Specifically, after being harvested, Gastrodia elata becomes flat and rectangular, sometimes slightly curved, with sharp and slightly curved reddish-brown buds at the top (commonly known as "Ying Ge mouth"); There is a round umbilical mark at the end (commonly known as "concave umbilical"). The surface is yellowish or yellowish brown, slightly transparent.

There are five common pseudo-gastrodia elata, namely canna taro root, gastrodia elata, hamster, potato and chrysanthemum.

Canna taro root: its rhizome is like gastrodia elata, but it is connected, but its surface is covered with a layer of white powder, which is soft and easy to break, and its cross section is granular, white and dull.

Gastrodia elata: Its tubers are oval, some of them have been squashed, the tips at both ends are like horns, and there is a residual stem base at the top. The surface is grayish yellow, the links are obvious, there are irregular shrinkage cavities and grooves, and the quality is hard and tight, which is extremely difficult to break. The cross section is goat keratin-like, gray or yellow-white, and tastes slightly sweet.

Gopher: The original plant is an ornamental flower. After peeling and drying, the rhizome is conical, with broken ends and fibrous decapitation. The surface is yellowish or brownish yellow, with obvious longitudinal wrinkles and slightly sunken fibrous root marks. Under the magnifying glass, you can see that it is covered with tiny white crystals with no links. Hard, extremely difficult to break, its section is uneven, with a circular pattern at the center. The gas is slightly smelly, and the taste is light, which has the feeling of stinging the throat.

Malingbu: Its tubers are rectangular after steaming and flattening. Its surface is yellow, with irregularly distributed concave bud roots, no point connection, flat cross section, horny and slightly regular.

Dali Chrysanthemum: The original plant is a famous flower. After processing, its root is long spindle-shaped, its epidermis is gray or yellowish brown, with wide longitudinal grooves, and its two ends are slightly pointed and fibrous. Hard, not easy to break, its section is uneven. It tastes light and sticks to the teeth when chewed. This product is sometimes called "Sichuan peeled gastrodia elata" by mistake.