Sang Bai Pi (Long, twisted plate-like, white, longitudinal striations)

Sang Bai Pi slices (Light, tough, fibrous)

Honey-prepared Sang Bai Pi slices

【Name】

Sang Bai Pi

 【Source】

Classified as a medium-grade herb in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (Classic of Herbal Medicine)

 【Common Usage Level】

B

 【Botanical Origin】

Dried root bark of Morus alba L. or Morus australis Poir. (Mulberry family), with the corky outer layer removed.

 【Characteristics】

Mostly appears as long and twisted plates or trough-shaped with both sides rolled inward. Length, width, and thickness vary, ranging from 1 to 5 mm thick. The outer surface is light yellowish-white or nearly white, with longitudinal cracks and sparse fibers. Sometimes, remnants of incompletely removed orange-yellow cork tissue remain as patches. The inner surface is yellowish-white or grayish-yellow, smooth, with fine longitudinal striations that expose fibers. It is strongly fibrous. It is light in weight, tough in texture, difficult to break, with an uneven and flaky fracture surface, easily delaminating into layers. It is easily torn longitudinally but difficult to separate, with white powder flying out during tearing.
The processed slices are obliquely cut and yellowish-white, with a few having brownish-yellow or reddish-brown spots, which are remnants of the unremoved outer bark. It is light in weight, soft in texture, and particularly strong in fiber. It has a slight beany odor, tastes sweet, slightly bitter, and after prolonged chewing, the fibers form a cluster like silk floss. After being honey-prepared, it turns yellow.

 【Processing】

1. Raw Sang Bai Pi 2. Prepared (Honey-fried) Sang Bai Pi

 【Identification】

“The best mulberry root bark is newly excavated from three feet underground.” – Wai Tai Mi Yao (Secret Essentials from the Imperial Library). “The best mulberry leaves are those that regrow in summer and autumn.” – Zheng Lei Ben Cao (Classified Materia Medica). “Occasionally, there are parasitic growths, which are not as good as mulberry wood with thick qi (vital energy), so it is best to assume the qi of fake mulberry.” – Ben Cao Meng Quan (Introduction to Materia Medica). “The best is the thin skin that is flexible and tough.” – Liang Lie Jian Bie (Identification of Good and Bad).
The best is dry, white in color, thick in flesh, soft and tough in texture, without rough bark, and without impurities; it should be sticky when chewed and form silk-like clumps.

 【Category】

Bark category