隨著越來越多人使用中藥，中藥鑒定日益成為重要的國際性問題。使用品種錯誤的中藥將會導致新的疾病產生甚至死亡。中藥鑒定所要解決的問題主要是中藥的名稱混亂及不斷出現的偽品。2004年春香港發生一宗由於中藥異物同名造成的嚴重醫療事故，原因是具相同異名“白毛藤”的中藥白英和尋骨風在市場上混亂使用。白英基本上不具毒性，而尋骨風則含有馬兜鈴酸，不當使用能導致腎衰竭和尿道癌。本文對白英和尋骨風從植物形態、藥材性狀、顯微特徵及化學分析四方面進行系統之分析鑒定，為澄清白英和尋骨風的混亂提供鑒別標準。

As people now use Chinese herbs worldwide, authentication of Chinese herbs is becoming a critical, international issue because mistakes can cause illness and even death. Confusion in the names is one aspect of this problem; counterfeiting is another. One example of the former, which has had serious medical consequences, involves the common name “Bai Mao Teng”. This name has been used for both Herba Solani Lyrati (Solanum lyratum Thunb.) and Herba Aristolochiae Mollissimae (Aristolochia mollissima Hance). Apparently, these herbs belong to two different families but look similar. While S. lyratum is not harmful, A. mollissima contains a toxic substance, aristolochic acid I (AA-I), that can cause kidney failure and cancer of the urinary tract when taken inappropriately. This paper describes a systematic study of one specific example of species confusion, namely the case of S. lyratum and A. mollissima. To differentiate the two species, authentication was performed based on four criteria: taxonomy, morphology, microscopic characteristics, and chemical analysis. The methods used clearly distinguish the two species, providing specific criteria by which samples of these herbs can be identified.