Identification & Quality Standard
Rhizoma Coptidis
Botanical Origin
The dried root of Coptis chinensis Franch.(Ranunculaceae).
Production Regions
Primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Chongqing, Hubei, Shaanxi, Gansu.
Quality Requirements
Superior medicinal material has thick and strong pieces, firm texture, no remnants of stem and rootlets.
Macroscopic Features
Wei lian: Gather in a cluster, often curved, like a chicken claw, 3~6cm long, 0.3~0.8cm diameter. Externally rough, with irregular nodular projections, with rootlets and remnants of rootlets. Internode has smooth stem-like surface. Upper portion often remains brown scales; apex often has remnants of stem or leaf stem. Externally grayish-yellow or yellowish-brown. Hard texture, fractured surface is not smooth, cortex is orange-red or dark brown, xylem is fresh yellow or orange-yellow, radial arranged, sometimes pith is hollow. faint odor, very bitter taste. Ya lian: singular, slightly cylindrical, ‘silkworm-like’ shaped, slightly curved, 4~8cm long, 0.5~1cm diameter. ‘Cross the bridge’ feature is relatively long. Apex has a few remnants of stem. Superior medicinal material is dry, thick and strong, without rootlets and silkworm-like. Yun lian: curled to hook-like, ‘scorpion tail-like,’ often singular, relatively thin and small. Superior medicinal material is dry, thin, numerous nodes, few rootlets, yellow color.
