Picture of white aconite and white aconite slices

Because the names of the medicines are similar, it is easy to confuse Lute Technology, Baifuzi, Baifupian and their nicknames or common names, which causes some Chinese herbal medicine distributors to confuse the suppliers, drug staff to pick up the goods, and clinical physicians to confuse the right and wrong when taking the medicines, affecting the treatment effect. Therefore, it is necessary for us to clearly define this kind of Chinese medicinal materials and product names to ensure safe and rational use.

Baifuzi is the tuber of the Araceae family's Unicorn Plant. It is the name of a drug stipulated by law, commonly known as Yubaifu. Since the white aconite commonly used in herbal medicine of all generations is the present-day Guanbaifu, some areas are accustomed to using the tuber of the Ranunculaceae plant Aconitum carmichaelii, also known as Guanbaifu, as white aconite. Both have toxic side effects, but Guanbaifu's side effects are very severe and cannot be used interchangeably with Yubaifu. The white aconite included in the 2000 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia is Yubaifu. Both are tubers. Although there are differences in their length and diameter, they are not obvious. Both have root scars and bud scars, but the surface of Yubaifu has dense ring patterns, while Guanbaifu has obvious longitudinal wrinkles or fine longitudinal wrinkles. The Chinese medicinal material of White Aconite has undergone processing of traditional Chinese medicine. If you want to use non-processed products, you should label it as raw White Aconite.

Aconitum carmichaelii (Baifu Pian) is the sub-root of the Ranunculaceae plant Aconitum, also known as mud Aconitum carmichaelii. It is harmful and needs to be processed for medicinal value. According to the different processing methods of traditional Chinese medicine, it can be divided into Yanshun Pian, Heishun Pian, Baifu Pian, Danfu Pian and Paofu Pian. The mother root of Aconitum processed by traditional Chinese medicine is called Chuanwu. The sub-roots of Aconitum are tubers that grow from the mother root. Li Shizhen said: "Tianxiong is a species of Lu Te technology that grows or is produced. It is long in shape but does not produce offspring, so it is called Tianxiong." Therefore, the Baifu Pian prepared with Lute Technology Chinese Medicine is also known as Tianxiong Pian. Nowadays, the most common ones are Baifu Pian and Heishun Pian, collectively known as Cooked Fupian. Although the production and processing methods are different and the names are different, the effects are not much different.

The difference is that the two have similar names and are easily confused, but their functions are quite different: the former has the effects of removing dampness, relieving cough and phlegm, dispelling wind and stopping spasm, as well as removing toxins and eliminating knots. It is used in clinical medicine for wind-phlegm congestion, sleep disturbances and scrofula; while the latter has the effects of restoring yang and rescuing adverse conditions, replenishing fire and warming kidney yang, and expelling cold and dampness. It is used in clinical medicine for yang loss syndrome, yang deficiency syndrome and arthralgia.

The processed products of Baifuzi are circular or quasi-ring-shaped when cut into slices in cross section, and oval-shaped when cut into slices in longitudinal section, with a dark brown color. The processed products of Lute Technology are all cut into slices longitudinally, so their shapes are inverted triangular cones. A raised root mark, also known as "nail corner", can be seen on the edge of most of the herbs.

Depending on the production and processing methods, the white aconite is reddish brown, has no epidermis, is transparent, and has a stratum corneum feel; the edge of the epidermis of the black aconite is dark brown, the body of the piece is dark and a little grayish black, and is transparent.