These Chinese medicines can be soaked in water to know whether they are real or fake

For people, the most feared thing when buying things is to buy fakes. Nowadays, there are a lot of mixed varieties of Chinese medicine in the market, and the phenomenon of counterfeiting is emerging in an endless stream, especially some precious Chinese medicinal materials, which are expensive. Some people see the benefits and process them to pretend to be real. We may not be able to distinguish the real from the fake. So, is there any way for us to know the real from the fake? The old Chinese doctor will teach you the water test method. Some Chinese medicines will undergo more obvious changes after coming into contact with water, so the authenticity can be distinguished.

Saffron

When saffron is put into water, the water turns yellow, not red, and there is no precipitation. The stigma (located at the top of the pistil) swells into a trumpet shape, and there is no oily floating matter. If the water-soaked stigma is in strips or threads, it may be made from daylily; if it is mixed with fine sand, starch, vegetable oil, etc., precipitation and oily floating substances will appear.

donkey-hide gelatin

Take donkey-hide gelatin and dissolve it in boiling water. The solution is brown-red, with no precipitation in the lower layer and is clear and not turbid. Fake donkey-hide gelatin may be miscellaneous skin gelatin, with a brownish-brown aqueous solution, large flakes, sinking, and black residue.

Sterculia lychnophora

When put into hot water, it expands into a sponge-like shape and can reach 8 times its original volume. The fake and inferior Sterculia lychnophora expands slowly in water and can only expand to 2 times its original volume.

Sappan

When the fragments are put into hot water, the water turns red. Counterfeit products are made of wood that has been dyed and when immersed in hot water, the water turns light yellow, yellow, or orange.

Qinpi

When placed in a transparent glass cup filled with water, the water will appear to have a blue fluorescence under sunlight. The fake Qinpi is made of tree bark, and the water extract has no fluorescence.

Bezoar

When put into clean water, it can absorb water and become moist, but it will not deform, dissolve, fade or become turbid. Add a little water to mix and apply it on the nails. It can dye the nails yellow, commonly known as "hanging nails". Fake bezoars are often made from powders of coptis chinensis, rhubarb, turmeric, egg yolk, etc., or potatoes and plant pigments. They quickly dissolve, break, stain the water, and make it turbid when put into water.

Toad venom

When the surface or cross-section of an authentic product comes into contact with water, a milky white liquid will quickly appear and bulge out. When the adulterated product comes into contact with water, a milky white liquid will also come out, but the liquid will come out slowly and will not bulge.