Patients often ask about herbal medicine in the clinic, and one of them asks if grass cassia and stone cassia are the same medicine. Can they be substituted for each other? Today we will look at the differences between these two medicines. Herba cassia is a legume, its leaves are similar to those of soybeans and peanuts, because they are “related” and belong to the same family of legumes. And we use its seeds as a medicinal herb: Above is the herb we often use – grass cassia, also called cassia seeds. Part of the reason for saying that it is a grass cassia is to distinguish it from the following herb that comes from the water. It is the shell of the abalone family, such as Abalone miscellanea, Abalone rugosa, Abalone ear, Abalone sheep, etc. It is an animal medicine. Simply put, it is the shell of abalone, a food we regard as a delicacy, with the meat removed. Since it inhabits in the southern sea, it was difficult to get this item in ancient times, so it was classified as a treasure, and the shell as waste was developed into a medicinal herb by the clever ancient people. Nowadays, with the promotion of farming technology, abalone is gradually becoming unusual, while stone cassia continues to play a significant role in Chinese medicine as a medicinal herb. To ask why they both have such similar names, it is necessary to start with their medicinal properties and efficacy. As their names indicate – “cassia”, from water, draining meaning; Ming, bright meaning; the meaning of cassia is – draining the excretion of filth to make it bright. The effect of stone cassia and grass cassia can clear the liver and brighten the eyes, grass cassia is cool in nature, and can laxative; and stone cassia because it comes from the sea, so the taste is salty, cold in nature, the shell is heavy, can put the hyperactive rebellious yang submerged down, so it can calm the liver and submerge the yang, clear the liver and brighten the eyes. It is used for headache and dizziness, redness and opacity of the eyes, dimming of vision, blue-blindness and bird’s eye. Therefore, these two medicines have similar medicinal effects and different application areas. So you should pay attention to the difference between them when you are taking care of your own health and wellness, and don’t mix them.