Differences between Scutellaria baicalensis and Astragalus membranaceus

Although there is only one difference between Astragalus and Scutellaria, the distinction between the two is huge. First of all, their nicknames are different. Scutellaria is also called camellia root, while Astragalus is called cotton Astragalus. In addition, there are also great differences in their morphology and efficacy. Scutellaria has the effects of purging fire and detoxifying, stabilizing the fetus and stopping bleeding, while Astragalus has the effects of replenishing qi and raising yang, promoting diuresis and reducing swelling, etc. If you want to drink it in water, you must see its efficacy clearly.

1. Different nicknames for Scutellaria baicalensis and Astragalus membranaceus

1. Scutellaria baicalensis: Scutellaria baicalensis is also known as camellia root, golden tea root, etc. It is produced in Heilongjiang, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Henan, Gansu, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Shandong, Sichuan and other places.

2. Astragalus: Astragalus is also known as cotton astragalus, Huangqi, Dushen, Shuzhi, Baiben, Baiyaomian, Huangshen, Xueshen, and Renxian. It is produced in Northeast, North and Northwest China.

2. The morphological differences between Scutellaria baicalensis and Astragalus membranaceus

1. Scutellaria baicalensis: Scutellaria baicalensis is a perennial herb of the genus Scutellaria in the family Lamiaceae. It has thick fleshy rhizomes, hard and papery leaves, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, and racemes terminal on the stems and branches. The corolla is purple, purple-red to blue, the filaments are flat, the style is slender, the disk is annular, the ovary is brown, and the nutlets are ovoid. The flowering and fruiting period is from July to September.

2. Astragalus: Astragalus is a perennial herb of the genus Astragalus in the leguminosae family. It has pinnate leaves with 13-27 leaflets, 5-10 cm long, 0.5-1 cm long petiole, slightly dense raceme with 10-20 flowers, peduncle almost as long as leaves or longer, significantly elongated during the fruiting stage, membranous pods, slightly swollen, semi-elliptical, 20-30 mm long, 8-12 mm wide, with a thorny tip at the top, 3-8 seeds, flowering period is June-August, and fruiting period is July-September.

3. The difference between the efficacy of Scutellaria baicalensis and Astragalus membranaceus

1. Scutellaria baicalensis: Scutellaria baicalensis is bitter and cold in nature. It enters the heart, lung, gallbladder, and large intestine meridians. It has the effects of clearing away heat and dampness, purging fire and detoxifying, stopping bleeding and stabilizing the fetus. It is mainly used to treat febrile diseases, upper respiratory tract infections, lung heat cough, damp-heat jaundice, pneumonia, dysentery, hemoptysis, red eyes, fetal movement disorder, hypertension, carbuncles, furuncles, etc.

2. Astragalus: Astragalus is sweet in taste and warm in nature. It belongs to the lung meridian. It is beneficial for defending the exterior, replenishing qi and raising yang, expelling toxins and promoting tissue regeneration, and promoting diuresis and reducing swelling. It is mainly used to treat qi deficiency and fatigue, poor appetite and loose stools, sinking of qi in the middle, long-term diarrhea and prolapse of the anus, spontaneous night sweats, blood deficiency and sallow complexion, swelling of genital carbuncle, qi deficiency edema, internal heat and thirst, etc.

After reading this, I believe everyone has understood the difference between Scutellaria baicalensis and Astragalus membranaceus. In fact, they are basically two different traditional Chinese medicines with opposite properties and flavors. Their clinical applications are also basically opposite and completely different. You must read them carefully when using them. Although there is only one word difference, they are very different.