1、 Ancient physicians' discussion on the collection of medicinal materials
Since the timing of harvesting has a direct impact on the quality and curative effect of medicinal materials, since ancient times, Chinese physicians and the people have stressed the importance of the picking season. Sun Simiao of the Tang Dynasty pointed out in his "Thousand Golden Wings prescription": "the husband takes medicine without knowing the time, and does not use it to dry in the dark. Although there is a medicine name, there is no medicine in the end, so he does not harvest it according to the time, which is not different from rotten wood. It is a waste of labor and no benefit from death. ”.

2、

（1） The best harvest time of traditional Chinese Medicine
There are many kinds of Chinese medicinal materials with different medicinal parts, and the best harvesting time is also different. The so-called best harvest time is for the quality of traditional Chinese medicine. The quality of Chinese medicinal materials depends on the content of active ingredients, and is closely related to the place of origin, variety, cultivation technology, and harvest time, season, time, and method. In order to ensure the quality and yield of Chinese medicinal materials, most of them should be harvested in time after they are mature. The maturity of Chinese medicinal materials means that the medicinal parts have reached the medicinal standards and meet the provisions and requirements of the national pharmacopoeia. .
According to the previous experience, combined with the factors affecting the character and quality of medicinal materials and the law of nutrient storage loss during the growth and development of medicinal plants, according to the different medicinal parts of Chinese medicinal materials, the optimal harvesting time of Chinese medicinal materials is summarized as follows.

1. Varieties of Chinese medicinal materials used as medicine with roots and rhizomes
Such traditional Chinese medicines are generally of good quality with strong roots and rhizomes, straight and smooth roots, few forks, and sufficient powder. The harvest season is usually in autumn, winter, or early spring, when their growth stops, the dormancy period of flowers and leaves withers, and before germination in early spring. Most varieties are harvested before germination in spring. Because the medicinal plants are ready to germinate in early spring, and a large amount of nutrients stored in the roots and stems have not yet or just started to decompose, the content of effective ingredients is the highest, the nutrients are the most abundant, and the quality is the best. However, there are exceptions. For example, Astragalus membranaceus, Aconitum kusnezoffi, Coptis chinensis, Codonopsis pilosula, etc. are harvested in autumn, while Pseudostellaria heterophylla, Pinellia ternata, aconite, etc. are harvested in summer with high content of effective ingredients and good quality.
(1) Harvest in early spring: liquorice, Salvia miltiorrhiza, Rhizoma Polygoni Cuspidati, radix paeoniae rubra, Rhizoma Menispermi, sanguisorbae officinalis, Sophora flavescens, Polygala tenuifolia, Rhizoma cayratiatiatiae, angelica, Rhizoma Ligusticum, Radix Saposhnikoviae, Radix Bupleuri, Gentiana macrophyllae, white myrtle, Lithospermum, rhizoma curcumae, Rhizoma Gastrodiae, Scutellaria baicalensis, Nansha ginseng, Platycodon grandiflorum, Rhizoma Atractylodis, rhaponticum, Rhizoma polygonatum, Polygonatum.
(2) Harvest in autumn: Astragalus membranaceus, dog ridge, Fangji, clematis, Aconitum kusnezoffii, Paeoniae Alba, Coptis chinensis, Cimicifuga, Phytolacca, Changshan, ginseng, Panax notoginseng, Angelica sinensis, notopterygium notopterygium, Glehnia littoralis, Gentiana scabra, Baiqian, Cynanchum paniculatum, Rehmannia glutinosa, Codonopsis lanceolata, Rhizoma Aconiti, Paris polyphylla, asparagus, yam, Baiji, etc.
(3) Harvest in winter: rhubarb, Polygonum multiflorum, Achyranthes bidentata, Radix Isatidis, radix puerariae, Radix Scrophulariae, Radix trichosanthis, Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae, Rhizoma alismatis, Rhizoma Arisaema, Radix Aucklandiae, Rhizoma Smilax, rhizoma curcumae, etc.
(4) Summer harvest: yanhusu, aconite, Chuanwu, Pseudostellaria heterophylla, Guanzhong, chuanxiong, Angelica dahurica, Pinellia ternata, Fritillaria cirrhosa, Fritillaria thunbergii, Ophiopogon japonicus, etc.

2. Varieties of Chinese medicinal materials using flowers as medicine

Flower Chinese medicinal materials are mostly harvested when the flower buds are in bud, and the quality is good. If the flowers are in full bloom, the flowers are easy to petal, break, lose color, and the aroma escapes, which seriously affects the quality.
(1) Honeysuckle should turn from green to yellow in front of flower buds in summer and autumn.
(2) Cloves turn from green to red in autumn.
(3) Magnolia is not in bloom in late winter and early spring.
(4) .
(5) Sophora japonica is harvested at the time of flower bud formation in summer, and its effective component content is high and its quality is good.

However, there are also some varieties of flower Chinese medicinal materials that need to be harvested when the flowers are open, such as:
(1) Rose flowers in spring and summer when the flowers are slightly open.
(2) Naoyanghua blooms from April to May.
(3) The honeysuckle is in spring and summer and at the beginning of its bloom.
(4) .
(5) The best harvest time of safflower is when the flowers turn from yellow to red in summer.

3. Varieties of Chinese medicinal materials used as medicine with fruits and seeds
Fruit Chinese medicinal materials are usually harvested at natural maturity or near maturity; Seed Chinese medicinal materials should be harvested when the seeds are fully developed and mature, the seeds are full, and the content of active ingredients is high. For example:

Hemp seed, Fructus Kochiae, green box, Schisandra chinensis, wangbuliuxing, nutmeg, Raphanus seed, raspberry, papaya, mountain plant, Trichosanthes, bitter almond, plum kernel, Prunus mume, Rosa laevigata, Cassia obtusifolia, bone paper, fenugreek, Fructus aurantii, Evodia rutaecarpa, Croton, wild jujube kernel, fat sea, daffodil, Chinese scholar, Terminalia chebula chebula, cumin, Fructus Cnidii, Cornus, Forsythia suspensa, Ligustrum lucidum, nux vomica, Cuscuta, morning glory, celestial fairy, wolfberry, burdock, Fructus coix seed, Amomum villosum seed, grass fruit, Alpinia oxyphylla seed, etc. For varieties with inconsistent maturity, they should be harvested at maturity and carried out in batches. Such as impatience, thousand gold, etc.

4. Varieties of Chinese medicinal materials using leaves as medicine
Leaf Chinese herbal medicine varieties should be harvested when the plants grow most vigorously, the flowers are not open or the flowers are in full bloom. At this time, the plants have been fully grown, the light and function are vigorous, and the content of effective components is the highest. Such as Folium Isatidis, perilla leaf, senna leaf, sycamore leaf, mugwort leaf, etc.

5. Varieties of Chinese medicinal materials using whole herbs as medicine
The traditional Chinese medicine with whole grass as medicine should be harvested before flowering when the plant grows most vigorously. Such as peppermint, Andrographis paniculata, stretchy tendon grass, Houttuynia cordata, epimedium, agrimonium pilosum, Verbena officinalis, Herba agastache, Eupatorium adenophorum, Scutellaria barbatae, Hedyotis diffusa, Senecio scandens, Perrin, Pugong capsule, Herba Artemisiae Scopariae, light bamboo leaves, Dendrobium, etc. However, some varieties are harvested in autumn after flowering, with the highest content of active ingredients. Such as ephedra, asarum, Sedum sarmentosum, Viola yedoensis, Lysimachia christinae, Schizonepeta, etc.

（2） Effect of harvest time on chemical composition and quality of medicinal materials
. The harvest time of medicinal materials directly affects the yield, quality and harvest efficiency of medicinal materials, and the appropriate harvest time has a good effect on the yield, quality and harvest efficiency of medicinal materials. However, at present, the indiscriminate mining of wild medicinal materials has led to the increasing depletion of resources. As a result, some pharmaceutical farmers even excavate medicinal materials at any time or before the harvesting season in order to collect more wild medicinal materials, which has seriously affected the quality of medicinal materials and greatly affected the clinical curative effect. Even for artificially cultivated medicinal materials, due to the lack of tracking research on the content of effective ingredients, they blindly pursue the yield and ignore the quality factors, which affects the quality of medicinal materials to a certain extent.
1. The roots and rhizomes should be harvested in autumn and winter or early spring, and it is more suitable after the aboveground part of the plant withers. At this time, the plant is in a dormant state, with less nutrient consumption and higher accumulation of effective components. The contents of tanshinone and menadione in Salvia miltiorrhiza harvested in the fourth season were 2-3 times higher than those harvested in other seasons. The content of volatile oil in Acorus tatarinowii was higher in winter than in summer. .
Corydalis yanhusuo、 . The total saponin content of Pulsatilla collected in early summer or summer is pre flowering (8.39%) > flowering period (5.78%) > late flowering (4.69%), so it is suitable to harvest before flowering, and the yield is also high at this time. The amount of alcohol soluble extract of wild Bupleurum decreased gradually with the growth period, reaching the highest in May, 23.95%, and the lowest in September, 16.03%. Although the total alkaloid content of cultivated Fritillaria ussuriensis reaches the highest (0.17%) in the early flowering stage, the medicinal material is loose at this time, and the drying rate is the lowest, so it is not suitable for medicinal use. In the withering period after the middle of August, the drying rate is only slightly lower than that in the early withering period, but the content is more than 4 times higher. Considering the two factors, the best harvest after the middle of August is calculated by the absolute content. Similarly, Platycodon grandiflorum is best harvested from the end of June to the first and middle of July. In order to obtain medicinal materials with high yield and high total saponin content; The content of total cardiac glycosides in the sprouting stage was the highest (0.65%), followed by the flowering stage (0.49%) and the late withering stage (0.50%). According to the comprehensive yield factors, the harvest in the late withering stage was the best; . The contents of anthraquinones and rhein in Hemerocallis Hemerocallis roots were higher in the pre anthesis stage; The volatile oil in the roots and rhizomes of Asarum heterophyllum above 4 years old reached the highest in April, may and September; The content of Baicalin in the root of cultivated Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi was the highest in the fruit stage at the end of August.

2.
(1)
① At this time, the photosynthesis of plants is the strongest, and the synthesis and accumulation of corresponding effective substances are also more.
② The content of indirubin in the Folium Isatidis produced in Xuzhou was 2.67mg in the first blade and 0.21mg in the second blade, with a difference of nearly ten times. In production, it should be harvested in the first blade.
③ The content of total flavonoids and several main flavonoid glycosides of Epimedium koreanum were the highest in May, which decreased significantly after July, and the total flavonoid content fell to less than half, and the content of icariin was less than 1/3 of the highest content.
④ The highest content of total flavonoids in Ginkgo biloba leaves was 0.89% in April bud stage, followed by 0.65% in October green leaves. However, due to the extremely low leaf yield in April, it is more appropriate to harvest the leaves in October when they fall to the ground, which is consistent with the traditional harvest time. Moreover, the highest calcium content in Ginkgo leaves in September and October is 4.47%, the zinc content is close to zero, and the maximum Cu / Zn ratio is 34080, which is not unrelated to the efficacy of Ginkgo leaves.
(2) Some studies have also shown that the traditional harvest time is not reasonable
① The content of quercetin in Apocynum venetum leaves produced in Daxing, Beijing was 0.02% in August and 0.01% in October. It can be seen that the original traditional harvest in July and October is not reasonable, so it should be collected in July and August. ② Mulberry leaves are traditionally picked after frost beating. The study showed that the rutin content of pre frost leaves was higher than that of pre frost mulberry leaves. The content of rutin gradually increased from August to October before frost, and suddenly decreased after frost, and the content of natural defoliation was the lowest.
③ The content of the main effective components in clove leaves is up to 2.41% in November, 2.15% and 1.96% in October and September, respectively. However, the clove leaves in November have withered and yellow, and it is difficult to distinguish them from other leaves, which cannot guarantee the quality of medicinal materials, so it is most suitable to harvest in September and October [5].

3. Flower herbs are usually harvested when they are in bud or open

. For example, honeysuckle, Magnolia, clove and Sophora japonica are harvested at the time of flower bud. Roses, Inula, and Datura are required to be harvested at the beginning of the flower. For example, the rutin content of Sophora japonica and Sophora japonica flower were 23.5% and 13%, respectively. The content of crocin in Crocus sativus reached the maximum of 117.80% before it bloomed (100% on the first day of flowering), and the content decreased to 11%, 17% and 25% on the second, third and fourth days of flowering. The yield was the highest on the first day. Considering the yield and quality factors, Crocus sativus must be picked on the same day when it bloomed. Safflower is best collected on the third day of flowering. Chrysanthemum morifolium is best harvested when the flowering degree is 70%. At this time, the weight is significantly higher than 50% and 100% opening. . It has good color, thick petals and good quality. This suggests that our traditional chrysanthemums and crocuses are not properly harvested when they are in full bloom.

4. Fruits, seeds and medicinal materials
Except for the special ones such as raspberry, green peel and Poncirus aurantium, which are harvested as immature or young fruits, they are generally harvested when the fruits are fully mature or fully mature. For example:
(1) Terminalia chebula should be harvested in December. At this time, gallic acid was the highest, 27.8%, and the highest tannin content was 56.47%, while the tannin content collected in October and November was 49.46% and 51.91%, respectively.
(2) When the diameter of citrus aurantium was 35 ～ 40cm, the quality was good, and the yield was increased by 4 times.
(3) Schisandra chinensis is generally harvested in August. .

5. Herbaceous herbs are usually harvested when the plants are fully grown and the stems and leaves are luxuriant

For example, the artemisinin content is the highest when pennies are harvested at the peak leaf stage before flowering. The content of sargassoside in Sedum sarmentosum increased gradually from April to October, from 0.1% to 0.2%. But not in spring. Therefore. Only when harvested in October can it have a better therapeutic effect on persistent hepatitis. The harvest time of Schizonepeta tenuifolia was 5-7 days earlier than the normal harvest time, but the volatile oil content was 20% higher than that of the normal harvest. Considering the quality and rational utilization of resources, it is advisable for perennial ephedra to harvest in the third year of seed propagation. . Another example is the highest artemisinin content in the flower bud stage of penny goldenrod planted in Shandong.

6. Other medicinal materials such as cortex, stem, wood and rattan

Most of them follow the traditional harvesting experience, and there are few systematic studies. ; In other varieties, it increases rapidly with the increase of tree age, and is basically stable after 12 years. It is suggested that we can start harvesting Magnolia after planting for more than 12 years. Animal medicinal materials, for example, are traditionally captured according to their growth habits and activity patterns. If antler is sawn 45-60 days after Qingming Festival, it will become horny and will not become antler. The toad is caught in the "hibernation" at the end of autumn. Another example is that centipedes are traditionally harvested in autumn, and the contents of protein, free amino acids and histamine are higher than those in spring, and the analgesic effect is also stronger than that in spring, but it is difficult to catch in autumn, and the goods are not easy to dry and store; Harvested in spring. It has obvious advantages in these aspects. .

3、 Summary

To sum up, it is necessary to take into account that the collection time is different due to different varieties and origins, and that even the same variety may have different collection periods due to different therapeutic purposes. With the development of modern scientific research, many medicinal plants have new indications, which is inseparable from the existence of a variety of effective ingredients in medicinal materials. Each ingredient may act alone or synergistically for therapeutic purposes. For example, Dendrobium officinale contains alkaloids, polysaccharides, amino acids and other effective components. The yield, content of effective components and efficacy of the two kinds of Dendrobium officinale in different growth periods were comprehensively analyzed. Dendrobium officinale should be harvested in the fourth year for the treatment of Qingyin tomorrow. For the treatment of enhancing immunity, it should be harvested in the first or third year. If the above two and the yield are taken into account, the best harvest time is in the autumn of the third year.
For some Chinese medicinal materials whose effective ingredients are not clear or whose landmark ingredients are not functional ingredients, in addition to the traditional harvest time, the biological activity identification method should be used to define the pharmacological efficacy of each Chinese medicinal material in its various growth periods through pharmacological efficacy tests. .
In a word, the origin, soil and climate of each medicinal material have a great impact on its effective ingredients. .


Source: big variety Alliance