ABSTRACT
This article systematically analyzes the historical evolution of the origin， scientific name， medicinal parts， quality evaluation， harvesting and processing and other aspects of Tsaoko Fructus by consulting ancient materia medica， medical books， prescription books in the past dynasties and combining with the modern literature， so as to provide a basis for the development and utilization of famous classical formulas containing Tsaoko Fructus. According to the research， the name of Caoguo（草果） was first used in the Taiping Huimin Heji Jufang（《太平惠民和剂局方》） in the Northern Song dynasty， Tsaoko Fructus is the correct name of the herbal medicine in all dynasties， and there are also aliases such as Caokou， Doukou， Loukou， Laokou and Caodoukou. The mainstream source of Tsaoko Fructus used in the past dynasties is the dried mature fruit of Amomum tsaoko of Zingiberaceae， but Tsaoko Fructus was often used as a nickname for Amomi Fructus Rotundus or Alpiniae Katsumadai Semen during the Song dynasty. Bencao Pinhui Jingyao（《本草品汇精要》） in the Ming dynasty was the earliest materia medica that recorded Tsaoko Fructus as a separate medicinal herb in sections. Under the influence of early ancient books， there were some books that confused Tsaoko Fructus with other Zingiberaceae plants during the Qing dynasty， it was not until modern times that Tsaoko Fructus was distinguished from other plants. The origin of Tsaoko Fructus is Yunnan and Guangxi， and then gradually expanded to Guizhou and other places. Now Yunnan is the province with the largest planting area of Tsaoko Fructus， and has become the main producing area. Since modern times， it has been recorded in the literature that the quality of Tsaoko Fructus is mainly characterized by large， full， red-brown and strong in smell. According to ancient records， the harvest time of Tsaoko Fructus was in the eighth month of the lunar calendar， and they were mostly used for peeling or simmering. Currently， the harvest period of Tsaoko Fructus is October to November， and then sun-dried or dried after harvesting. The records of the properties and functional indications of Tsaoko Fructus are basically consistent with the ancient and modern documents， which is warm in nature， pungent in flavor， belonging to the spleen and stomach meridians， moderate in dryness and dampness， intercepting malaria and eliminating phlegm， used for internal resistance of cold and dampness， abdominal distension and pain， fullness and vomiting， malaria cold and fever， and plague fever. Based on the research results， it is suggested that A. tsaoko should be used as the medicinal base for the development of famous classical formulas containing Tsaoko Fructus， processing method can be according to the requirements of the prescription， and if the requirements of concoction are not indicated， it can be used in the form of raw products.
ABSTRACT
Tsaoko Fructus is a type of food with the homology of medicine and food，and has a long history of cultivation and application in China. With the deepening of the development and utilization of Tsaoko Fructus，its economic value has appeared obviously，and relevant industries have great potential，with an important role in poverty alleviation in mountainous areas. However，the plants source of Tsaoko Fructus are confused in the process of actual production and resource utilization，and there is a lack of systematic report about the origin of varieties and medicinal history. The paper focused on a textual research for its names，plant sources，changes of the genuine producing areas and traditional efficacy through consulting the herbal works and the analysis of modern literature. The results showed that the medicine of Tsaoko Fructus was first recorded in ancient literatures of the Song dynasty，and there were many aliases and synonyms of the herb， with a great difference between ancient and modern times. In modern records，the medicinal alias names such as Hongcaoguo，Tucaoguo，Caoguoren are similar with the Chinese name of Caoguo，but they are not the same kind of plant and shall be distinguished. In the Ming dynasty，variety and source of the herb was complicated，and it was often recorded as the same class of medicinal materials with Amomi Fructus Rotundus and Alpiniae Katsumadai Semen，until it was listed as a class of medicinal material and distinguished from confounding medicines in the Qing Dynasty. The prescriptions containing Tsaoko Fructus include Caoguoyin，Caoguosan，Caoguowan，Caoguoshushui. Tsaoko Fructus could be used as medicine with peel or only kernel according to different diseases，and mainly processed with water or wine. In addition，there are other processing methods，such as frying，salt-processing， ginger- processing，simmering flour. Ancient literatures have basically the same records on properties，efficacies and indications of Tsaoko Fructus，considering it was warm in nature with the effect in relieving vomiting，eliminating food，intercepting malaria，expelling phlegm. This study provided a theoretical basis for its origin，quality control and resource development and utilization.
ABSTRACT
Qizhu, the dried rhizome of Atractylodes macrocephala in Compositae family, is the representative wild variety of Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma (Baizhu) with modern excellent quality. Through textual research of materia medica works and modern studies, the medication methods between Qizhu and ancient Baizhu were systematically compared. Focusing on seven key issues, this paper systematically summarized the medicinal history, characters, cultivation and other related contents of Qizhu, in order to provide a basis of Qizhu in the recovery and development of its own Daodi-status, and further serve the industrial development of this herb. The name, harvesting time, processing method and other issues had undergone a relatively complicated evolution process. At present, acknowledged points are as following：①The distribution areas of Qizhu include southern areas of the Yangtze River in Anhui province and its surrounding regions. ②Harvesting time is late October. ③Qizhu can be dried in the shade or micro-hot dried after being wrapped with absorbent paper, later it can be divided into two commercial specifications. ④In addition to cutting, there is still a lack of other processing methods. ⑤The superior characters of Qizhu contain white, less oil, fragrant smell and sweet taste and so on. ⑥The history of Qizhu as a genuine medicinal material can be traced back to the Ming dynasty.