Identification & Quality Standard
Galla Chinensis
Botanical Origin
The gallnut created on the tree Rhus chinensis Mill., Rhus potaninii Maxim., Rhus pun-jabensis Stew. var. sinica (Diels) Rehd. et Wils.(Anacardiaceae), by the parasitic Chinese sumac aphid Melaphis chinensis (Bell) Baker. Harvested in autumn, boiled briefly in water or steamed until the surface becomes gray to kill the aphids and dried. Differed by different shape into ‘du bei’ and ‘jiao bei’.
Production Regions
Primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou.
Quality Requirements
Superior medicinal material is large, intact, with thick shell, grayish-brown.
Macroscopic Features
Jiao bei: Ridged or oval shape, with irregular horn-like branches, 3~8cm long, 2~5cm diameter. Externally yellow or pale yellowish-brown, with obvious grayish-white soft and smooth short hairs. Hard and brittle texture, hollow after being broken, relatively thin shell, about 0.1~0.2cm, horn-like, inside has numerous dead black-brown aphids and gray powdery secretions. Inner shell is pale brown, smooth. Cut surface is horn-like. Slight distinctive bad odor, astringent taste. Du bei: Long round or fusiform shape, 2.5~9cm long, 1.5~4cm diameter. Externally grayish-brown, with few soft hairs. Hard and brittle texture, easily broken, fractured surface is horn-like, lustrous, shell thickness is about 0.2~0.3cm. Inner shell is smooth, with black-brown dead aphids and gray powdery secretions. Distinctively aromatic odor, astringent taste.
