Harvesting, processing and Storage of traditional Chinese Medicine Radix Paeoniae Alba

Radix Paeoniae Alba can be harvested 3-4 years after planting, the yield of early harvest is low, and if harvested too late, the root will be empty, not only the yield is low, but also the quality will be affected. It can be harvested in three years. The harvest season also has a great influence on the quality and yield of medicinal materials. According to the specific conditions of each producing area, the harvest time can not be earlier than late June at the earliest, otherwise it will affect the yield, no later than the first ten days of October at the latest, otherwise the starch in the root will be transformed, and the weight will be reduced if it is not solid after drying.

When harvesting, first cut off the stems and leaves, dig the surrounding soil, dig a depth of about 0.33 ~ 0.5m (1 ~ 1.5 feet), and then dig the tail soil, which can prevent the main root of peony from being dug off. After the main root is all dug out, shake off the soil, transport it indoors, cut off the peony root (put the root head for another seed), cut off the lateral root or whisker root, trim the convex surface, cut off the head and tail, divide it into three levels according to large, medium, small and medium-sized, indoor heap for 2-3 days, turn the pile twice a day, promote the water evaporation of peony root, make the texture soft and easy for processing.

Although the processing methods of Paeonia lactiflora are different, it can be divided into four steps: trimming, whitening, boiling and drying. In some areas, the method of first blanching (scraping) and then cooking is adopted, while in some areas, the method of cooking before scraping is adopted.

1. Trimming

Use a knife to remove the fibrous root from the peony root (do not pull it by hand, otherwise it will leave many sunken hemp roots, affect the quality, cut off the head and tail, flatten both ends and protruding parts of the surface, and make the surface smooth.

two。 Wipe white

First, put the trimmed peony root into the turnip and soak it in running water or pond for 1-2 hours to make the skin easy to wipe off. But the soaking time is not suitable for growth, otherwise part of the root bark will be detached. Then pick up the peony root and rub it on the wooden bed. The wooden bed is high 65~70cm, wide 85~100cm, about 200cm long, with fence plates on both sides and high 17~20cm. Two people stood on each side of the wooden bed, each with a gavel, and the two ends crossed and pushed back and forth. When pushing, add a certain amount of yellow sand to increase friction. After the skin is cleaned, wash the sediment with water and soak it in water to be boiled.

3. Cooking

The root of peony should be boiled on the same day, and the soaking time is about half a day. Not too long. First boil the pot water (preferably in an aluminum pot) to 80: 90 ℃, put the peony root into the pot, and put the amount of water to immerse the peony root. Put peony root 15~25kg in each pot. First seal the pot with 5min, then open it and turn the lid up and down to heat the peony root evenly. Control the firepower to keep the water in the pan boiling slightly. If you find that the pot water is too boiled, add cold water in time, and turn it up and down quickly to make the heat consistent, because the pot water is too boiled, heating too fast will make the peony root epidermis already cooked, and the internal slurry is still raw. The cooking time should depend on the size of peony root, generally small peony root 5~8min, medium thick peony root 8~12min, larger peony root need 12~15min. The boiled peony root should be quickly fished out of the pot and sent to the drying ground.

4. Dryness

Will be boiled peony root immediately sent to the sun stall, do not pile up for too long. If the sun can not be spread in time on the same day, it should be spread in a ventilated place, do not pile up, otherwise the surface of peony root will slip the next day, sticky affect the quality. Spread out thinly and expose the peony root for 1-2 hours, then gradually pile up the peony root to make the epidermis slowly shrink, so that the peony root epidermis wrinkles are meticulous and the color is good.

Dried peony root is generally packed in a fine bamboo basket, first put brown slices or bamboo shoot shells on the four corners of the bamboo basket, and then load the sun-dried peony into the basket. It can also be packed in gunny bags. Store in a ventilated and dry place, strictly guard against dampness, always check whether there is damp or mildew, turn the sun regularly, turn the sun in a mild sun, avoid the scorching sun, so as not to change color and turn red. In order to prevent moth and mildew of Paeonia lactiflora during storage, the root of peony can be fumigated with volatile oil before storage by fumigating the root of peony with 10000% Fructus Piperis or clove volatile oil in sealed state for 6 days.