Chinese herbal medicine like "Xiang Tou Hua" (Arisaema erubescens) is toxic and can irritate the skin and mucous membranes. On the other hand, "Ye Xiang Hua" (Epipremnum aureum) is a non-toxic Chinese herb. Mixing the two can have a huge impact on patients. So how do we differentiate between them?
【Different Names】
"Ye Xiang Hua" (Epipremnum aureum): Also known as "Grass Araceae" (Hainan Plant Records) or "One Flower" (Wenshan Chinese Herbal Medicine).
"Xiang Tou Hua" (Arisaema erubescens): Also known as "Red South Star," "Mother Pig Ban Xia," "Big Ban Xia," "Single Leaf Ban Xia," or "Small Single Foot Lotus."
【Different Sources】
"Ye Xiang Hua" (Epipremnum aureum): It is the entire plant of the Euphorbiaceae plant "Xiong Xiong Cao." It can be harvested all year round.
"Xiang Tou Hua" (Arisaema erubescens): It is the tuber of Arisaema francketianum Engl., a plant belonging to the Araceae family. It is harvested and dried in the summer.
【Different Characteristics】
"Ye Xiang Hua" (Epipremnum aureum): Bitter and cold in nature.
"Xiang Tou Hua" (Arisaema erubescens): Warm in nature and highly toxic.
【Different Functions and Indications】
"Ye Xiang Hua" (Epipremnum aureum): Regulates menstruation, stops bleeding, promotes bone healing, and reduces swelling. It is used for excessive menstrual bleeding, injuries from falls, and fractures.
"Xiang Tou Hua" (Arisaema erubescens): Dispels blood stasis, detoxifies, reduces swelling, and relieves pain. It is used for stomach pain, mastitis, abscesses, lymph node tuberculosis, and snake bites.
【Different Usage and Dosage】
"Ye Xiang Hua" (Epipremnum aureum): Internal use: appropriate amount, soaked in alcohol. External use: appropriate amount, ground and applied.
"Xiang Tou Hua" (Arisaema erubescens): 3-5 fen (a traditional Chinese unit of weight), soaked in alcohol. External use: appropriate amount, ground and applied to the affected area.
【Different Morphological Characteristics】
"Ye Xiang Hua" (Epipremnum aureum) Morphological Characteristics:
A one-year-old herbaceous plant, about 1 meter tall. The stem is erect, solitary, with oblique, stout branches that spread out. When broken, it exudes a white milky liquid. The young stem is hollow and green. The leaves are alternate and variable in shape, ovate, elliptical, deeply lobed or unlobed. The leaves in the middle and lower parts are 4-10 cm long and 2.5-5 cm wide, with lobes that may or may not be divided. The leaf stalk is 2-3 cm long.
The lower leaves of the inflorescence are partially or entirely purple-red. The inflorescence is cup-shaped, arranged in dense umbels at the top of the stem or branches. The bracts are green and bell-shaped, with 5 lobes at the top. There are 1-2 glands, cup-shaped, without petal-like appendages. The ovary is ovoid with 3 chambers, and there are 3 stigmas, separate, and 2 lobes at the top. The follicle is ovoid and triangular in shape, with a diameter of about 5 mm. The seeds are ovoid with wart-like projections on the surface.
"Xiang Tou Hua" (Arisaema erubescens) Morphological Characteristics:
Also known as "Elephant Trunk Flower" or "Three-Step Lotus." The tuber is flat and bulbous, with a diameter of 1-6 cm or larger. It has numerous cylindrical fleshy roots growing from the neck, surrounded by small bulbous tubers with a diameter of 1-2 cm (hence the names "Red Ban Xia" or "Red South Star"). The small bulbous tubers gradually separate from the mother plant and then sprout into independent plants. There are 2-3 scale leaves, lanceolate in shape, membranous, with the innermost one being 13-20 cm long, light brown, with purple spots, enclosing the leaf stalk and inflorescence stalk, and the upper part is free. There is one leaf, with a leaf stalk that is 20-50 cm long, reddish in color, and the base can reach 1-2 cm in thickness, forming a sheath at the lower 1/4-1/5.
The leaves of young plants are heart-shaped arrow-shaped, with entire margins and slightly constricted at the waist, with nearly circular bases on both sides. The leaves of mature plants are green, slightly leathery, and tripartite or nearly tripartite, with no or nearly no petioles on the lobes. The central lobe is ovate, broadly elliptical, or inverted ovate, with a short wedge-shaped or nearly truncate base, abruptly narrowing to a sharp point, 7-23 cm long, and 6-22 cm wide.
The inflorescence stalk is shorter than the leaf stalk, 10-0 cm long, 3-6 mm thick, reddish in color. The flowers are erect during the flowering period and bend downwards 180 degrees during fruiting. The spathe is dirty purple or deep purple, with wide white or green-white stripes (1.5 mm wide), the tube is 4-6 cm long, cylindrical, 1.2-2 cm thick, and the margin of the throat curls back about 1 mm.
The berries are green and turn yellow-brown when dried, inverted conical, up to 1.2 cm long, and 5 mm thick. There are 1-2 seeds, ovoid or egg-shaped, with a pale brown, bony seed coat and a foamy surface. It flowers from May to July and the fruits mature in September to October.
