What is the latest market price of Polygala tenuifolia root per jin?
Polygala tenuifolia root, also known as thin grass, chick leg, chick eye, small grass root, etc., is the dried root of the Polygalaceae plant Polygala tenuifolia or Polygala sibirica, and is a common bulk Chinese medicinal herb. It is bitter and pungent in taste, warm in nature, and enters the heart, kidney, and lung meridians. It has the effects of calming the mind and boosting intelligence, eliminating phlegm and reducing swelling. Let us take a look at the market price of Polygala tenuifolia root below!
Market price of Polygala tenuifolia root
The market price of ordinary grade Polygala tenuifolia tube is about 55 yuan/kg, the price of Polygala tenuifolia flesh is about 50-60 yuan/kg, the price of whole Polygala tenuifolia is 30-35 yuan/kg, and the price of first-grade Polygala tenuifolia tube is 130 yuan-140 yuan/kg.
Medicinal grades of Polygala tenuifolia root
1. Polygala tenuifolia flesh: dried goods, mostly broken and fragmented fleshy root bark, with a brownish-yellow or grayish-yellow surface, transverse wrinkles all over, and bark of varying thickness. Brittle in texture, easily broken, with a yellowish-white fracture surface. Special odor, bitter and slightly pungent taste, free of reed stems, woody cores, fibrous roots, impurities, insect damage, and mildew.
2. Polygala tenuifolia tube
① First grade: dried goods, tubular in shape, hollow inside, with a light brown or grayish-yellow surface, relatively deep transverse wrinkles all over, fine bark and thick flesh, brittle in texture, easily broken, with a yellowish-white fracture surface, special odor, bitter and slightly pungent taste, 7 cm long, central diameter more than 0.5 cm, free of woody cores, impurities, insect damage, and mildew.
② Second grade: the distinguishing features from first grade are a length of 5 cm and a central diameter of more than 0.3 cm.
Identification methods for Polygala tenuifolia root
1. Macroscopic identification: Polygala tenuifolia root is cylindrical, slightly curved, 3-15 cm long, 3-8 mm in diameter, with a grayish-yellow to grayish-brown surface, relatively dense and deeply sunken transverse wrinkles, longitudinal wrinkles and cracks. The transverse wrinkles of old roots are denser and more deeply sunken, slightly nodular, hard and brittle in texture, easily broken, with a brownish-yellow bark and a yellowish-white wood, and the bark is easily separated from the wood. Slight odor, bitter and slightly pungent taste, with a throat-pricking sensation when chewed.
2. Microscopic identification: the transverse section of Polygala tenuifolia root shows more than 10 rows of cork cells, the cortex consists of more than 20 rows of parenchyma cells with tangential fissures, the phloem is relatively broad and often shows radial fissures, the cambium forms a ring, the xylem is well developed and all lignified, and the rays are 1-3 cells wide. Most parenchyma cells contain fatty oil droplets, and some contain calcium oxalate cluster crystals and prismatic crystals.
3. Physicochemical identification: take about 0.5 g of Polygala tenuifolia root powder, place it in a stoppered test tube, add 10 mL of hot water, keep warm for 10 minutes, then shake vigorously for 1 minute, producing persistent foam that does not disappear within 10 minutes.