When we look at a product on our shelf, we need to be aware of what exactly it is that we are using. Manufacturers that use the full Latin botanical names and identify the plant part used would be preferable to one using a common name. Often common names for plants refer to totally different genus and species with similar appearances, and the medicinal qualities can be either extremely close or totally different. Standard taxonomy includes the genus, species, and sometimes varietal name, as well as the specific plant part used. The naming of medicinal plants is even an issue in the scientific literature.1 If the whole plant is used then plant part is not generally specified. Chamomile for example, could be German chamomile Matricaria chamomila or Roman chamomile Chamaemelum nobile. In this case the medicinal qualities are similar. When you take Angelica as an example, there are at least 60 different species of plants that are in that family. There are three Angelicas used commonly in Chinese herbalmedicine, Angelica sinensis (Dang gup, Angelica dahurica (Bai Zhi) and Angelicapubescens (Du Huo) as well as Angelica archangelica and Angelica atropurpurea used in western herbalism. The root is used in Chinese medicine, but in western herbalism the root, stem and seeds are used.
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