Knowledge

Herba Dendrobii

Brief Introduction：
Herba Dendrobii is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine. According to ancient medical books “The Divine Farmer's Herb-Root Classic”, Herba Dendrobii has a slightly sweet taste. It has extremely high officinal value. It can nourish the liver, improves sight, nourishes the spleen and stomach. It can be used as medicine.
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Species of Dendrobium nobile, Lindl：

• ​Harba Dendrolii Nobilis
   
• ​Dendrobium chrysotoxum Lindl.
   
• ​Dendrobium fimbriatum Hook
   
• ​Dendrobium hercoglossum Rchb. f.
   
• ​Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo
   
• ​Dendrobium aurantiacum Rchb. f. var. denneanum (Kerr.) Z. H. Tsi
   
• ​Dendrobium devonianum Paxt.
   
• ​Dendrobium huoshanense C. Z. Tang et S. J. Cheng
   

• ​ 【Dragon head Herba Dendrobii】(Dendrobium fimbriatum Hook) - has a shiny surface, appears golden yellow with a hint of green. Has a soft texture, is formed by a lot of interweaving herba dendrobii stems. It has less cellulose fibres but is rich in collagen and has a sweet rich taste with strong aroma.
   
• 【Premium Dendrobium nobile】(Dendrobium devonianum Paxt) - has a shiny surface, appears golden yellow with a hint of green. It is soft but tough, the stems have smaller spirals, with less cellulose fibres but is rich in collagen and has a sweet rich taste with strong aroma.
   
• 【Selected Dendrobium nobile】(Dendrobium devonianum Paxt) - has a shiny surface, appears greenish-yellow. Has a tough and firm texture. The stems are plump and have even shapes, with smaller spirals. Contains more cellulose fibres, is rich in collagen, and has a sweet rich taste.
   
• 【Special Dendrobium nobile】【Selected Cut Dendrobium nobile】【Featured Cut Dendrobium nobile】(Dendrobium devonianum Paxt) - has a shiny surface, appears greenish-yellow. Has a tough and firm texture. The stems are plump and have even shapes, with larger spirals. Contains more cellulose fibres, is rich in collagen, and has a sweet rich taste.
   
• 【First-class Herba Dendrobii】(Dendrobium devonianum Paxt) - has a slightly shiny surface, appears greenish-yellow. Has a loose texture and the stems have various thickness. Contains a certain amount of cellulose fibres and collagen, and has a bland sweet taste.
   
• Special Herba Dendrobii Sticks (Dendrobium aurantiacum Rchb. f. var. denneanum (Kerr.) Z. H. Tsi) - has a slightly shiny surface, appears greenish-yellow. Has a hard texture and the stems are in sections, with various thicknesses. Contains a certain amount of cellulose fibres and collagen, and has a slightly bitter taste.
   
• 【Shiny Herba Dendrobii】(Dendrobium aurantiacum Rchb. f. var. denneanum (Kerr.) Z. H. Tsi) - has a slightly shiny surface, appears brownish-yellow. Has a hard texture and the spirals have various thickness. Contains a certain amount of cellulose fibres and collagen, and has a slightly bitter taste.
   
• Premium Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo (Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo) appears yellowish green to golden green. Faint lines or wrinkles can be seen on the surface. Has a hard texture and the spirals have various thickness, with less cellulose fibres and grass aroma. At the beginning, it tastes slimy and it will become glutinosity after a while.
   
• Special Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo Sticks (Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo)appears yellowish green to golden green. Faint lines or wrinkles can be seen on the surface. Has a hard texture, with less cellulose fibres, the stems are in sections and have various thickness. At the beginning, it tastes slimy and it will become glutinosity after a while.
   

Function：
According to Chinese Pharmacopoeia, Herba Dendrobii can nourish the liver, improves sight, nourishes the spleen and stomach. Suitable for people who have dim sight, aching bones, weak stomach and spleen, and those who are thirsty and who have red tongues.
 

Characteristics：
Sweet, slightly cold in nature.
 

• using the "pieces system" to strictly control the standards, [fulfilling the quality requirement] is guaranteed.
   
• using metal detector for screening, [absolutely no metal contamination] is guaranteed
   

• soak the Herba Dendrobii in water for a while, remove the impurities and wash, then it is ready for cooking.
   
• ​Herba Dendrobii can also be grinded into powder, suitable for adding in hot water as a substitute for tea or adding into soup.
   

Way of storage：
Herba Dendrobii should be stored under good ventilation and avoid sunlight. If planned to store for a longer period, please seal it.
 

Serving suggestions (3-4 persons) :
Make soup with 5 maces Herba Dendrobii, 4 maces American ginseng, 5 maces Thai longan flesh, 5 heart-shape jujubes, 1 catty lean pork. It has a function of nourishing the spleen and promoting vital energy, nourishes the stomach and promote saliva secretion.

Deer antler

Introduction：
Deer antler is the unossified antler of young male spotted deer which belongs to the Cervidae family. It is mainly produced in North-East China and New Zealand, with most of them being artificially bred. The best quality Cornu cervi Parvum are produced in Jilin, China.

Features：
Deer antler has a cylindrical main body, usually with 1 or 2 braches. "Two-branched antlers" are those with 1 branch. "Three-branched antlers", the epidermal is reddish-brown or brown, with a sleek shiny surface. There are a lot of reddish-yellow or brownish-yellow tiny hairs on the surface of the antler, with more hairs on the top and less at the bottom. Between the branches of the antler there is a grey tendon, the skin and hair stick together tightly, with small bee-hive patterns at the cut. There is no skeleton on the outer side. It has a bloody smell, tastes slightly salty. High quality deer antler is thick and perfectly cylindrical, tender with tiny hair, and a beautiful sleek shine. Also, those with a fresh bloody colour at the bottom are better.
 

Function：
Deer antler promotes vital yang energy, nourishes bone marrow and growth of bones and tendons. Suitable for people who are weak, always feeling tired, losing weight, lacking of vital energy and having poor circulation, feel cold easily; it is suitable for people who need to restore health after giving birth, suffering from blood deficiency and who wants a youthful complexion. Perfect medicine for maintaining a healthy body and promote circulation.

Standard：
sweet and salty, warm in nature

Processing method：
an unprocessed deer antler has to be shaved, soaked in wine and sliced. After washing with water, it can be used for cooking. 
 

Way of storage：
Deer antler should be stored under good ventilation and avoid sunlight. If planned to store for a longer period, please seal and put into the refrigerator (0-8˚C).
 

• ​Sliced deer antler is usually classified as top [top antler slice, powdered antler slice], middle [blood antler slice] and bottom. "Powdered antler slice" is the part between [top antler slice] and [blood antler slice].
• ​"Top antler slice" is the very top part of the branch, which is the best part of the whole antler. It is rarer and the most expensive part; it has better function than "powdered antler slice", following by "blood antler slice" and the bottom part.

Serving suggestions：
Make soup with 5 maces deer antler, 3 maces American ginseng, 5 maces Thai longan flesh, 5 heart-shaped jujubes, 2 chicken legs, 1 tsp rice wine. It has the function of revitalizing circulation, promotes growth of tendons and bone marrow.​
 

Deer tail

Introduction：
Deer tail is the dried tail of spotted deer or Asian red deer, and is mainly produced in North-East China and New Zealand. The best deer tails are produced in Hunchun, Jilin province in China. Hunchun deer tail is short and thick with a strong flavour, while New Zealand deer tail is long and flat with a relatively bland flavour.

Features：
Deer tail is short and thick, appears slightly cylindrical with a blunt round tip and a broader end. The cross-section is irregular, and it has a purplish-red or purplish-black. It is smooth and shiny, usually with a few wrinkles, has a hard texture and slightly bloody smell. High quality deer tail is thick, black with shine, hairless and in a whole, and has a special aroma.
 

Function：
Deer tail strengthens the waist and kidneys, promotes growth, helps maintaining health and strengthens physical power. It helps promoting male functions, promotes vital energy, treats physical weakness, strengthens circulation of blood and qi, suitable for people who are suffering from rheumatism and aching bones, weak waist and knees, and for women after giving birth.

Characteristics：
Sweet and salty, warm in nature
 

Standard：
using metal detector for screening, [absolutely no metal contamination] is guaranteed
 

Processing method：
The stitches are removed, and the deer tail is cut into thick slices. After washing with water, it can be used for cooking.

Note: since black and purple food colouring is added to the deer tail during processing, it is normal that the colour fades a little . 

Way of storage：
Please store the deer tail in a refrigerator (0-8˚C).

Serving suggestions (2-3 persons)：
Make soup with deer tail (15g), eucommia (15g), morinda (20g), pilosulae (20g), Henan tam slice (40g) , Ningxia fructus (20g), thai dried longan (20g), dried mandarin peel (1 piece), pig tail (1 piece)。It has the function of revitalizing circulation, promoting growth of tendons and bone marrow.
 

Seahorse

Introduction：
Seahorses are belonging to the genus Hippocampus. Seahorses used for Chinese medicine are with membranes and internal organs removed, and are mainly produced in Thailand.

Features：
Seahorse is in the shape of a curved squared stripe, with a flat top and gets gradually narrower at the bottom and a curled tail. The head is in the shape of a horse's, with a long tube-shaped mouth and sunken eyes. It appears yellowish-white or greyish-brown, with dense horizontal nodes on its body; the edges are jagged, with fins on the back and there are thorns over the body. It has a light body and strong bones which are not easily cracked; it has a fishy smell and is slightly salty. High quality seahorses are large in size and are in wholes.

Function：
Seahorse helps warming the kidneys and promotes yang energy, cures swelling, treats depression and improves circulation of blood and qi. Suitable for treating asthma due to deficiency, scrofula, aching back and legs, boils and swelling.
 

Characteristics：
Salty and sweet, warm in nature.
 

Standard：
using metal detector for screening, [absolutely no metal contamination] is guaranteed.

Processing method：
Cut the seahorse into sections, wash with water, boil with ginger for purification and it can be used for cooking.
 

Way of Storage：
Seahorses should be stored under good ventilation and avoid sunlight. If planned to store for a longer period, please seal and put into the refrigerator (0-8˚C).
 

Other notes：
Seahorses are not horses, but belongs to the genus Hippocampus, and is a very precious Chinese tonic; it has a head similar to that of a horse, body similar to a shrimp with a hunched back, and they live in pairs of males and females. Male seahorses are responsible for pregnancy and parenting, while female seahorses lay eggs into the pouch of male seahorses.​
 

Serving suggestions :
Make soup with 5 maces seahorses, 5 maces Radix Codonopsis Pilosulae, 5 maces Henan Chinese wild yam, 3 maces Ningxia wolfberries, 5 heart-shaped jujubes, 1 small piece of sun-dried tangerine peel, 1 catty lean pork. It has the function of nourishing the kidneys and promoting vital energy, and nurtures the spleen and stomach.