道地药材，又称为地道药材，是指在特定自然条件、生态环境的地域内所产的药材，因生产较为集中，栽培技术、采收、加工也有一定的讲究，因此与其他地区所产的同种药材相比品质佳、疗效好，比如四川的黄连、甘肃宁夏的枸杞子、广东的陈皮、东北的人参、山东的阿胶等。历代医家对道地药材都很重视，认为“凡诸本草、昆虫各有相宜地产。气味功力，自异寻常”。这一概念源于中医临床实践，数千年来被无数的中医临床实践所证实，是源于古代的一项辨别优质中药材质量的独具特色的标准，也是中药学中控制药材质量的一项独具特色的综合判别标准。
Authentic medicinal materials refer to the medicinal materials produced in the regions with specific natural conditions and ecological environment. Because the production is relatively concentratedin a certain region, and the cultivation technology, harvesting and processingof these medicinal materialsare alsorelatively advanced, the quality and curative effect these authenticmedicinal materials are better thanthoseproduced in other regions. There are many authentic medicinal materials such asHuanglian (Rhizome ofChineseGoldthread)in SichuanProvince,Gouqizi (WolfberryFruit)in GansuProvinceand Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region,Chenpi (TangerinePeel)in GuangdongProvince,Renshen (Ginseng)in Northeast China, andEjiao (DonkeyHideGelatin)in ShandongProvince. Doctorsin ancient Chinaattached great importance to genuine medicinal materials, believing that “All kinds of herbs and insectsare produced in certain regions.These authentic medicinal materialsundoubtedlyhavebetter effects than the ordinary materials.” Theconceptofauthenticmedicinal materialsoriginates from the clinical practice of traditional Chinese medicine and has been confirmed by numerous clinical practice of traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. It is a unique standard for distinguishing the quality of Chinese herbal medicines andalsoa unique comprehensive standard for controlling the quality of Chinese herbal medicines.
转载自《读故事 识本草：中药入门读本》
