How to harvest and process Gastrodia elata? A detailed guide to the methods

(1) Harvesting Gastrodia elata should be done during the dormant period. For winter planting, harvest in the second winter (November) or the third spring. For spring planting, harvest in the same winter or the following spring. When harvesting, carefully scrape away the topsoil, taking care not to damage the "medicinal mouth" or tubers. Once the fungal wood is exposed, remove the fungal wood first, then take out the Gastrodia elata, and store the commercial tubers, seed tubers, and small tubers separately. Seed tubers are kept for planting, small tubers continue to be cultivated, and commercial tubers are processed for medicinal use.

(2) Processing The harvested arrow-shaped tubers and large white tubers should be processed promptly. During processing, first wash off the soil, then use rice husks or straw with a small amount of water to repeatedly rub off the scales, coarse skin, and black marks on the tubers, and finally rinse clean with water. Grade them by size into large, medium, and small, and steam them in a steamer. Large ones (over 150 grams) are steamed for 1 hour, medium ones (100-150 grams) for about 40 minutes, and small ones (around 80 grams) for about half an hour, until thoroughly steamed with no white core. After steaming, remove and place in 1.5% alum water to cool, then sun-dry or oven-dry. When oven-drying, the heat should not be too high; the temperature should initially be 70-80°C, and after drying for 2-3 hours, lower it to 50-60°C. During oven-drying, turn them frequently. Larger Gastrodia elata should be pierced with a bamboo needle to allow internal moisture to escape. When half-dry, the tubers become soft and flatten when pressed; stop the heat and let them sweat. After the tubers absorb moisture again, dry them at 50-60°C until completely dry. Sun-drying takes too long and is rarely used. Store in a ventilated, dry place.