1、甘 草Radix GlycyrrhizaeEnglish Name Liquorice RootOriginsl Gancao is one of the most commonly used Chinese herbs, and classified as a superior herb in Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing. The Chinese name Gancao means the sweet herb, hence its name.l Since ancient times in China, it has been called the National Ve
2、nerable Master (国老 ) because it has the merit of harmonizing and mollifying drugs in a prescription and eliminating various toxicities.l It is the dried root and rhizome of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. , Glycyrrhiza inflate Bat. Or Glycyrrhiza glabra L. , family Leguminosae.harmonize： 调和 mollify： 缓和
3、Plant MorphologyGlycyrrhiza uralensis: 甘草A perennial herb , 30 100 cm high, covered with white pubescences, glandular scars or glandular hairs throughout. Rhizome cylindrical ; main root relatively long, stout, outer bark reddish-brown to dark brown, taste sweet. pubescences: 软毛，绒毛， 到达青春期； glandular
4、 : 腺体的 l Stem erect, branchelets with ridges. Leaves pinnately compound, alternate, leaflets 7 17, ovate or broadly ovate, entire; stipules deciduous.l Flowers in axillary racemes, dense; calyx campanulate, 5-lobed; corolla papilion-aceous (butterfly-like), purplish-red or bluish-purple; stamens 10,
5、 diadelphous; ovary sessile, tapering upwards to become a style.Plant Morphologybranchlet 羽状的托叶总状花序 花萼 花冠雄蕊子房 花柱l Legume (pod) curved to be sickle-like, densely covered with brown prickly glandular hairs. Seeds 28, black, smooth. Flowering season Jun. Jul. ; fruiting season Jul. Aug.l It is usually
6、grown wild in sunny calcareous grasslands and along the sandy riverbanks, and now also cultivated. Distributed in Northeast China, North China and Northwest China. Legume： 荚果 prickly: 多刺的 calcareous glasslands： 钙质草原 Plant Morphologyl Glycyrrhiza inflate Bat. : Plant without glandular hairs; leaflets
7、 3-7; Legume small, inflated. Distributed in Xinjiang and Gansu.l Glycyrrhiza glabra L.: Plant without glandular hairs; leaflets 19; Legume flat and straight, glabrous. Distributed in Xinjiang, Qinghai and Gansu.Plant MorphologyCollection and Preparation The drug is collected in spring and autumn, r
8、emoved from stems and rootlets, cut into sections (about 1m long), sunned to be 60 70% dried, the roots and the rhizomes being bundled into bales, and then preserved in a ventilated dry place until dried completely. Some of liquorice roots are deprived of the cork. It is called starchy liquorice(粉甘草
9、 ).ventilated: 通风的 bales： 大包，捆 Descriptionl Radix Glycyrrhiza Uralensis: Roots cylindrical. 2100 cm long, 0.6 3.5 cm in diameter. Externally reddish-brown or grayish-brown, showing irregular longitudinal wrinkles and furrows, numerous transverse lenticel-like protrusions and sparse rootlet scars. So
10、metimes the outer bark scaling off, the exposed surface appearing yellow. furrows： 沟纹 sparse： 稀疏的 l Texture compact, fracture fibrous, yellowish-white, starchy, cambium ring distinct, rays radiate, some with clefts. Rhizomes cylindrical, externally with bud scars, pith present in the centre of fract
11、ure. Odour, slight; taste, sweet and characteristic.cleft： 裂隙 ; bud scars： 芽痕 ; pith： 髓Description纤维性的uRadix Glycyrrhizae Inflatae: Roots and rhizomes woody and stout, some branched, the outer bark rough, greyish-brown, Texture compact, more lignified fibres and less starchy, Rhizomes with more and large advantitious buds.uRadix Glyvyrrhizae Glabrae: Texture of root and rhizomes relatively compact, some branched, the outer bark not rough, greyish-brown, lenticels small and indis- tinct. Description木化纤维
