Table 3.

A comparison of plant materials commonly used for herbal tea in Jianghua and Lingnan

	Plant species	Jianghua		Lingnan
Consistency in efficacy	Achyranthes aspera	Heat-clearing and detoxifying, rheumatism, nourishing, relieve pain	Whole plant	Clear heat and purge fire	Root
	Achyranthes bidentata	Nourishing	Root	Activate blood and remove blood stasis, nourish the liver and the kidney, strengthen bones and muscles, alleviate edema and relieve stranguria, conduct blood-fire to go downward	Root
	Mahonia fortunei	Heat-clearing and detoxifying	Root, stem	Nourish yin and clear heat, warm lung and stop cough	Leaf
	Lonicera confusa	Heat-clearing and detoxifying	Flower, stem, leaf	Clear heat and relieve toxicity, disperse wind	Flower, stem
	Lonicera japonica	Heat-clearing and detoxifying, promote blood circulation	Stem	Clear heat and relieve toxicity, disperse wind	Flower, stem
	Cirsium japonicum	Nourishing, gynaecopathia, promote blood circulation, stop bleeding, eliminating inflammation	Whole plant, root	Cool the blood and stop bleeding, eliminate toxic materials to treat carbuncle	Aerial part, root
	Dendranthema morifolium	Heat-clearing and detoxifying, rheumatism, improve eyesight	Flower	Clear heat and relieve toxicity	Flower
	Lophatherum gracile	Heat-clearing and detoxifying, relieve cough, induce diuresis	Root	Clear heat, sedative	Leaf, root
	Juncus effusus	Heat-clearing and detoxifying, induce diuresis, respiratory disease, relieve cough	Spith	Clear away liver-heat and lower the fire	Pith
	Prunella vulgaris	Improve eyesight, promote blood circulation	Fruit cluster, flower	Clear liver, purge fire, resolve knots, dissolve swelling, pacify liver and improve eyesight.	Whole plant
	Gleditsia sinensis	Eliminate phlegm, induce diuresis	Pod, seed, shoot thorn	Relieve pathological heat and remove dampness through diuresis	Fruit
	Anemarrhena asphodeloides	Promote digestion, gynaecopathia	Rhizome	Strengthen stomach and lung	Bulb
	Ophiopogon japonicus	Nourishing	Tuber	Smooth lung and nourish yin	Root
	Dendrobium nobile	Diabetes, improve eyesight, nourishing, promote digestion	Stem	Strengthen stomach and promote fluid production, nourish yin and clear heat	Stem
	Plantago asiatica	Heat-clearing and detoxifying, induce diuresis, eliminating phlegm	Whole plant	Clear heat and dampness, induce diuresis	Whole plant, seed
	Fagopyrum dibotrys	Heat-clearing and detoxifying, promote blood circulation, calculus	Root, rhizome	Clear heat and detoxifying	Rhizome
	Artemisia argyi	Gynaecopathia	Whole plant	Stop bleeding, expel cold and alleviate pain by warming meridians	Aerial part
Inconsistency in efficacy	Fallopia multiflora	Nourishing	Tuber	Moisten intestines and relax bowls	Tuber
	Parthenocissus tricuspidata	Rheumatism, promote blood circulation	Root, stem, fruit	Clear away heat and promote dieresis	Root, stem
	Acorus tatarinowii	Cold	Whole plant	Eliminate dampness and stimulate appetite, regain consciousness through dispelling phlegm, induce resuscitation and strengthen intelligence	Rhizome
	Trachelospermum jasminoides	Rheumatism	Whole plant	Clear heat and relieve toxicity	Aerial part
	Hypericum japonicum	Heat-clearing and detoxifying, promote blood circulation, promote digestion	Whole plant	Clear liver, promote diuresis to drain dampness and relieve dyspepsia	Whole plant
	Leonurus artemisia	Heat-clearing and detoxifying	Whole plant	Activate blood and dispel stasis, induce dieresis and alleviate edema	Whole plant