White jade bush



The white jade bush (Chinese: 白玉花) is a poisonous, flowering plant that grows in the eastern Earth Kingdom. It produces beautiful, solitary red-and-white blossoms at the end of long vines. Its leaves and flowers contain a toxin which causes itching rashes if they come in contact with skin, likely as a natural defense against being eaten. If ingested, the rash spreads throughout the body and may become fatal if it inflames or constricts the victim's airways. A specialized green paste may heal any such rashes if applied in time; bacui berries may be used as an herbal remedy. Unfortunately, these berries can also be mistaken for macahoni berries that cause blindness.

Because of its appearance, it is often mistaken for the white dragon bush (famed for its tea-making qualities), and as such is sometimes ingested by misinformed tea lovers such as Iroh.

Skilled herbalists should easily remember the difference: white jade petals are white with dark orange streaks, while white dragon petals are reddish-pink with white streaks.

Goofs

 * Ming, a kindhearted Fire Nation prison guard, gave Iroh white jade tea to drink, despite its fatal consequences. It is possible that this tea was of a different variety than the Earth Kingdom white jade. Whether this mistake was intentional remains unknown, although it may have been a joke.

Connections
The side effects of the white jade bush is similar to the side effects of the poison ivy plant.