Atractylodes macrocephala, also known as mountain mustard, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family. The rhizome is enlarged into a block and the lower leaves of the stem have long stalks and three deep lobes. The flower heads are terminal and all are tubular flowers. They bloom in autumn and the flowers are purple. Atractylodes is mostly cultivated and its roots are used as medicine. In the medicinal materials market in the old days, the famous Chinese medicinal materials produced in Zhejiang were known as the "Eight Flavors of Zhejiang", among which Fritillaria, Ophiopogon japonicus and Atractylodes Rhizome were produced in Ningbo.
Ningbo area has a long history of cultivating Atractylodes macrocephala. According to Song Baoqing's "Siming Zhi·Fenghua County Chronicle": "Zhangxi Mountain Mustard" is a famous specialty. Later, it was also cultivated in Zhi'ao, Lantian, Hamankeng and other places near Zhangxi. It can be seen that Atractylodes macrocephala has been a specialty for thousands of years. After the 1950s, Fenghua Dong'ao, Xi'ao, Dongjiang, Dongshan, Licun, Waicun, Huixi, Qixiakeng and other villages also cultivated Atractylodes macrocephala. As recorded in the "Fenghua City Chronicle", Atractylodes macrocephala Ganda was produced in 1967. As much as forty tons.
Atractylodes, as a commodity specification in the old days, has seven levels: Fengmian, Taifengwang, Fengwang, Fenggong, Dinggong, Jinggong and Jingjing, all of which belong to the burning technique. In addition, there are also sun-dried ones, which are called raw sun-dried or dong-shu slices. Their specifications are also determined by size. Some are also cut into slices and sold, called dong-shu slices. The specifications are divided into first piece, second piece and third piece.
There are three processes in the cultivation of Atractylodes. The first is to retain the seeds, the second is to sow and cultivate, and the third is to plant and cultivate Atractylodes into commercial products. Atractylodes macrocephala is generally planted during the Grain Rain every year. It is usually raised around the beginning of winter when the weather is fine and the soil is dry. If the soil is raised too early, there will be insufficient nutrients. If the soil is raised too late, new shoots will appear on the body, which will affect the quality.
The processing of Atractylodes macrocephala is quite cumbersome. As far as the burning technique is concerned, the fresh Atractylodes macrocephala must be processed immediately after being removed from the soil, otherwise it will become a delayed burning technique and it will be difficult to dry out the Atractylodes macrocephala. After the fresh vegetables are put in the cage, burn them with strong fire at the beginning. When the steam rises and the skin is heated, reduce the fire power and burn slowly for 5-6 hours. After the fine hair is gone, burn it for another 6 hours. At this time, Atractylodes macrocephala has become half dry. Cut off the remaining stems from the half-dried Atractylodes macrocephala, separate them according to their sizes, and burn them for another 8-12 hours. When they are 70% dry, take them out and stack them for ten days to allow them to recover naturally, and then burn them for the third time according to their sizes. This re-burning will take about 40 hours of continuous burning until it is dry.
Atractylodes macrocephala, as an important traditional Chinese medicinal material, is produced not only in Ningbo, but also in Tiantai and Kuaiji Mountains. But in the old days, they were all concentrated in Ningbo. At that time, there was a Baizhu Gongshuo in Ningbo Medicine Street. The annual market volume of Atractylodes is more than 5 million kilograms. In addition to being sold throughout the country, it is also exported. In addition, the one produced in Yuqian (now Lin'an) is called "Yushu" and is also cultivated in Fujian, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hunan, Sichuan, Guizhou and other places.
Atractylodes macrocephala, whose rhizome is used as medicine, is warm in nature, sweet and bitter in taste, and has the effects of strengthening the spleen and replenishing qi, diluting water and reducing dampness. Mainly used to treat spleen deficiency, diarrhea, edema, phlegm and other symptoms.
English name RHIZOMA ATRACTYLODIS MACROCEPHALAE
Also known as Yushu, Dongshu, Zheshu, Zhongshu
Source: This product is Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. of dry rhizomes. In winter, when the lower leaves turn yellow and the upper leaves become brittle, they are dug, the sediment is removed, dried or sun-dried, and then the fibrous roots are removed.
Preparation method
Atractylodes macrocephala: Take Atractylodes macrocephala slices, stir-fry them with Fulonggan fine powder until the surface becomes earthy, and sift away excess soil. For every 100kg of Atractylodes tablets, use 20kg of Fulonggan fine powder.
Stir-fried Atractylodes: Sprinkle the honey-roasted bran into the hot pot, add Atractylodes slices when smoking, stir-fry until brown and release the burnt aroma, take it out, and sieve out the honey-roasted bran. For every 100kg of Atractylodes rhizome slices, 10kg of bran is roasted with honey.
Characteristics: This product is an irregular, thick mass, 3 to 13cm long and 1.5 to 7cm in diameter. The surface is grayish-yellow or grayish-brown, with knob-like protrusions and intermittent longitudinal wrinkles and grooves, as well as fibrous root marks, and residual stem base and bud marks at the top. The texture is hard and not easy to break, the cross section is uneven, yellowish white to light brown, with scattered brown dotted oil chambers; when dried, the cross section looks like horniness, with a darker color or cracks. It has a refreshing aroma, sweet and slightly pungent taste, and is slightly sticky when chewed.
Identification
(1) The powder of this product is light yellowish brown. Calcium oxalate needle crystals are small, 10-32 μm long, and are irregularly gathered in parenchyma cells, with a few needle crystals up to 4 μm in diameter. The fibers are yellow, mostly in bundles, long spindle-shaped, about 40 μm in diameter, with very thick walls, lignified, and obvious pores and grooves. The stone cells are light yellow, round, polygonal, rectangular or a few spindle-shaped, with a diameter of 37-64 μm. The parenchyma cells contain inulin and have a radial texture on their surface. The duct molecules are short, reticulated and bordered, with diameters up to 48 μm.
(2) Take 2g of this product powder, place it in a stoppered Erlenmeyer flask, add 20ml of ether, shake for 10 minutes, and filter. Take 10 ml of the filtrate and evaporate to dryness, add 10% vanillin sulfuric acid solution, and it will appear purple; take another 1 drop of the filtrate, put it on the filter paper, evaporate to dryness, and spray 1% vanillin sulfuric acid solution, and it will appear pink.
(3) Take 0.5g of this product powder, add 2ml of n-hexane, ultrasonicate for 15 minutes, filter, and use the filtrate as the test solution. Take another 0.5g of the Atractylodes macrocephala control medicinal material and prepare the control medicinal material solution in the same way. According to the thin layer chromatography (Appendix VI B) test, take 10 μl of each of the two newly prepared solutions mentioned above, place them on the same silica gel G thin layer plate, and use petroleum ether (60 ~ 90 ℃) - ethyl acetate (50: 1) As a developing agent, unfold, take out, dry, spray with 5% vanillin sulfuric acid solution, and heat until the spots become clear. In the chromatogram of the test product, spots of the same color appear at the position corresponding to the chromatogram of the reference substance, and there should be a pink main spot (atractylodes ketone).
The nature and flavor are bitter, sweet and warm. Returns to the spleen and stomach meridians.
The main functions are to invigorate the spleen and replenish qi, dry dampness and diuresis, stop sweating, and prevent miscarriage. It is used for spleen deficiency, less food, abdominal distension and diarrhea, phlegm and fluid retention, dizziness and palpitations, edema, spontaneous sweating, and fetal movements. Tubaizhu strengthens the spleen, harmonizes the stomach, and prevents miscarriage. It is used for spleen deficiency, less food, diarrhea, loose stools, and uneasy fetal movements.
Usage and dosage: 6 ~ 12g.
Storage in a cool, dry place to prevent moth.
Excerpt from "Chinese Pharmacopoeia"