ABSTRACT
By reviewing ancient materia medica， medical books and modern literature， this paper conducted a systematic research on name， origin， scientific name evolution， producing area， quality， harvesting and processing methods of Alpiniae Officinarum Rhizoma. The results showed that Alpiniae Officinarum Rhizoma was first published in Mingyi Bielu， and its correct name was Gaoliangjiang. The mainstream origin of Alpiniae Officinarum Rhizoma used in the past dynasties is Alpinia officinarum， which is used to this day， while it used to be mixed with A. galanga because of the similar name and morphology. Alpiniae Officinarum Rhizoma produced in Danzhou and Leizhou was considered to be better in ancient times， and now it mainly produced in Guangdong， Guangxi and Hainan provinces. In addition， it has been concluded that Alpiniae Officinarum Rhizoma with reddish brown， sturdy and firm character， wrinkled skin， convex flesh， aromatic and spicy taste， and few branches is the best. In ancient times， Alpiniae Officinarum Rhizoma was commonly harvested in February and March， whereas it generally harvested in late summer or early autumn at present， and wild products are usually harvested before the rainy season in May. The main processing methods of Alpiniae Officinarum Rhizoma are cleansing and cutting， and some other methods are stir-frying or mixing with auxiliary materials. Based on the research results， it is suggested that the raw products of A. officinarum rhizomes or its processed products according to prescription requirements should be used in the development of famous classical formulas containing Alpiniae Officinarum Rhizoma.
ABSTRACT
<b>Objective::To explore the feasibility of Photoshop image processing software in the micro-spherical diameter measurement and identification of medicinal materials, in order to provide a new method for the measurement and mapping of traditional Chinese medicine. <b>Method::Photoshop (CS3 version and above) software was used to measure the diameter of 200 Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma albumin microspheres in the same batch, digital microscopy and Photoshop image processing software was used to draw schematic diagrams of microstructures of Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma medicinal powders and its four common pseudo-products and powders, namely Bletillae Radix, Alpiniae Officinarum Rhizoma, Curcumae Longae Rhizoma and <italic>Manihot esculenta,</italic> and make the identification table for classification and identification. <b>Result::The average diameter of the microspheres was (30.62±4.21)μm, and the diameter was mainly distributed in 20-40 μm. The average diameter of the microspheres was verified by laser particle size analyzer (30.18±4.67)μm. The differences between the two methods were not statistically significant. There were many starch granules in Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma powder, with no calcium oxalate needle, oil cell, brown pigment and stone cell. Microscopic identification could be made for Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma powder and 4 common counterfeits. <b>Conclusion::Photoshop image processing software measures the diameter of the microspheres with a high speed, high accuracy, simplicity, and low requirements for measuring instruments. It provides a new way to quickly measure the diameter of microspheres. Photoshop image processing software draws a schematic diagram of the microstructure, which is convenient and faster. The original morphology of the ground-reactive microstructure provides a new method for the microstructural drawing.
ABSTRACT
Alpinia officinarum is a medicinal plant and food. Its dried rhizome has been widely used for the relief of symptoms such as stomach aches, colds, ulcer and diarrhea for hundreds of years. Recent pharmacological studies showed it has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, antidiabetic, anti-ulcer, anti-diarrhea, antiemetic, analgesia, anticoagulation, antitumor and antivitiligo effects. In this study, we summarized the current knowledge about its botanical resources, ethanopharmacological function, chemical constituents, pharmacologies and pharmacokinetics, safety and toxicity, and clinical application.