*3.2. Plant Material and Preparation*

The rhizomes of *A. macrocephala* were purchased from the Harbin Medicine Group Shiyitang Chinese Herbal Medicine Pharmaceutical Co. (Harbin City, Heilongjiang, China), and authenticated by Prof. Zhenyue Wang at the Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine. A voucher specimen (No. 20150013) was deposited in the Natural Products Laboratory, the School of Pharmacy of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine. The wheat bran, produced in Heilongjiang, was bought from the Harbin Medicinal Materials market.

Processing of the rhizomes of *A. macrocephala* (2.5 kg) was conducted in the Processing Lab of the Experimental Training Center in the Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine. Following the processing protocol in the Chinese Pharmacopeia, the rhizomes were cut into slices and air-dried to reach a constant weight. The wheat bran was first stir-fried in a cauldron with a temperature around 170 ◦C until smoke appeared. The rhizome slices were then added into the cauldron with a ratio of the rhizome to wheat bran of 1:4 (*w*/*w*), the mixture was stir-fried approximately 26 mins until the slices turned to a yellow-brown color. Next, the processed rhizome slices were separated from the wheat bran by a sifter.
