Tianzhu Mountain medicinal herbs

Last updated 2026-11-08 — Tianzhu Mountain features majestic peaks and ever-shifting mists. With abundant rainfall and a climate that changes dramatically at different altitudes, the area provides ideal conditions for the growth of medicinal plants. The mountain is home to hundreds of varieties of Chinese herbal medicine, including coptis, atractylodes, fritillaria, codonopsis, polygonum multiflorum, gastrodia, pinellia, and perilla. Among them, the Tianzhu ganoderma — resembling a mushroom or fungus, with larger specimens as big as ginseng roots and featuring a faint halo-like ring on their surface — grows on cliff faces atop the mountain peaks. It is not easy to collect. The finest quality is a pure crimson or vermilion red, and it can be used to treat conditions such as neurasthenia and hematemesis. Wild atractylodes from Tianzhu is also highly renowned. This wild variety strengthens the spleen and boosts qi, and can help treat conditions such as diarrhea due to spleen deficiency, edema, and phlegm retention. When Tianzhu poria cocos is combined with ingredients like white sugar and glutinous rice flour to make poria cake, the result is a snow-white, sweet, and tender delicacy — a delicious and nutritious tonic. In addition, the mountain has many plants that are both medicinally valuable and edible, such as rock ear fungus and shiitake mushrooms. People use these to stew chicken or roast meat, not only for their cooling and anti-inflammatory properties but also for their delicious taste, making them famous mountain delicacies. For example, wine made from kiwifruit boasts rich nutritional value.