More taxonomy: Sha ren, Qing hao

[Guest guest]

The herb most Westerners call Cardamom is Elettaria cardamomum (=Amomum

cardamomum).

Yet the Chinese herb most of the people I've spoken with call Cardamom is

Sha ren (Amomum villosum or A. xanthioides), while Bai dou kou (usually A.

kravanh) is also known as A. cardamomum. So shouldn't we be referring to

Bai do kou as Cardamom? The reason I'm wondering is that when I read about

Cardamom in Western sources, I wonder which Chinese herb to attribute these

qualities to (and I guess it would be Bai dou kou).

The problem of common names isn't a new thing... when I was a botany student

we were strongly discouraged from using them. But the issue of taxonomic

analogs (mainly due to name changes that haven't caught on completely) is a

real headache. Especially when you try to do cross-cultural research...

Acanthopanax/Eleutherococcus... Elettaria/Amomum... P. pseudoginseng/P.

notoginseng... Heydiotis/Oldenlandia?

For anyone who's interested, there's a pretty good list of synonyms here:

http://www.b-and-t-world-seeds.com/synnaqu.htm

 

ALSO,

Does anyone (Karen?) know the difference between Artemisia annua (Qing hao,

sometimes called Sweet Wormwood, called Wormwood in Bensky & Gamble) and

Artemisia absinthum - Wormwood (the stuff from which Absinthe was made).

Furthermore, does anyone know, if A. annua is Wormwood, why high doses can

be given with no mention in the materia medicas of any mind-altering

effects? Are the intoxicating effects of wormwood only unleashed when it's

in alcohol? ALSO, as to the campaign to prohibit absinthe, I've read that

some thought it was propaganda-driven and others thought absinthe was

genuinely toxic stuff. Again, no mention of toxicity in Chinese materia

medicas. So is A. annua (Qing hao) wormwood?

 

 

==============================

Peter L. Borten, L.Ac.

4004 SW Kelly Avenue, Ste 201

Portland, Oregon 97201

503.522.2613

http://www.whiteflowerhealing.com/

==============================