title: [Microscopic identification of commercial Herba Cistanches by digital imaging technique].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify the commercial drugs of Herba Cistanches collected from 10 different areas.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptions identification and digital imaging technique.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The original plants of the commercial drugs were three species, Cistanche deserticola Y. C. Ma, C. salsa (C. A. Mey) Benth et Hook. f. and C. tubelosa (Schrenk.) R. Wight.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The confusion of Herba Cistanches in markets is exist. The main current species was C. deserticola, C. salsa (each 2/5) and C. tubelosa (1/5). The descriptions of C. deserticola and C. salsa are similar and not easy to distinguish. But the digital photographs offered by the paper visually reflected the microscopic differences of two species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacognosy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210038.
authors.forename: Mian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiaoli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Shengyong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D031671:Cistanche / Q000145:classification* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004340:Drug Contamination; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008853:Microscopy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000145:classification* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011786:Quality Control