Identification & Quality Standard
Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae
Botanical Origin
The dried mature pericarp of Citrus reticulate Blanco an its culticars (Rutaceae).
Production Regions
Primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Sichuan and Chongqing, Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi.
Quality Requirements
Superior medicinal material is intact, large peels that are brightly colored, as well as moist and oil, with a potent acrid aroma and a slightly sweet taste and a bitter after.
Macroscopic Features
Often peeled into numerous pieces that are joined at the base, some with irregular flakes, about 1~4mm thick. Externally orange-red or reddish-brown, with thin wrinkles and intended spotted oil cells; inner surface is pale yellowish-white, rough, with yellowish-white or yellowish-brown stringy vascular bundles. Slightly hard and brittle. faint odor; taste acrid and bitter. Guang chen pi: often with 3 pieces joined at the base, with an consistent shape and even thickness, about 1mm thick. Relatively large oil cells, clearly transparent when examined under the light; relatively soft texture.
