Differentiating jiang huang, yu jin, shu gu jiang huang and e zhu
姜黄，莪术，束骨姜黄，鬱金之分別
By: Joe Hing Kwok Chu click here to read Chinese 按此看中文
Because of the areas of production and the varieties, the commercial names of herb can be confusing. For example herbs from similar plants can have different names; and herbs of different plants can have the same names.
Differentiating the varieties and the confusion::
Curcuma longa L﹐ (jiang huang 薑黃); also called Curcuma domestica Val.
Curcuma kwangsinensis S.G. Lee et C.F. Ling L. (Guangxi e zhu 廣西莪朮， 桂鬱金 )
Curcuma aromatica Salisb. (yu jin 鬱金 )
Curcuma zedoaria (berg) Rosc. (e zhu 莪朮 )
Curcuma wenyujin Y. H. Chen et C. Ling (温鬱金)
Curcuma phaeocaulis Val
. (蓬莪朮, 綠絲鬱金) Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb. (束骨姜黄)
He yu jin (black yu jin) is also called: wen yu jin, wen yi jin, or chuan yu jin and is produced in the district of Wen Zhou of Zhejiang province. Chuan in this case does not mean Sichuan province but it means river. Wen does not mean warm or mild. It means the district Wen Zhou.
Guang yu jin does not mean it is produced in Guangdong. Guang (廣) in this case means "broad“. It is mainly produced in Sichuan. It is the root of Curcuma longa It is also called "huang si yu" (huang si means yellow silk) and "jiang huang".
E zhu (Curcuma zedoaria Boscoc.) dry herb is usually in thicker slices and grey in color.
Yu jin dry herb is usually thinner and in smaller slices than e zhu and translucent and much paler than jiang huang (turmeric).
Shu gu jiang huang (Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb.) is lighter in color compared to jiang huang (turmeric) and the roots are more than 10 times larger than jiang huang. It is also called da jiang huang, meaning large jiang huang.
由於產地和品種不同， 藥材商 品名稱産 生紊 亂情形。類 似植物名稱不 相同。有 名稱相同而植物不同。
薑黃 Curcuma longa L﹐ 學名亦稱為 Curcuma domestica Val.
廣西莪朮， 桂鬱金 Curcuma kwangsinensis S.G. Lee et C.F. Ling L.
鬱金Curcuma aromatica Salisb.
莪 朮 Curcuma zedoaria (berg) Rosc.
温鬱金Curcuma wenyujin Y. H. Chen et C. Ling
蓬莪朮， 綠絲鬱金Curcuma phaeocaulis Val
. 束骨姜黄 Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb.
温鬱金是 Curcuma wenyujin Y. H. Chen et C.Ling 之根莖‘ 稱為温鬱金， 黑鬱金，川鬱金，川益金， 為產于浙江温州的植物鬱金的乾燥塊根。『 温』不是指温和；而是指温州。『川』不是指四川。可能是指甌江。
廣鬱金(Curcuma longa L)主產於四川，為薑 黃的塊 根，色鮮黃。又稱 為 『黄絲鬱金』 或『薑 黃』。廣 非指廣東。是指寬大。
川鬱金 (Curcuma wenyujin Y. H. Chen et C. Ling)主產於浙江溫州，又名溫 鬱金， 為鬱金的塊根，色暗灰。川非指四川，而 是指温州。
蓬 莪朮，別名『綠 絲鬱金』 (Curcuma phaeocaulis Val
薑黄 與鬱 金功效相似而略異 ，川鬱金(鬱金)偏重於行氣解鬱，廣鬱金 (薑黄)偏重於活血化瘀。
束骨薑黄Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb.，別名大薑黄但不是薑黄。一般用於治肝炎與産婦用來催乳。
四種飲片外觀不同：