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[Previous Explanations]
Chijian is produced in the mountain valleys of Chencang and Yong-zhou, and Mount Taishan and Mount Shaoshi. The root （rhizome） shouldbe collected in the third, fourth, and eighth months. Dry the drug in the sun.Mingyi Bielu （Records of Famous Doctors).Tao Hongjing： Chencang is in Fufeng prefecture, Yongzhou.
Ma Zhi： Tianma/rhizoma gastrodiae/tuber of tall gastrodia is producedin Yunzhou and Lizhou, and on Mount Taishan and Mount Laoshan. Theroot should be collected in the fifth month. Dry the drug in the sun. Its leaf is similar to Shaoyao/folium paeoniae/peony leaf, but smaller. In the middle there is a straight stem, sticking upward like an arrow shaft. On top of the stem, it bears fruit which is similar to Xusuizi/semen euphorbiae lathyris/mole weed seed. When the leaf becomes withered, the seed is ripe, and turns yellow. Its tuber has 10 to 20 small tubers attached in the shape of Tianmendong/radix aspagi/root of cochinChinese asparagus. It is in the shape of a cucumber,Hulu/fructus largenarie depressae/fruit of depressed bottle gourd or Laifu/radix raphani/radish root. It can be big or small. The local people eat the fresh drug or steam or boil it to eat as food. Now the product from Yunzhou is of the best quality.
Su Gong： Chijian is a kind of Zhi/ganoderma lucidum seu japonicum/lucid ganoderma. Its stem is red, and similar to an arrow shaft. On top of the stem flowers bloom. The leafis red. Seen from a distance, it looks like a featherred arrow. It blooms in the fourth month. Its seed is similar to that of Kulianzi/fructus meliae azedarach/fruit of chinaberry, and is pentagonal or hexagonal in shape. The heart is similar to four. After being dried in the sun, it withers. The outside and inside of the root and thizome resemble Tianmendong/radix aspagi/root of cochinChinese asparagus very much.But there is no core. Five to six cun from the tuber, there are a dozen small tubers around the big one. They look like Yutou/rhizoma colocasiae escu-lentae/tuber of dasheen, and can be eaten fresh. It seems that there is no record oftaking them when they are dry.
Su Song： Chijian is also produced among the rivers and lakes （inthe south). But it is not good for medical use. Its seedlings are just as Su Gong describes. Shen Nong Bencao Jing （Shen Nongs Great Herbal) says that the root （rhizome) should be collected in the third, fourth and eighth months. It does not mention the seedlings. But, according to modern doc-tors, the seedlings can be collected in the third and fourth months, and the root （rhizome) can be collected between the seventh and eighth months,which is different from what Shen Nong Bencao Jing （Shen Nongs Great Herbal) says. Normally people follow the instructions of the present day.
Some say that Tianma/rhizoma gastrodiae/tuber of tall gastrodia is now produced in the east and west of the Bianjing, Hunan and Huainan areas.In spring, the seedlings begin to sprout in the shape of Shaoyao/folium paeoniae/peony leaf. Then one stem grow upwards to reach three to four chi long in the shape of an arrow shaft. It is blue-red. That is why it is called Chijianzhi （Chi = red, Jian = arrow, Zhi = Zhi/ganoderma lucidum seu japonicum/lucid ganoderma). The stem is empty inside. On the upper half of the stem, there are small and sharp leaves. On top of the stem there appears a spike, from where fiowers bloom and seeds are cultivated.Each seed is as big as a soya bean. Its seed will not fall off until summer,but may sink from the empty stem into the earth. Its root （tuber) looks like that of Huanggua/fructus cucumeris sativi/cucumber, with 10 or 20 small ones attached to it. The big ones can weigh as much as half a jin or five to six liang. Its bark is yellow-white. It is called Longpi, its pulp is called Tianma/rhizoma gastrodiae/tuber of tall gastrodia. It should be collected in the second, third, fifth and eighth months. When it is collected, peel it while it is still fresh. Boil it in water for a while, then dry it in the sun. It is ready for use. People living on Mount Hengshan and Mount Songshan preserve the fresh drug with honey and keep it to serve as fruit. They cherish it very much.