The original plants of Shan biandou, first seen in Jiu huang ben cao (Materia Medica for Relief of Famines), include the plants of Astragalusgenus, such as A. scaberrimus and/or A. complanatus in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. But Cassia mimosoides was named as Shan biandou by Japanese scholars in the 19th century. This mistaken identification and misnaming, still in use today in Chinese and Japanese circles of botany and materia medica, did cause some confusion. The merits and demerits of using the plant names in Chinese characters from the Japanese language by Chinese botanists were analyzed, the disadvantages of which should be well avoided. Because of the vicissitude in the names of plants and Chinese herbs, it is necessary to strengthen the study and develop the significant value of A. complanatus and C. mimosoides in health care so as to promote its contributions to the cause of TCM.

Shan bian dou; A. scaberrimus; A. complanatus; C. mimosoides