Laiyang Laihu Ginseng

Laiyang Laihu Ginseng

Laiyang Laihu Ginseng is a product with geographical indication status.

　　Laihu Ginseng, also known as Laiyang Sand Ginseng, is one of the specialty products of Laiyang City, Shandong Province. It is named "Laihu Ginseng" because the highest quality Laiyang Sand Ginseng comes from Hucheng Village in Gaogezhuang Town, hence the name which means "Sand Ginseng from Hucheng, Laiyang." Laiyang is the main production area of this well-known Sand Ginseng—Laihu Ginseng. In Hucheng Village, located downstream of the Wulong River, the ginseng produced there is ranked the best in the country and is one of Laiyang’s iconic specialties. The cultivation of Laihu Ginseng has a long history, unique techniques, and brings substantial economic returns, greatly influencing the lives of people in the Wulong River basin. Laiyang has a temperate maritime climate, and the soil along the eastern bank of the Donglong River is mostly sandy loam—finer than sand yet coarser than regular soil, soft yet loose, making it highly suitable for ginseng growth. Laiyang Sand Ginseng is the northern type of sand ginseng, derived from the roots of the Umbelliferae plant Glehnia littoralis. Its roots are slender and cylindrical, with a pale yellowish-white surface that is slightly rough, brittle, starchy, and easily broken. It is slightly cold in nature, sweet and slightly bitter in taste. The root is used medicinally to nourish yin and clear the lungs, nourish the stomach and promote body fluids, eliminate deficiency heat, and relieve cough and reduce phlegm, offering strong yin-nourishing effects. The earliest records of sand ginseng can be found in the “Shennong Bencao Jing” (The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica). During the Ming Dynasty, Li Shizhen wrote in the “Compendium of Materia Medica”: “Sand ginseng is sweet, bland, and cold, light and insubstantial, specifically nourishing lung qi, thereby benefiting the spleen and kidneys. Therefore, it is suitable for those whose metal (lung) overacts on fire (heart).” The Qing Dynasty text “Benjing Fengyuan” noted: “There are two types of sand ginseng, northern and southern. The northern type is firm and cold in nature, while the southern type is weaker and less potent.” During the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong era, the “Bencao Congxin” (New Compilation of Materia Medica) stated: “Northern sand ginseng specifically nourishes lung yin, clears lung fire, and treats chronic cough and tuberculosis.”

　　Laiyang’s ginseng culture is rich and multifaceted, mainly encompassing three aspects. In ancient times, when the population was sparse and forests dense, many oral legends about ginseng circulated among the people in both urban and rural areas. One tale tells of a pair of ginseng spirits that would come down from Jingqi Mountain during the Medicine King Temple Fair to join the market and enjoy the festivities. In the northwestern part of Laiyang, which is an extension of Jingqi Mountain and the source of the Zhu River, legend says the river water has healing properties due to the presence of ginseng on Jingqi Mountain. On Longmen Mountain, it is said there is a giant ginseng that often transforms into a young woman and appears in the villages below. Around Hongtu Cliff, there is a story of a red-bibbed ginseng child who often plays with local children. Since the mid-Qing Dynasty, people from Jiaodong migrating to the northeast were either logging or digging for ginseng. Sun Liang from Fushan Village in Laiyang became a ginseng digger foreman in the northeast. One winter, amid freezing conditions, Sun Liang lost contact with his companions on Changbai Mountain. Exhausted and starving, he eventually died in the forest. Before his death, he dipped his finger in blood and wrote a humorous poem on a large rock, vowing to guide other ginseng diggers as a ghost after his death. Later, he was revered as the “Ginseng God,” respectfully called “Old Foreman,” and people began worshipping him before entering the mountains—a custom that has lasted for hundreds of years and is recorded in the historical records of multiple counties and cities in the northeast. There are also many stories about Laiyang people digging for ginseng in the northeast, including tales of flat ginseng, donkey-head ginseng, rice ginseng, and crying ginseng—all very captivating. Especially legendary is the story of Xu Ermao from Guanzhuang Village west of the city, who dug for ginseng on Changbai Mountain. The most talked-about part of his tale is how he once sold a piece of ginseng without naming a price, which ended up being worth 480,000 taels of silver.

　　Geographic Scope

　　The protected production area of Laiyang Laihu Ginseng is located between longitude 120°31′00″ to 120°59′12″ and latitude 36°34′10″ to 37°09′52″. It covers 14 towns, 4 subdistrict offices, and 1 economic development zone within Laiyang City. The main cultivation areas of Laiyang Laihu Ginseng are the towns along the Wulong River and Qingshui River and their tributaries. Among these, the soil conditions and processing techniques in Hucheng Village are unique, producing ginseng roots that are white, straight, and smooth—considered top-grade. The total protected geographic area spans 3,000 hectares.