Identification & Quality Standard
Herba Asari
Botanical Origin
The dried root and rhizome of Asarum heterotropoide s Fr. Schmidt var. mandshuricum (Maxim.) Kitag., Asarum sieboldii Miq., Asarum sieboldii Miq.var. seoulense Nakai.(Aristolochiaceae)
Production Regions
Primarily produced in northeastern China and Jiangsu, Hubei.
Quality Requirements
Superior medicinal material has grayish-yellow root, green leaf, dry, acrid and spicy taste and numbing tongue.
Macroscopic Features
Asarum heterotropoides : Often bundled in groups of 10 or more, often rolled into a cluster. Rhizome grows horizontally, irregular cylindrical, with short branches, 1~10cm long, 0.2~0.4cm diameter; externally grayish-brown, rough, with ring-like nodes, internode is 0.9~0.3cm long, apex of branch has bow-like stem scars. Root is thin and long, densely grows on nodes, 10~20cm long, 1mm diameter, externally grayish-yellow, smooth or with longitudinal wrinkles, brittle texture and easily broken, yellowish-white fractured surface, 1~3 leaves grow out from the base, with long stem, surface is smooth, often broken, heart-shape to kidney-shape after being flattened, 4~10cm long entire leaves, apex is shortly pointed or blunt, base is heart-shape, externally pale green. Some has flower and fruit, flower is often wrinkled, bell-like, dark purple, perianth lobe rolls over and entirely adheres to perianth tube. Fruit is semi-spherical. Acrid aromatic odor, acrid, spicy taste and numbing to the tongue. Asarum sieboldii Miq.: similar to Asarum heterotropoides , rhizome is 5~20cm long, 0.1~0.2cm diameter, internode is 0.2~1cm long. 1~2 leaves grow out from the base, leaf is relatively thin, heart-shaped, apex is gradually pointed. Flattened perianth lobe. Fruit is sub-spherical. Relatively weak odor and taste. Asarum sieboldii Miq.var. seoulense Nakai.: rhizome is 1~10cm long, 0.1~0.5cm diameter, internode is 0.1~1cm long, same odor and taste as Asarum heterotropoides .
