This product is the dried tuber of Gastrodia elata in Orchidaceae. It is oval or strip-shaped, slightly flat, shriveled and slightly curved, with a length of 3 ~ 1.5~2cm, a width of 1.5 ~ 6 cm and a thickness of 0.5~2cm. The surface is yellowish white to yellowish brown. There are many rounds of transverse ring patterns, longitudinal wrinkles and latent buds arranged.

I. Identification:

(1) Gastrodia elata has reddish-brown to brown parrot beak bud or stalk base at the top, and a round umbilical mark at the other end.

(2) Hard texture, not easy to break, flat cross section, yellowish white to light brown, horny, slightly smelly and sweet.

(3) Gastrodia elata has irregular wrinkles and is translucent, and multiple rounds of connections can be seen.

Second, identification of counterfeits: Gastrodia elata has many counterfeits, such as:

(1) Mirabilis jalapa root: rectangular and conical, slightly curved, partially branched, hard and not easily broken, with uneven cross section, light taste and prickly throat.

(2) Dali flower (chrysanthemum) root: long spindle shape, slightly curved, some have been squashed, some have been cut into two petals, the surface is grayish white or grayish white, yellowish brown without peeling, hard, not easy to break, the cross section is grayish white, smelly and light.

(3) The grass roots of Eriocheir sinensis: rectangular or round, and some have been squashed. The surface is grayish brown, translucent, brown without peeling, with obvious connection, irregular grooves or wrinkles, and fibrous root marks. Hard, not easy to break, semi-horny, grayish white or yellowish white, odorless and slightly sweet.

(4) Potato: oval, squashed, with yellow-white or yellowish brown surface, smooth, longitudinal wrinkles and shallow grooves, no circular scar at the bottom, hard and not easy to break, flat cross section, odorless and light taste.

(5) Others: there are red roots and pokeweed roots (toxic), which are somewhat similar in appearance, but you can find the difference after careful inspection. For example, the section of red root is flat and silty. The skin of Phytolacca acinosa is rough and the tongue is numb after long-term chewing.