Mingxi Golden Thread Fern

Mingxi Golden Thread Fern

Mingxi Golden Thread Fern is a geographical indication certification trademark.

Mingxi Golden Thread Fern is an agricultural geographical indication product.

　　The largest golden thread fern cultivation enterprise in Mingxi County, “Fujian Mingxi Jincao Seed Industry Co., Ltd.,” plans to acquire 100 acres of land within the Mingxi Eco-Economic Park to establish a modern processing facility integrating tissue culture, raw material preparation, and deep processing. The facility will produce products such as golden thread fern oral liquid and capsules.

　　In 2007, the Mingxi County Agricultural Office collaborated with the Provincial Forestry Science and Technology Experimental Center and successfully domesticated Taiwanese golden thread fern that year, beginning large-scale cultivation. However, Fujian-native golden thread fern from Zhangzhou and the local Mingxi golden thread fern, which were also part of the experiments alongside Taiwanese golden thread fern, were not immediately domesticated due to challenges such as difficulty in root formation, long growth cycles, low survival rates during nursery transplantation and greenhouse transfer, high disease incidence, and high tissue culture contamination rates. Through the continuous efforts of technical personnel, both the Fujian-native golden thread fern from Zhangzhou and the local Mingxi golden thread fern have now been domesticated and large-scale propagation has begun.

　　The composition, content, and levels of anti-aging active trace elements in the amino acids of golden thread fern are all higher than those found in American ginseng. According to Compendium of Materia Medica, golden thread fern has the effects of nourishing blood, cooling blood, protecting the liver, and clearing heat and toxins. It has been a health-preserving imperial delicacy through the dynasties.

　　Geographical Scope

　　Mingxi County is located in the northwest of Fujian Province. The Longxi Mountain Range and Shigongwu Mountain Range of the Wuyi Mountain System run through the entire county, situated between 116°47″–117°35″ east longitude and 26°08″–26°39″ north latitude, belonging to a mountainous and hilly region. The production area of Mingxi Golden Thread Fern covers 56 administrative villages across nine towns in the administrative region of Mingxi County, namely Xuefeng Town, Hance Town, Hufang Town, Gaiyang Town, Xiayang Township, Shaxi Township, Xiapu Township, Fengxi Township, and Chengguan Township, at altitudes ranging from 450 meters to 900 meters. The protected cultivation area spans 1,200 hectares. Currently, Mingxi County has 12 hectares of high-standard steel-frame simulated-natural seedling beds for local golden thread fern production, with an annual artificial simulated cultivation of 200 million Mingxi golden thread fern plants and an annual yield of 200 tons.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　1. External Sensory Characteristics: Fresh Mingxi Golden Thread Fern leaves are dark green with golden vein networks, pale purplish-red on the back, and ovate in shape. The third leaf measures 1.5–2.4 cm × 1.5–2.4 cm, with an average individual weight of 1.3–1.6 g and a drying rate of ≥7%. The dried product has an average leaf width of 1.5–1.8 cm, leaf length of 1.5–2.2 cm, and an average individual weight of 0.10–0.16 g, with the product’s inherent mellow aroma. 2. Internal Quality Indicators: Each gram of dried Mingxi Golden Thread Fern contains 78–83 mg of crude polysaccharides and 4.8–5.2 mg of total flavonoids. 3. Quality and Safety Standards: Product quality must comply with the relevant requirements of the 2010 edition of the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China.