Harvesting
Reasonable harvesting is very important to ensure the quality of herbs and protect the source of medicine. The active ingredients contained in Chinese herbal medicines is the material basis of the role of drugs with disease prevention and treatment, and the quality and quantity of the active ingredients and Chinese herbal medicines harvesting season, time and method has a very close relationship. Therefore, the harvesting of medicinal herbs must master their harvesting standards, harvesting signs, harvesting period, harvesting years and harvesting methods. Harvesting wild herbs must also master their ecological environment and plant morphological characteristics.
(I) plant-based drug harvesting
Theoretically speaking, plant-based medicinal herbs are harvested when the content of active ingredients is the highest. However, so far, most of the active ingredients in the medicinal plants in the growth law has not been fully clarified, but also only according to its knowledge of the law of nutrient accumulation to guide the harvest. Because of the soil, climate, rainfall, terrain, light time and other growth conditions, so the same herb in different areas of the best harvesting period is not the same.
According to the former long-term practical experience, the appropriate harvesting season can be summarized as follows according to the medicinal parts.
1. Most of the herbs are harvested in the pre-flowering period when the plant is fully grown and flourishing or when it has just blossomed. Some only need to cut the above-ground part of the plant, such as peppermint, thorns, motherwort, perilla and so on. If the whole plant with roots is used as medicine, the whole plant is uprooted, such as plantain, dandelion, purple dicotyledon, etc. The same principle applies to the harvesting of lianas whose stems and leaves are also used as medicine, which should be cut at the time of vigorous growth, such as nightshade, lonicera.
2. Leafy leafy herbs are usually collected when the flower buds will open or are in full bloom. At this time, the plant growth is luxuriant, strong medicinal power, the most suitable for harvesting. For example, the lotus leaf is harvested when the lotus flower is in bud or in full bloom, and the quality is the best. Others, such as the big green leaves, mugwort leaves, loquat leaves are also harvested in the flowering or pre-flowering period. Some specific species, such as mulberry leaves must be collected in late fall or early winter after frost.
3. flower class flower harvest, generally in the flower is open. Due to the flowers open in turn, so it is necessary to sub-picked at the right time. If the harvest is too late, the petals fall off and discoloration, odor loss, affecting the quality, such as chrysanthemums, cyclamen, and so on. Some flowers require in bud when picking buds, such as honeysuckle, such as the Chinese barberry; some of the best in the just open picking, such as the moon flower, etc.; and safflower is appropriate in the tubular flower is fully unfolded golden yellow when harvesting. As for the pollen of Pohuang and other medicines, it should be harvested when the flowers are in full bloom.
4. Fruits and seeds of most fruit herbs, when the fruit is ripe or will be ripe when harvested, such as piper betel, wolfberry, aristolochia and so on. A few varieties have special requirements, should be used immature young fruit, such as plums, green skin, Jacksons, and so on. To seed human medicine, if the same fruit sequence of fruit maturity is similar, you can cut the entire fruit sequence, hanging in a dry ventilated place, to wait for all the fruit to mature, and then threshing. If the fruits of the same infructescence are ripening in turn, the ripe fruits should be picked in turn. Some dried fruits fall off soon after ripening, or the husk cracks and the seeds are scattered, such as fennel, cardamom, petunia, etc., it is best to harvest them at the right time when they begin to ripen. Easily deteriorated berries, such as wolfberry, chasteberry, etc., in slightly ripe in the early morning or evening harvest is good.
5. Roots and rhizomes of ancient experience to the lunar calendar in February and August for the best, that the early spring “Zunrun began to bud, not full of branches and leaves, the power of Jun thick”, “to the autumn branches and leaves dry up, Zunrun return to the flow of the next”, and pointed out that “the spring is good for the early, autumn is good for the late”, this understanding is a good idea. Late”, this understanding is very correct. Early spring in February, the new buds have not sprung; late fall, most of the above-ground part of the plant stops growing, its nutrients are stored in the underground part of the active ingredient content is high, at this time of harvesting quality, high yield, such as Tianma, Cangzhu, Pueraria Mirifica, Platycodon grandiflorus, rhubarb, bamboo and so on. Tianma in the winter to the following year before the Qingming stem seedlings are not out of the name of the harvest, “winter hemp”, the body firm color bright, better quality, the spring stem seedlings out of the ground and then pick the name of the “spring hemp”, the body light color dark, poor quality. In addition, there are a few exceptions, such as half-summer, Yanhusuo and other summer harvest is appropriate.
6. Bark and root bark is usually in the Qingming to the summer solstice (i.e., spring and summer) to peel the bark. At this time, plant growth is vigorous, not only better quality, and trees within the branches and trunks of the sap, the formation of the layer of rapid cell division, the bark is easy to peel, such as phellodendron, thick Park, Duchess; but cinnamon more harvested in October, so the oil is more easy to peel. Woody plants have a long growth cycle, and simple methods such as felling trees for bark should be avoided as much as possible to protect the source of medicine. As for the root bark, it is similar to roots and rhizomes, and should be collected in the fall before the seedlings wither, or sprout in early spring, such as peony bark, ground bone bark, neem root bark.
(II) Harvesting of animal drugs
The harvesting of animal drugs is based on the principle of ensuring the efficacy and easy access. Due to different species, harvesting is different. For example, cuttlebone should be collected in the fall to the following spring, when the eggs have not hatched; donkey skin should be peeled after the winter solstice, the skin is thick and good quality; small insects, etc., should be captured in the number of more active period.
(III) the harvesting of mineral drugs
Most of the mineral herbs can be harvested at any time, can also be collected at the same time with the mining.
