Star Anise
There are counterfeits made with narrow leaf fennel, red fennel, short-stem star anise, wild star anise, and toxic seeds of Ma She.
Tianma
There are genuine products that have been juiced or have iron blocks inserted to increase weight; there are also counterfeits made with plant powder or molded with Dali chrysanthemum roots, purple jasmine roots, pollen, banana taro roots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.
Chinese Yam
Counterfeits are made with plant starch; there are also counterfeits made with sweet potatoes, cassava, Chinese yam, and Dioscorea cirrhosa.
Morinda Root
There are counterfeits made with Tiger Thorn, Chinese Liana, Double Flower Morinda, Three Leaf Clematis, and Jian Morinda.
Sanqi
There are genuine products that have been hollowed out and filled with lead nails, iron shavings, and other impurities to increase weight; there are also counterfeits made with plant powder or molded with E Zhu, Vine Sanqi, steamed and dried false ginger.
Fritillaria Bulb
There are counterfeits made with flour; there are also counterfeits made with Old Crow's Beak, Tu Beimu, Lijiang Mountain Ginger Lily, One Round Fritillary, and Coix Seed.
Polygonum Cuspidatum
The counterfeits are usually branches and rhizomes of unknown plants without powder, and they have no fragrance or cool feeling.
Safflower
There are counterfeits made with corn silk to imitate saffron; there are also counterfeits made with Sichuan safflower blended with heavy metal powder to increase weight.
Longan Flesh
There are genuine products that have been mixed with brown sugar, lychee flesh, and sand to increase weight; there are also complete counterfeits or counterfeits made with some Chinese bayberry, tomato skin, and unknown fruit flesh.
In addition, there are counterfeits made with red Eucommia ulmoides mixed as Du Zhong;
counterfeits made with jujube stone mixed as Shi Hu;
counterfeits made with nutmeg seed mixed as Sha Ren;
counterfeits made with honeysuckle leaves mixed as Jin Yin Hua;
counterfeits made with false cardamom (its seeds are dry, shriveled, and black, not like spider eggs) mixed as Cao Dou Kou;
counterfeits made with big Heterosmilax mixed as Cang Er;
counterfeits made with walnut tree bark mixed as Qin Pi;
counterfeits made with Guangganpi mixed as Chen Pi (Guanganpi is not used in medicine and lacks scientific basis);
counterfeits made with red Qinjiao, black Qinjiao, and Qinjiao leaves mixed as Qinjiao;
counterfeits made with Japanese knotweed mixed as Di Yu;
counterfeits made with wood bugbane mixed as Guang Fang Ji and Fen Fang Ji;
counterfeits made with sea turtle shell mixed as Bie Jia;
counterfeits made with Eryngium foetidum mixed as Bai Tou Weng;
counterfeits made with Pycnostachys urticifolia (White Gu Zi) mixed as Bu Gu Zhi;
counterfeits made with 24 different varieties such as sea turtle, water turtle, land turtle, etc., pretending to be turtle shell;
counterfeits made by inserting lead nails into bone plugs to increase weight, and also counterfeits made with goat horn and Tibetan antelope horn pretending to be antelope horn;
counterfeits made with rotten ship boards pretending to be agarwood;
counterfeits made with water yellow bark pretending to be yellow bark;
counterfeits made with dead silkworm pretending to be dead silkworm;
counterfeits made by removing juice from genuine products or by using rat skin and hair, asphalt for casting the shell, bone powder and egg white mixture, mechanically pressed and filled to create counterfeit deer antler;
counterfeits made with Hua Shan ginseng, small Bletilla, Balloon Flower Root, Bai Zhi, wild cowpea, and mountain lettuce pretending to be ginseng;
currently there are also counterfeit products packaged in plastic bags, labeled as "fresh ginseng", which are actually genuine ginseng without medicinal effects and sold at a cheap price. Consumers should pay attention to identification when purchasing.
