PHARMACOGNOSTICAL STUDIES ON THE CHINESE DRUG CI-LAO-YIA——THE BARK OF ARALIA MANDSHURICA RUPR.ET MAXIM.

The root barks of Aralia mandshurica Rupr. et Maxim. and A. elata (Miq.) Seem. are known as "Ci-Lao-Yia" in the indigenous medicine of northeastern China and have long been used as a general tonic. In this paper the pharmacognostical features of the bark of A. mandshurica are described and illustrated. The drug consists mostly of root bark with a few rootlets attached and some barks of the rhizome and of the lower part of stem are also present. The principal microscopical features of the drug are: (1) the secretory canals arranged in 4 to 11 rings occuring only in the cortex and phloem; (2) the crystal-bearing parenchyma cells occuring more abundantly in the cortex than in the phloem; (3) the pericyclic fibres are found only in the barks of rhizome and stem, other sclerenchymatous cells are absent; (4) the crystals mostly in clusters measuring about 20 to 56μ in diameter; (5) the starch grains mostly simple with a few 2 to 4-compound grains measuring about 2 to 9μ in diameter; (6) the rays being 1 to 6 cells wide filled with starch grains and amorphous resin-like substance. Fluorescent analysis and chemical tests have been made. The percentage contents of the water, total ashes, water and alcohol extractives of the drug have also been determined.