Selecting Ingredients
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The skill required to make the necessary purchases depends on the ingredients used
Size Some ingredients are rare in large sizes, the environmental conditions in which they grow and species in question being important factors, resulting in relatively high prices. Examples include bird’s nests, caterpillar fungus, ginseng etc. However, not all ingredients are better the larger the size, pilose antlers and pearl shells (珠貝) being prime examples.
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Sheen (油光) Some ingredients such as selected cassia powder, hashima, dong quai (Angelica sinensis), Radix Astragali (黃耆) etc, have their own sheen which indicates a high level of nutrients, but other ingredients such as bird’s nests, pilose antlers and pearl shells should not have a sheen
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Texture In the case of most ingredients a fine texture indicates they are fully grown and have not been excessively exposed to fertilizer. Examples include ginseng, pilose antlers, dong quai (Angelica sinensis), Radix Astragali, Chinese dates etc. However, ingredients such ird’s nests, cinnamon etc do not have a fine texture.
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Weight Most ingredients are light to the touch which indicates their quality and are reasonably priced, including caterpillar fungus, bird’s nests, transplanted or woods grown ginseng, hashima, saffron (紅花) etc. However, some ingredients such as ginseng and dong quai (Angelica sinensis) etc. require a fuller feel in the hand.
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Color The even and bright color of certain medicinal herbs is an indication of quality, examples including ginseng and pilose antlers. However, in some instances if the color is too even or bright that can raise questions about the herbs being artificial, examples include bird’s nests, saffron, wolfberries etc.
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Dryness For most medicinal herbs a high degree of dryness indicates quality and are reasonably priced, including caterpillar fungus, pilose antlers, hashima, pearl shells etc. However, ingredients such as dong quai (Angelica sinensis), wolfberries, Chinese dates etc do not need to be dry.
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