Bai Qian (Cynanchum)
Willow-leaf Bai Qian (Cynanchum) (Goose-tube) (Curved into a ball)
Yuan Hua (Gansui Flower) Bai Qian (Cynanchum) (Curved root)
Bai Qian (Cynanchum) (Brittle and hollow, easily broken)
【Naming】
【Source】
Listed as a Medium Grade in the Běi Lù (別錄, “Separate Records” of Materia Medica)
【Common Usage Level】
C
【Botanical Origin】
The roots and rhizomes of Cynanchum stauntoni (Dcne.) Schltr. Ex Levl. (Willow-leaf Bai Qian (Cynanchum)) or Cynanchum glaucescens (Dcne.) Hand-Mazz. (Yuan Hua (Gansui Flower) Bai Qian (Cynanchum)), both belonging to the family Asclepiadaceae.
【Characteristics】
It is the dried rhizome and root, which are curved and twisted into a cluster. The rhizome is tubular, slender, and has nodes. It is slightly curved, about 4-4-15 cm long and 1.5-2.5-5 mm in diameter. The surface is light yellow to yellowish-brown, with fine longitudinal wrinkles. The nodes are enlarged, often branched, and densely covered with fibrous roots. The top often has remnants of grayish-green or purplish-brown above-ground stems. It is firm and brittle, easily broken. The cross-section is roughly circular, hollow, and has a membranous pith. The roots are slender and curved, about 1-5-10 cm long, mostly in the form of villous roots. The surface is brown or purplish-brown, with fine longitudinal wrinkles and numerous small fibrous roots. It is firm and brittle, easily broken. The cross-section is off-white and tastes sweet.
The prepared slices are thin, about 1-2 mm thick, with a yellowish-white cross-section. The pith of the stem and rhizome sections are hollow. The edges of the rhizome slices are irregular, and remnants of stem scars can be seen. Honey-fried Bai Qian (Cynanchum) is yellowish-brown.
【Processing】
1. Bai Qian (Cynanchum) 2. Honey-fried Bai Qian (Cynanchum)
【Identification】
Bencao Pinhui Jingyao (本草品彙精要, Essential Compendium of Materia Medica) states: “The one with thick and brittle roots is good.” Bencao Qiu Zhen (本草求真, Seeking Truth in Materia Medica) states: “The one that resembles Niu Xi (Achyranthes Root), is thick, long, firm, straight, and easily broken is good.”
The best quality is when the rhizome is thick, the fibrous roots are long, the cross-section is powdery white, the powder content is sufficient, there is no mud or impurities, the color is yellow, and there is no mold.
【Identification Terminology】
1. Goose-tube Bai Qian (Cynanchum): The rhizome of Willow-leaf Bai Qian (Cynanchum) is slender, cylindrical, with distinct nodes, long internodes, and hollow like a goose feather tube.
【Category】
Roots