冷背药材，顾名思义就是那些不常用或用量小的药材品种。如此称呼，只是为了区分常用大宗品种，属于习惯上的称谓。比如地锦草和大叶藜，它们的别名都叫"血见愁"，共同具备止血的功效。《中药大辞典》所载的"血见愁"则是大叶藜，而在实际用药和经营当中，习惯称地锦草为"血见愁"，大叶藜因不经常使用，则被列入冷背药材。目前，我国已知的植物、动物、菌藻、矿石类药材已达万余个品种，其中只有几百个品种是常用药材，而剩余的绝大部分品种，因不常用或用量较小，都被习惯称之为冷背药材。

Herbal extracts, as the name suggests is that not commonly used or a small amount of Chinese medicines. So called, only in order to distinguish common large varieties, belongs to the customary appellation. For example, Dijincao and bigleaf quinoa, they are called "alias Teucrium viscidum", together with hemostatic effect. The "dictionary of Chinese medicine" contained "Teucrium viscidum" is Daye quinoa, in actual use and management, "said Dijincao used Galium, Chenopodium hybridum because they do not often use, is included in the herbal extracts. At present, China's known plants, algae, bacteria, animal drugs ore has reached more than 10000 varieties, of which only a few hundred varieties are commonly used herbs, and the rest of the most of the varieties, because no common or low dosage were used to call herbal extracts.