Source
The tuber of Alisma orientale (Sam.) Juzepcz (Fam. Alismataceae).

Distribution
Mainly in Chinese proviuces such as Fujian, Sichuan and Jiangxi.

Harvest & Processing
Dig out tubers in winter; remove leaves and fibrous roots, and shave off cork; wash tubers clean; dry by heat. Alternatively, put tubers in a bamboo basket to remove fibrous roots and cork; dry under the sun.

Description
Subspherical, ellipsoid (elliptical in long-section and circular in cross-section) or obovoid (inverse egg-shaped); 2-7 cm long, 2-6 cm in diameter; outer surface yellowish-white or pale yellowishbrown. For tubers with cork remnants, outer surface pale brown and marked with irregular, shallow transverse annulations and numerous small, protuberant scars of fibrous roots; both annulations and scars especially dense at the bottom. Hard and solid; when broken, surface yellowish-white, starchy, poriferous (with numerous pores). Odour: faint; taste: slightly bitter.

Indications
1. Nephritic oedema, pyelitis, dysuria
2. Enteritis, diarrhoea

Chemical Composition
Mainly contains triterpenes such as alisol A, B, C.

Photos