What kind of Gastrodia elata is good?

Gastrodia elata is a traditional Chinese medicinal material. Its appearance is actually very inconspicuous, just like the roots of vegetables in the fields. It is slightly yellow in color and can be easily overlooked. Gastrodia elata is a commonly used Chinese medicinal material in clinical practice. It can be used to help people treat many diseases and can also be used for health care. So the question is, when buying Tianma, how to choose the right one?

Tips for distinguishing real and fake Gastrodia elata: Gastrodia elata is oblong, flat and slightly curved, with more than ten circles of dot-shaped ring patterns; the base of the stem on the top is like a parrot's beak, and the scar at the bottom is like a navel. When actually purchasing, we mainly judge from three aspects:

1. Appearance: Gastrodia elata is oblong, slightly flat, wrinkled and curved, with a residual stem base at one end, red or brownish red, commonly known as "parrot's beak", and a round root mark at the other end. The surface is yellowish white or light yellowish brown, translucent, and often has light-colored flaky outer bark residues, many longitudinal wrinkles, and several rows of not very obvious root marks can be seen arranged in rings. It is hard and not easy to break.

2. Color: The best Gastrodia elata is yellow-white, translucent, plump and firm; the inferior one is gray-brown, light and hollow in cross section. Its cross section is slightly flat, and the cuticle is yellowish white or light brown and shiny.

3. Smell: Put it in your mouth and chew it. It is crispy and sticky. It has a unique aroma and tastes sweet.

In terms of selection: the best Gastrodia elata are those that are yellow-white, translucent, plump and firm; the inferior ones are those that are gray-brown, light in weight and hollow in cross section.

The medicinal part of Gastrodia elata is the underground tuber, which is oblong, slightly flat, slightly wrinkled and slightly curved, with a red or brown residual stem at one end and a round navel-shaped root scar at the other end. Each tuber is usually 6 to 10 cm long and 2 to 5 cm in diameter. The surface is yellow-white or light yellow-brown, with many longitudinal wrinkles and hard texture. Its appearance and texture are similar to American ginseng. After cutting, the cross section is flat, without fiber spots, translucent and keratinous, shiny, slightly bitter and sweet, and sticky when chewed!