The difference between plantain and Houttuynia cordata

In the countryside, weeds such as plantain and houttuynia can be seen everywhere. People in the countryside may be able to tell each other apart, but people in the city may not be able to tell each other apart. The following is to introduce the difference between plantain and houttuynia.

Difference 1. Different families and genera

Plantain is an annual or biennial herb of Plantaginaceae. Houttuynia cordata Thunb is a perennial herb of the genus Houttuynia in the family Tripterygium.

Second, the appearance is different

The rhizome of plantain is short, the leaves are rosette, prostrate, obliquely spreading or erect; leaf blade papery, oval-shaped, elliptic-lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, margin with shallow wavy obtuse teeth, irregular serrate or teeth, green, sparsely white pubescent on both surfaces. The stem of Herba Euphorbiae is flat cylindrical, twisted, brown on the surface, with several longitudinal edges, obvious nodes, and residual fibrous roots on the lower nodes; the leaves are wrinkled, flattened and heart-shaped, entire, the upper surface is dark yellowish green to dark brown, and the lower surface is grayish green or grayish brown.

Third, flowers and fruits are different.

The peduncle of plantain is 5-18cm long, sparsely white pubescent, inflorescences 6-12cm long, flowers white, and capsule ovate-elliptic to conical-ovate. The total pedicel of Houttuynia cordata is 1.5-3 cm long, glabrous, inflorescence about 2 cm long, flowers white, capsule ovoid.

Difference 4. Different uses

The seedlings of plantain are edible, and young seedlings are generally collected between April and May. After being lightly boiled in boiling water, they are salad, dipped in sauce, fried, stuffed, souped or steamed with noodles; its dried or fresh whole herbs can be harvested in autumn, removed impurities, washed, sliced and dried. The yellowish-brown root of Houttuynia cordata Thunb is edible and can be used as seasoning, with a fishy smell, which is usually eaten cold or fried meat; its dry aboveground part can be used as medicine, harvested in summer when the stems and leaves are luxuriant and flowering, removed impurities, washed, sliced and dried.

Difference 5. Different effects

Plantain is sweet in taste and cold in nature. it has the effects of clearing heat, diuresis, expectorant, cooling blood and detoxification. it is used for less edema and urine, astringent pain, summer-dampness and diarrhea, phlegm-heat cough, hematemesis, carbuncle and sore. Houttuynia cordata Thunb has the effect of clearing away heat and detoxification, eliminating carbuncle and expelling pus, diuretic and purulent. It is used to treat heat, heat toxin, dampness evil, lung carbuncle, ulcers, hemorrhoids, spleen and stomach heat and so on.