Guan Fang Feng (Earthworm head = Flagpole top) (Long cylinder, gray-brown and rough, thin and curved downwards, head with obvious dense ring patterns)

Fang Feng

Fang Feng (Flattened)

Fang Feng slices (Phoenix eye circle = Chrysanthemum heart) (Brown ring)

【Naming】

Fang Feng

 【Source】

Superior Grade in the Classic of Herbal Medicine

 【Common Usage Level】

B

 【Botanical Origin】

The root of Siler divaricatum Benth. et Hook. f., a plant in the Umbelliferae (Apiaceae) family.

 【Characteristics】

The root is conical or fusiform, straight or slightly curved, 20~30㎝ long, and about 1~1.5㎝ in diameter. The surface is grayish-yellow or grayish-brown. The root head has dense fine segments (earthworm head, flagpole top), with brown coarse hairs on the segments, which are residual fiber bundles of the leaf base. The apex has stem remnants. The root epidermis is wrinkled and rough, with a loose and soft texture, and is spongy and easily broken. The xylem is light yellow, and the phloem is yellow-brown with fissures. The rays are radial (Chrysanthemum heart, Chrysanthemum pattern).
The prepared slices are flattened oblique slices or top slices, with a grayish-yellow or grayish-brown surface. The cut surface has a yellow center with a brown ring on the outside. It has a slight aroma and a slightly sweet taste.

 【Processing】

1. Stir-fried Fang Feng 2. Honey-Fang Feng.

 【Identification】

《Annotations to the Classic of Herbal Medicine》: “Only those that are solid, oily, and the head segments are as firm as an earthworm’s head are good.” 《Materia Medica Meng Quan》: “Choose the solid and oily ones as the best.” 《Compendium of Materia Medica》: “Wu Shou said: In general, the yellow and moist ones are the best.” 《Essentials of Materia Medica》: “The yellow and moist ones are good. Use the body for the upper part and the tip for the lower part.” 《Seeking Truth in Materia Medica》: “The ones produced in the northern Rehmannia area and moist are the best.” 《Discrimination of Good and Bad》: “The outside is light yellow, the inside is complete, the root is as large as a finger, one foot six or seven inches long, and tastes sweet and moist is a good product.”
Good quality is indicated by thick strips, single straight branches, obvious earthworm heads, fine and tight skin, no hairy heads, soft texture, thick flesh, brown rings on the cross-section, obvious chrysanthemum hearts, light brown phloem, and light yellow xylem in the center. Conversely, thin or short strips, branching, rough outer skin, grayish-white color, lignification, and hairy heads with hard seedlings are of lower quality.

 【Identification Terminology】

1. Kou Fang Feng: Refers to Fang Feng produced in Inner Mongolia and Zhangjiakou, Hebei. Its earthworm head (also known as the flagpole top) is not obvious, and the quality is lower.
2. Small bumps: (1) Refers to the scars of lateral roots or fibrous roots on the surface of root and rhizome medicinal materials, such as Fang Feng. (2) Refers to nodes or lenticels, such as Nine-section Calamus for nodes, Fang Feng, Angelica, and Angelica pubescens for lenticels.
3. Bamboo-joint Fang Feng: The root head of Sichuan Fang Feng has a section of annular leaf remnants, which is shaped like a bamboo joint.
4. Earthworm head (flagpole top): Refers to the dense brown fine ring patterns on the root head at the top of Guan Fang Feng (Eastern Fang Feng) medicinal materials, which are the nodes of the stem base, shaped like earthworms and the top of a flagpole. Above it are numerous brown fibrous hairs, which are the vascular bundles of the residual petioles of the basal leaves. Bai Hua Qian Hu (Peucedanum praeruptorum) also has it.
5. Soft Fang Feng (Male Fang Feng): Refers to Fang Feng that only grows leaves and does not flower or bear fruit. Its leaves are shiny and large, the root pulp is sufficient and plump, and the quality is good.
6. Hard Fang Feng (Female Fang Feng): Refers to Fang Feng that has bolted and flowered. Its leaves are slightly narrow and thin, the wood heart becomes hard, the root becomes woody, and the quality is lower.
7. Chrysanthemum Heart (Chrysanthemum Pattern): Refers to the radial texture on the cross-section of medicinal materials, which is shaped like an open chrysanthemum. Such as Fang Feng, Astragalus, Licorice, etc.
8. Phoenix Eye Circle: Refers to the cross-section of Fang Feng medicinal material having a yellow center, with a light yellow-white outer layer, and the cambium forming a brown ring.

 【Category】

Root Category