What are the uses of Gastrodia elata?

As health care becomes popular, people are once again paying attention to the health benefits of traditional Chinese medicine. As a kind of traditional Chinese medicine for health care, Gastrodia elata has also attracted public attention. From a health perspective, the uses of Gastrodia elata are a focus of concern for many people, because only when it is fully utilized can it exert its greatest effect. To this end, let us understand what the uses of Gastrodia elata include.

Basic introduction of Gastrodia elata

Gastrodia elata is a perennial symbiotic plant. Its dried tuber is also called Gastrodia elata. It is a commonly used and relatively precious Chinese medicine. The hemp dug after the winter solstice when the stems are withered is called "winter hemp", which is plump and of good quality; the hemp dug when the plants sprout before the beginning of summer is called "spring hemp", which has loose body, wrinkled bark and poor quality. After digging, remove the above-ground stems and hyphae, scrape off the outer skin, wash, cook or steam thoroughly, flatten, and dry in an oven below 60℃ or in the sun. Moisten slices thoroughly. The best ones are solid, shiny and translucent.

Gastrodia elata is commonly cultivated in my country and has a wide distribution. Many variations have occurred within the species. You can often see Gastrodia elata with different flower colors, flower stem colors, tuber shapes, and tuber water content. Based on the above characteristics, Gastrodia elata is divided into four types, namely the original variants - red Gastrodia elata, green Gastrodia elata, black Gastrodia elata, and yellow Gastrodia elata.

The efficacy and function of Gastrodia elata

Sweet in flavor, neutral in nature; enters the Liver Channel; soothes the Liver, calms wind and stops convulsions. Used for headache, dizziness, limb numbness, infantile convulsions, epilepsy, and tetanus.

1. Calm the liver and relieve wind

Gastrodia elata is moist and fluid, can nourish blood and calm wind, can treat headaches and dizziness caused by blood deficiency and internal liver wind, and can also be used for convulsions, epilepsy and tetanus in children.

2. Dispel wind and relieve pain

Used for dizziness, hemiplegia, numbness of limbs and hemiplegia caused by wind and phlegm.

Gastrodia elata is suitable for treating dizziness caused by internal wind. There are three types of headaches caused by internal wind: 1. Hyperactivity of liver yang, symptoms: headache and dizziness occur at the same time; 2. Phlegm and turbidity blocking the middle part of the body, symptoms: often feeling a heavy head; 3. Kidney deficiency, symptoms: headache and dizziness accompanied by memory loss. Gastrodia elata is not suitable for headaches and dizziness caused by colds.

3. Prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases

It can increase cerebral blood flow, reduce cerebral vascular resistance, slightly constrict cerebral blood vessels, and increase coronary blood flow.

4. Lowers blood pressure

It can lower blood pressure, slow down heart rate, and protect against myocardial ischemia. Gastrodia elata polysaccharide has immune activity.

Nutritional value of Gastrodia elata

Gastrodia elata contains vanillin, vanillic aldehyde, vitamin A substances, glycosides, crystalline neutral substances, trace alkaloids, mucus, etc. Gastrodin is the main active ingredient in Gastrodia elata, and its content is about 0.025%. It is now possible to artificially synthesize gastrodin (gastrodin), gastrodia glycoside and their analogues. In addition, Gastrodia elata polysaccharide is also one of the effective ingredients of Gastrodia elata.

How to buy Gastrodia elata

Common false Gastrodia elata on the market include the roots of Mirabilis jalapa of the Mirabilis family, the roots of Glehnia littoralis of the Asteraceae family, the tubers of Solanum lycopodii of the Asteraceae family, the tubers of Solanum ovata of the Solanaceae family, the tubers of Tripterygium wilfordii of the Cucurbitaceae family, the roots of Phytolacca americana of the Phytolacca family, the roots of Phytolacca qiang of the Phytolacca family, and the rhizomes of Tussop of the Musaceae family. The shapes of these plant rhizomes are very similar to Gastrodia elata, and it is sometimes difficult to tell the real ones from the fake, so you need to master the key points for identification. According to the experience of old pharmacists, the method of distinguishing real and fake Gastrodia elata can be summarized as follows: Gastrodia elata is long, round, flat and slightly curved, with more than ten circles of dot-shaped ring patterns; the base of the stem on the top of the head is like a parrot's beak, and the scar at the bottom is like a navel. If it still cannot be identified, it is necessary to ask experts to conduct microscopic identification and physical and chemical identification.

The appearance of Phytolacca root is similar to that of Gastrodia elata, but it is more toxic and can be life-threatening if accidentally ingested. 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 fibrous spots, translucent keratinous, shiny, slightly bitter with sweet taste, and sticky when chewed. The cross section of the Phytolacca root is uneven, dark in color, fibrous, bitter, and numbs the tongue when chewed. The best ones are those with a solid texture, heavy weight, a parrot beak and not hollow.

Quality standards of Gastrodia elata:

First Class: Dry Goods

It is long oval in shape. It is flattened and curved, with the coarse cork removed. The surface is yellow-white with horizontal ring patterns, and there are residual stem bases or red-yellow dead buds on the top. There is a disc-shaped, concave umbilical scar at the end. Solid and translucent. The cross section is keratinized and tooth white. Sweet and slightly spicy. Within one kilogram, no hollow, dry, impurities, insect bites, or mildew.

Second Class: Dry Goods

It is long oval in shape. It is flattened and curved, with the cork removed. The surface is yellow-white with horizontal ring patterns, and there are residual stem bases or red-yellow dead buds on the top. There is a disc-shaped, concave umbilical scar at the end. Solid and translucent. The cross section is keratinized and tooth white. Sweet and slightly spicy. Within one kilogram, no hollow, dry, impurities, insect bites, or mildew.

Third Class: Dry Goods

It is long oval in shape. It is flattened and curved, with the cork removed. The surface is yellow-white with horizontal ring patterns, and there are residual stem bases or red-yellow dead buds on the top. There is a disc-shaped, concave umbilical scar at the end. Solid and translucent. The cross section is horny, ivory white or brownish yellow and slightly hollow. Sweet and slightly spicy. Less than one stick per kilogram, uniform in size. No dry kangs, impurities, insect bites, or mildew.

Fourth level: dry goods

Except per kilogram. All broken pieces, hollow pieces and unpeeled pieces that do not belong to the first, second or third grades belong to this category. No reed stems, impurities, insect bites or mildew.

Storage of Gastrodia elata

Store in a cool, dry place to prevent mildew.

How to eat Gastrodia elata

1. Gastrodia elata should not be decocted for a long time. The main component of Gastrodia elata is gastrodin, which is very volatile when heated. When Gastrodia elata is decocted together with other medicines, the effective sedative and analgesic ingredients will be lost due to the heat. Therefore, it is best to moisten Gastrodia elata with a small amount of water first, cut it into thin slices after softening, dry it in the air or in the sun, grind it into powder, take it with the decocted medicine, or grind it into powder and make it into pills or powder for consumption.

2. When using single-flavor Gastrodia elata or Gastrodia elata preparations, if dizziness, chest tightness, shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting, rapid heartbeat and breathing, skin itching, etc. occur, the medication should be stopped immediately. If the symptoms are severe, go to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment in time.

The above is an introduction to the uses of Gastrodia elata. It should be noted here that the uses of Gastrodia elata have both medicinal standards and dietary therapy standards. However, if you hope to use Gastrodia elata to maintain health and assist in the treatment of diseases, you can actually do so through diet therapy, which is not only simple to operate but also has a low probability of adverse reactions.