BOTANICAL AND PHARMACOGNOSTICAL STUDIES OF THE CHENESE DRUG HUANG-CH'I——Ⅰ.IDENTIFICATION OF THE BOTANICAL ORIGINS AND REVIEW OF THE ANCIENT HERBALS

Huang-ch'i is one of the famous drug frequently used in the Chinese medicine. In recent years, many substitutes and adulterants for this drug have been found in the market, and the botanic origin of the genuine drug Huang-ch'i still remains unclear both in herbals and in recent literatures. Since 1956 the anthors have collected 115 specimens of Huang-ch'i from 48 different habitats belonging to 17 provinces and autonomous regions in China, the original plants of the main sources of commercial Huang-ch'i are identified as in the following table. Besides the plant A. membranaceus Bge. and its variety, var. mongholicus (Bge.) Hsiao, roots of 4 other species: A. chrysopterus Bge., A. tongolensis Ulbr., A. maowenensis Hsiao, Mss. and A. floridus Benth. are also sold in smaller amount in the market under the same name "Huang-ch'i". Futhermore, the roots of 14 other species of plant, viz. Medicago sativa L., Melilotus suaveolens Ledeb., M. albus Desr., Glycyrrhiza pallidiflora Maxim., Oxytropis caerulea (Pall.) DC., O. glabra DC., Caragana sinica (Buchoz) Rehd., Astragalus przewalskii Bge., A. complanatus R. Br., Dunbaria villosa Makino, Vicia gigantea Bge., Malva rotundifolia L., M. verticillata L. and Althaea officinalis L. are found to be substitutes or adulterants of the genuine Huang-ch'i. Some taxonomical revisions are also made in this paper, as a species Astragalus maowenensis Hsiao, Mss. has been found, A. mongholicus Bge. is reduced as a variety of A. membranaceus Bge., and a new form A. membranaceus Bge. f. pallidipurpureus Hsiao is described. An analytical key for the 22 species of plants stated above is given. In addition to the discriptions, 6 botanical drawings are also presented.