Huang Bai

Huang Bai is the dried inner bark of Phellodendron chinense C.K.Schneid. or Phellodendron amurense Rupr. (Rutaceae), commonly called Chinese or Amur cork tree. The parent tree is a medium to large deciduous tree 10-25 m tall, with a broad rounded crown and a distinctive thick, deeply furrowed, soft and corky outer bark whose inner layer is brilliant yellow due to high berberine content. Opposite, odd-pinnately compound leaves bear 5-13 ovate-lanceolate leaflets, 5-10 cm long, finely toothed, and emit a pungent citrus-like odor when crushed. Dioecious panicles of small greenish-yellow flowers yield clusters of pea-sized black drupes that persist into winter. The harvested inner bark is intensely bitter and yellow, and supplies the major TCM herb for clearing damp-heat from the lower jiao, used in jaundice, leukorrhea, dysentery, and inflammatory skin conditions. Phellodendron amurense is now listed as endangered in parts of its range.