Winterworm Summergrass is a precious Chinese medicinal herb, but there are many counterfeits, and one of the more common counterfeits is the Eucommia ulmoides. Eucommia ulmoides and Winterworm Summergrass have very similar shapes, and their growth processes are the same, but the fungi that invade the larvae are different. The fungus that invades Winterworm Summergrass is Cordyceps, while the fungus that invades Eucommia ulmoides is Eucommia ulmoides. Although they look similar, their properties are completely different, and long-term consumption of counterfeit Winterworm Summergrass can easily cause dizziness, vomiting, palpitations, and other side effects. To facilitate identification, the following is an introduction to their physical characteristics and chemical identification:
Physical Characteristics
Winterworm Summergrass: It is 3-5 cm long and 0.3-0.8 cm in diameter. The surface is deep yellow to brown, with 20-30 rings, and the rings near the head are finer and the head is deep red. It has 8 pairs of legs, and the middle 4 pairs are more obvious. The texture is brittle and easy to break, the cross-section is slightly flat, pale yellow, with a dark brown "V" shape in the middle. The sub-base is slender and cylindrical, 4-7 cm long, and about 0.3 cm in diameter. The surface is dark brown to brownish-brown with fine longitudinal wrinkles. The base is thick, the middle is fine, and the upper part is slightly swollen. It has a tough texture and a yellow-white cross-section. It has a slight fishy smell and a slightly bitter taste.
Eucommia ulmoides: It is 3-5 cm long and 0.3-0.6 cm in diameter. The surface is yellow-brown to brownish-brown, with a few black-brown spots scattered, and 20-30 pairs of rings, with finer rings near the head. The head is reddish-brown and shiny, and it has 8-11 pairs of legs, with the middle 4 pairs more obvious. It has a tough texture and is not easy to break. The cross-section is slightly flat, pale yellow-white, and does not have the "V" shape structure. The sub-base is slender and cylindrical, most of them do not branch, and there are often bract-like protrusions (1 to several) on the stem, forming several nodal structures. Some sub-bases have 2-4 branches at the stem. The sub-base is 2-7 cm long and 1.5-3.0 mm in diameter. The surface is black-brown, sometimes purple-brown at the lower part, and yellow-brown at the base. It has fine wrinkles and a slightly swollen upper part. It has a soft and tough texture, with a black-brown outer layer and a white-like middle layer. It has a fishy smell and a slightly bitter taste.
Chemical Identification
Winterworm Summergrass and Eucommia ulmoides were separately extracted with acid ethanol (1:7), and then 1 ml of the solution was taken and observed under a fluorescent lamp (365 nm). The genuine solution showed a light blue fluorescence, while the counterfeit solution showed a yellow-green fluorescence. One milliliter of the water infusion of both was taken and observed under a fluorescent lamp (365 nm). The genuine solution showed a yellow-blue fluorescence, while the counterfeit solution showed a light yellow-green fluorescence.
