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How to Identify True and False Gastrodia? A Detailed Guide to Practical Identification Methods

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Gastrodia is a precious Chinese medicinal herb. With the gradual shortage of wild Gastrodia resources, Gastrodia has been listed as a nationally protected third-class endangered plant. In recent years, although artificial cultivation of Gastrodia has progressed rapidly, due to large demand, market shortages, and firm prices, some lawbreakers have taken the opportunity to pass off fakes as genuine. For this reason, the methods for identifying true and false Gastrodia are introduced as follows: 1. True Gastrodia. It has eight major characteristics: (1) The underground tuber is ovate or elliptical; after processing, steaming, and drying, it usually appears as a long ellipse, slightly flat, sometimes curved,

Gastrodia is a precious Chinese medicinal herb. With the gradual shortage of wild Gastrodia resources, Gastrodia has been listed as a nationally protected third-class endangered plant. In recent years, although artificial cultivation of Gastrodia has progressed rapidly, due to large demand, market shortages, and firm prices, some lawbreakers have taken the opportunity to pass off fakes as genuine. For this reason, the methods for identifying true and false Gastrodia are introduced as follows:

1. True Gastrodia. It has eight major characteristics: (1) The underground tuber is ovate or elliptical; after processing, steaming, and drying, it usually appears as a long ellipse, slightly flat, sometimes curved, 5-12 cm long, 2-6 cm wide, and 0.5-5 cm thick. (2) It is slightly transparent, and the surface is yellowish-white or pale yellowish-brown. (3) At the top there is a dried bud scale (commonly known as the "parrot beak") or a remaining sunken stem base. (4) At the lower end there is a round navel-shaped scar formed after detachment from the mother tuber (commonly known as the "belly button"). (5) The whole body has longitudinal wrinkles and grooves, and ring patterns composed of multiple rows of spots. (6) The texture is hard, not easy to break, and the cross-section is smooth, yellow-white or light brown. (7) It is horny, non-fibrous, and unbranched. (8) The taste is slightly bitter and sweet, and when chewed it is crisp and sticks to the teeth.

2. False Gastrodia. In the market, the following counterfeit products are used to pass off as Gastrodia: (1) Yangjiao Gastrodia tuber: a plant of the Asteraceae family; the surface of this product has obvious ring-shaped fibrous root marks, but it is not wrinkled, and the cross-section is powdery white and hollow. (2) Potato tuber: that is, the dried tuber of the potato, a plant of the Solanaceae family; this product also has no bud marks or rings, and after drying it has fine cracks. (3) Four o'clock root: the tuberous root of Mirabilis jalapa, a plant of the Nyctaginaceae family; this product is long conical, the root fibrous marks are sunken and appear as small holes, with no rings, and the cross-section has concentric ring patterns. (4) Dahlia root: the tuberous root of dahlia, a plant of the Asteraceae family; the shape and size are similar to Gastrodia, but it has no rings, and after drying thoroughly it often has fine cracks, and the cross-section is powdery and opaque.

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