Liang Tou Jian

Liang Tou Jian (两头尖) is the dried rhizome of Anemone raddeana Regel (Ranunculaceae), a small perennial wildflower native to woodlands of northeastern China, Korea, the Russian Far East, and Japan. The plant arises from a slender, fusiform rhizome 1–3 cm long, pointed at both ends — the form that gives rise to the Chinese name meaning "both ends pointed." Above ground it produces a single ternately divided basal leaf and a slender flowering stalk 10–25 cm tall topped by a solitary white-petaled flower 2–4 cm across in early spring. Rhizomes are dug in late spring, washed, and sun-dried. The substance contains anemonin-type lactones and is considered toxic in excess; it is used cautiously for wind-damp painful obstruction (rheumatic and arthritic pain).