Xie Jin, Wang De-Qun
Department of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University.
Department of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 230032, China.
Zhonghua Yi Shi Za Zhi. 2013 Sep;43(5):262-5.
By investigating the mainstream works of herbal classics of successive ages, it is found that adulteration of Chinese materia medica appeared early in ancient China. The main methods of adulteration was producing fraud medicines in the Northern-Southern Dynasties, fake medicines began to appear in the Tang Dynasty, and status of adulteration of Chinese materia medica ran unchecked since the Ming and Qing Dynasty. By statistics, there were 76 kinds of adulteration varieties before the Republican period. The main varieties were precious drugs, animal drugs and artifacts. Commonly methods used in the process included forging and adulterating, dealing with 11 kinds and 68 kinds respectively. Adulteration probably lead to the result of imposing the changes of the used medicinal parts of Herba Pogostemonis; Radix Aconiti Lateralis prepared by adding salt, Radix Angelica Sinensis processed by wine, and Radix Astragalis seu Hedysaris processed with bee honey. However, the root cause of adulteration in Chinese materia medica was the dissociation of professional physician and pharmacist, resulting in the ignorance of medical practitioners became unable to recognize Chinese materia medica; and the immorality of medicinal merchants. Besides, rating the quality of materia medica based on its producing areas without differentiating the false from the genuine may also contribute to this result passively.
通过考察历代本草主流著作发现，中药材掺假现象在我国古代出现较早。南北朝时期主要以制造假药进行掺假，唐代开始出现伪药，明清以来中药材掺假之风愈演愈烈。据统计，民国以前掺假品种达76种，主要品种为贵重药、动物药及炮制品。掺假过程中常用的方法有伪造和掺杂，分别涉及11种和68种。掺假可能导致广藿香用药部位改变；盐制附子、酒制当归、蜜制黄芪等炮制品种出现掺假。然而，中药材掺假的根源在于职业医生与药师的分离，导致行医者不懂鉴别中药材；以及药商的不道德行为。此外，单纯以产地评定药材质量而不辨真伪，也可能在一定程度上助长了这一现象。
