Identification & Quality Standard
Lycii Cortex
Botanical Origin
The dried root bark of Lycium chinense Mill, or Lycium barbarum L.(Solanaceae).
Production Regions
Primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Ningxia, Gansu, Henan, Hebei.
Quality Requirements
Superior medicinal material is large, thick, without woody core or foreign matter.
Macroscopic Features
Root bark is short and small tube-shaped or grooved, uneven size, often 3~10cm long, 0.6~1.5cm wide, about 3mm thick. Externally grayish-yellow or brownish-yellow, rough, with crossed longitudinal cracks, outer surface easily flakes off. Inner surface is yellowish-white, relatively smooth with thin longitudinal lines. Light and brittle texture, easily broken; fractured surface is not smooth; outer layer is brownish-yellow, inner layer is grayish white. faint odor; slightly sweet taste.
