall. The stem is flattened cylindrical, branched, 30-2500px long, with slightly swollen nodes and rootlets on the lower nodes. The surface is pale green or purplish-brown, without hairs but with fine ridges. It is brittle and easily breaks, and the cross-section is grayish-yellow and mostly hollow. The leaves are alternate, often curled, and fragmented. When flattened, the leaflets are ovate or elliptical, 5-10m long and 2-112.5px wide. The apex is short-pointed, the base is truncate or slightly rounded, and the margins are entire. The upper surface is dark green, and the lower surface is lighter. Both surfaces are nearly hairless. The leaf sheath is tubular and membranous, with a slightly slanted tip. It has a slight aroma and a sour, slightly astringent taste. It often grows in valleys, near water, and wetlands.
【Medicinal Use Differentiation】
1. Chishao San
Chishao San has the effects of clearing heat, detoxification, promoting blood circulation, and reducing swelling. It is used to treat dysentery, leukorrhea, fever headache, excessive menstruation, amenorrhea, breast abscess, and injuries. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that the aqueous extract of Chishao San has obvious effects on certain dysentery bacteria and strong antioxidant activity. It is also used to treat mastitis by applying mashed Chishao San whole plant or mashed Chishao San with potato and buckwheat to the affected area. (From "Selected Practical Chinese Herbal Medicine in Guangxi")
2. Huotanmu
Huotanmu has the effects of clearing heat, detoxification, promoting diuresis, resolving dampness, cooling blood, relieving itching, and improving vision. It is used to treat dysentery, indigestion, hepatitis, cold, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, diphtheria, whooping cough, corneal opacity, mastitis, fungal vaginitis, leukorrhea, abscesses, childhood pustules, eczema, and snake bites. It can also be used to treat superficial skin infections, joint inflammation, and painful abscesses by applying mashed Huotanmu leaves with salt wine to the affected area overnight. (From "Pujifang")
【Image Comparison】
