Huanglian is a commonly used Chinese medicine, first recorded in the "Shennong Bencao Jing" and classified as a top-grade medicine. It is named Huanglian because its rhizome is yellow and shaped like a string of beads. There are three types of Huanglian: Weilian, Yalian, and Yunlian. Weilian and Yalian are mainly produced in Sichuan, while Yunlian is mainly produced in Yunnan.
【Identification Points】：
1. Weilian: Most of the medicinal materials are clustered together, often curved, resembling chicken claws, commonly known as "Jizhua Lian". Its single branch rhizome is 3-6 centimeters long and 0.3-0.8 centimeters in diameter. The surface is rough with irregular nodules and has adventitious roots and remnants of adventitious roots. The internodes are smooth like stems, commonly known as "Guoqiao". The upper part often retains brown scale leaves, and the top usually has remnants of stems or petioles. The surface is grayish-yellow or yellow-brown. It is hard in texture, with irregular fracture surface. The cortex is orange-red or dark brown, and the xylem is bright yellow or orange-yellow, arranged in a radial pattern, and sometimes the pith is hollow. It has a faint odor and an extremely bitter taste.
2. Yalian: Most of the medicinal materials are single branches, slightly cylindrical, resembling "silkworms", slightly curved, 4-8 centimeters long, and 0.5-1 centimeters in diameter. The "Guoqiao" part is longer. There are few remnants at the top. It is considered a good quality if it is sturdy, thick, and without adventitious roots, resembling a silkworm.
3. Yunlian: The medicinal materials are curved and hooked, resembling "scorpion tails", mostly single branches and smaller. The best quality is dry, thin, with many nodes, and few adventitious roots, and it is yellow in color.
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The Yellow Rhizome: A Comprehensive Guide to Huanglian Medicine
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