Lanceolate Dichotomous Starwort Root

Primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia.

Cylindrical, occasionally has branches, 15~40cm long, 0.5~2.5cm diameter. Externally pale brownish-yellow to pale brown, with curved longitudinal wrinkles and lateral root scar, often with a hole-like or disc-like depression, small sand grains in brown cracks at broken "sand eye," root head is slightly enlarged, with dense verrucous remnants of buds, stems or rhizomes. Hard and brittle texture, easily broken, uneven fractured surface, relatively loose, with cracks, cortex is very thin, xylem has yellow and white alternating radial striations. faint odor, sweet taste. Cultivated pieces have branches, lower portion often curved, 0.3~1.2cm diameter. Externally pale brownish-yellow or pale yellowish-brown, obvious longitudinal wrinkles, thin lateral root scars often appear as spotted depressions. Root head has numerous verruca. Almost has no sand eye. Fractured surface is relatively tight and dense, almost no cracks, slightly powdery, xylem has unobvious radial striations. Slightly sweet taste.

Superior medicinal material has evenly long root, ‘pearl disc’ at the apex, pale yellow externally, yellowish-white fractured surface.

Sweet, slightly cold.

Clears heat, cools blood. Apply to steaming bone, chronic malaria with yin deficiency, infantile malnutrition and emaciated.

'Pearl disc’: This refers to numerous remnants of stem bases and dense sprouts that form verruvous protrusions at the head of root medicinal, creating a shape similar to inlaid discs of pearls. ‘Sand eye’: this refers to spots of rootlet scars that present as numerous round indented holes on the surface of root and rhizome medicinal materials.