Common Turmeric Rhizome

Primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Guangdong, Fujian, Guangxi.

Irregular oval, cylindrical or fusiform, often curved, some with short fork-like branches, 2~5cm long, 1~3cm diameter. Externally dark yellow, rough, with wrinkles and obvious rings, and round scars of branches and scars of rootlets. Firm texture, not easily broken, fractured surface is brownish-yellow to golden yellow, horn-like, with waxy luster; endodermis has obvious rings, with scattered spots of vascular bundles. Distinctive aromatic odor, bitter and acrid taste.

Superior medicinal material has firm texture, golden yellow fractured surface, potent aromatic odor.

Acrid, bitter; warm.

Breaks blood, moves qi, frees menstruation, relieves pain. Apply to thoracic, gastric and costal pain, menostasia, abdominal mass, shoulder and rheumatic arthralgia, injuries and swelling pain from falls.

‘Cicada stomach jiang huang’: This refers to the outer skin of jiang huang medicinal material, which has a fresh yellow color and often has obvious wrinkled ringed joints, creating a shape similar to a cicada’s stomach.