莨菪 (làngdàng): black henbane (Hyoscyamus niger)

Meanings

1 black henbane (Hyoscyamus niger)
2 a perennial herb whose roots, stems, and leaves are used in traditional medicine for antispasmodic and pain-relieving properties

Characters

莨

Examples

莨菪是一种有毒的草本植物。

Làngdàng shì yì zhǒng yǒudú de cǎoběn zhíwù.

Black henbane is a poisonous herb.

中药里有莨菪碱这种成分。

Zhōngyào lǐ yǒu làngdàngjiǎn zhè zhǒng chéngfèn.

Traditional Chinese medicine contains a component called hyoscyamine.

莨菪的花是淡紫色的。

Làngdàng de huā shì dàn zǐsè de.

The flowers of black henbane are light purple.

Tips

mistakes

Note the unusual pinyin: 莨 reads làng here (in this compound) — not liáng. The herb yields hyoscyamine (莨菪碱) and atropine (阿托品), used in modern medicine to dilate pupils and relieve smooth-muscle spasms. Famously toxic in folklore — Western witches' brews relied on its hallucinogenic alkaloids.