The difference between Radix Scutellariae and Radix Astragali

Scutellaria baicalensis and Radix Astragali are common traditional Chinese medicines. Scutellaria baicalensis is the root of Scutellaria baicalensis perennial herb in Labiatae, and Radix Astragali is a plant of Leguminosae. Although there is only an one-word difference between Radix Scutellariae and Radix Astragali, but the efficacy, main treatment, and characters are completely opposite. Let's take a look at the difference between them.

Radix Scutellariae and Radix Astragali have different nicknames.

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

2. Astragalus membranaceus: Astragalus membranaceus, Astragalus membranaceus, single fruit, Shu fat, hundred herbs, cotton, yellow ginseng, blood ginseng, human title, etc., produced in Northeast, North and Northwest China.

Morphological difference between Radix Scutellariae and Radix Astragali

1. Scutellaria baicalensis: Scutellaria baicalensis is a perennial herb of the genus Scutellaria in Labiatae, with fleshy roots, strong papery leaves, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, terminal racemes on stems and branches, Corolla purple, purple to blue, filaments flattened, style slender, disk annular, ovary brown, nutlets ovoid, flowering from July to September.

2. Astragalus membranaceus: Astragalus membranaceus is a perennial herb of the genus Astragalus in Leguminosae, pinnately compound leaves, 13-27 leaflets, 5-10 cm long, petiole 0.5-1 cm long, raceme slightly dense, 10-20 flowers, total pedicel nearly equal or longer than leaves, significantly elongated to fruiting stage, pods thinly membranous, slightly swollen, semi-oval, 20-30 mm long, 8-12 mm wide, tip prickly, seeds 3-8. The flowering period is from June to August and the fruiting period is from July to September.

Difference of efficacy between Radix Scutellariae and Radix Astragali

1. Scutellaria baicalensis: Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi has bitter taste, cold nature, heart, lung, gallbladder and large intestine meridian, which has the effect of clearing heat and dryness, purging fire and detoxification, stopping blood and calming fetus, mainly treating febrile disease, upper respiratory tract infection, lung-heat cough, damp-heat yellow gallbladder, pneumonia, dysentery, hemoptysis, red eye, restless fetal movement, hypertension, carbuncle and furunculosis.

2. Astragalus membranaceus: Astragalus taste sweet, warm in nature, return to the lung meridian, it is beneficial to strengthen the surface, tonify qi and increase yang, support toxin to produce muscle, promote diuresis and detumescence, and mainly treat qi deficiency and weakness, lack of food and loose stool, middle qi depression, long diarrhea and prolapse of anus, self-juice night sweats, blood deficiency and yellowing, Yin gangrene and swelling, qi deficiency and edema, internal heat and eliminating thirst, etc.

Seeing here, we must have known the difference between Scutellaria baicalensis and Radix Astragali. In fact, they are basically two different traditional Chinese medicines with opposite properties and tastes, and their clinical applications are basically opposite. They are completely different. We must read them carefully when using them. Although there is a word difference, they are very different.