Rose and Rose
The former has a round ball shape, pink or purple color, and elongated sepals. The latter has a slightly spherical shape, mostly purple color, and spherical sepals.
North American Ginseng and South American Ginseng
The former has a cylindrical rhizome with yellow-white longitudinal stripes on the surface and a hard and brittle yellow substance on the cross-section. The latter is cylindrical or conical, with light yellow-white horizontal stripes, a light and easily broken texture, and a slightly sweet taste on the cross-section.
Fructus Ligustri Lucidi and Fructus Passiflorae
The former is oval, with gray-black color and wrinkles, and mostly has multiple kernels. The latter has an oval-shaped fruit, with yellow-brown or black-brown color, slightly pointed at both ends, and a hard shell, with only one kernel.
Yuanming Powder and Talcum Powder
The former is formed by the weathering of saltpeter, with white powder, no odor, bitter and salty taste, and easy absorption of moisture and dissolution in water. The latter feels smooth and slippery when kneaded by hand, with no odor or taste, and is not soluble in water.
Red Bean and Mimosa Seed
The former is long oval and slightly flat, with dark purple smooth and shiny seed coat, hard and not easy to break, and a longitudinal groove in the navel. The latter is oval, black and shiny at one end and red at the other, with a white navel point in the middle of the black part.
Chinese Chives Seed and Scallion Seed
The former is gray-black and semi-ovate, raised on the upper side and flat on the lower side, with white chive kernel inside. The latter is black and triangular in shape, raised on the upper side with longitudinal ridges and slightly flat on the lower side, with a strong and spicy taste of scallion inside.
Light Bamboo Leaf and Bitter Bamboo Leaf
The former has longitudinally curled leaves, white hairs on the edges, green or light green leaf surface, parallel veins, and a light smell. The latter has hairy leaf surface, with fine toothed shape on one side of the edge.
Tianhua Pollen and Dioscorea
The former has a cylindrical root with yellow-brown or light yellow surface, white and powdery on the cross-section, and obvious radial flower shape. The latter has a slightly bent shape, white and granular on the cross-section, and no woody fibers.
Radix Paeoniae Alba and Radix Paeoniae Rubra
The former, also known as Han Paeoniae Alba, has a cylindrical and curved root, fine longitudinal wrinkles and horizontal skin pores, gray-white and powdery on the cross-section, with sparse circular lines and a bitter taste. The latter has the same root shape as the former, with many wrinkles and grooves, no horizontal skin pores, and less powdery on the cross-section.
