Character Identification of Gastrodia elata and Gastrodia elata

In recent years, there are often similar plant tubers in the market, fish eyes mixed with beads, posing as Gastrodia elata. In order to reduce errors and purify the market, several characteristics of pseudo-Gastrodia elata which are easy to be confused are introduced.

Gastrodia elata: "parrot mouth, concave navel, there is a ring of dried ginger skin, rosin section should be kept in mind." This is the formula for distinguishing whether Gastrodia elata is true or not. In this formula, the cross section of rosin is an important basis for judging the authenticity of Gastrodia elata. The dried tuber of genuine Gastrodia elata is long oval, often flattened and curved, 6-13cm in length and 2-6cm in diameter. There are residual stem base or reddish brown withered buds at one end (commonly known as parrot mouth) and round navel-shaped marks at the other end (commonly known as concave navel); the epidermis is yellowish or yellowish, slightly transparent or opaque, with a horizontal ring formed by some protuberances; the texture is hard, not easy to break, the cross section is slightly flat and horny; the taste is slightly pungent and sweet, and the chewing is crisp and sticky. With hard and heavy texture, parrot mouth, bright cross-section, no hollow for winter hemp, good quality; light texture, residual stem base, dark color, hollow for spring hemp, poor quality than winter hemp.

Tubers pretending to be Gastrodia elata such as purple jasmine, marigold, potatoes, and other products.

Purple jasmine is the root of purple jasmine plant of purple jasmine family. This product is in the shape of long vertebra, some branched, mostly flattened, 6-12cm long, 1.5-4cm in diameter, yellowish white on the surface, grayish white or grayish brown in diameter, translucent, longitudinal grooves, and whisker root marks are sometimes twisted, with stem marks of varying length at the top, hard, not easy to break, uneven cross section, yellowish white or yellowish brown, horny, and sometimes concentric rings can be seen.

Dali chrysanthemum is the root of Dali chrysanthemum, a plant of Compositae. This product is long spindle-shaped, slightly curved, gray-white or quasi-white on the surface, with obvious irregular longitudinal lines, stem base marks at the top, fiber-like at the top and end, hard and not easy to break, cross-section white, horny. Potato is the potato tuber of Solanaceae plant, flattened, the imitation is flattened and oval, the surface has irregular longitudinal grooves and shallow grooves without punctate rings or imitation patterns, sweet taste, chewing with potato flavor.

Others often add small pieces of Gastrodia elata or foreign bodies to the fissures of Gastrodia elata. Adulterants, such as iron nails and tin grains, can often be seen in the section after such counterfeits are opened.