Shangcheng Tianxiang Vegetable

Shangcheng Tianxiang Vegetable

　　Shangcheng Tianxiang Vegetable is a specialty of Shangcheng County, Xinyang City, Henan Province. In the Dabie Mountains, Tianxiang Vegetable grows wild locally. People in the mountainous areas, regardless of age — from the elderly to children — all know that Tianxiang Vegetable is not only edible but also possesses certain medicinal value.

　　Tianxiang Vegetable belongs to the Asteraceae family and is a bitter-tasting, cold-natured, non-toxic, alkaline herbaceous plant. Because of its bitterness, it is also called bitter vegetable. Due to its unique odor, reminiscent of fermented sauce, it is also known as Immortal Vegetable. In the folk tradition of the Dabie Mountains, it is called Guanyin Vegetable; literati refer to it as Immortal Vegetable, and during wartime, it was called General’s Vegetable.

　　Tianxiang Vegetable grows deep in the mountains and old forests. Its leaves are emerald green, thick, tender, and delicious. Especially those growing in deep mountain valleys and shrubbery without direct sunlight have the highest nutritional and medicinal value. Tianxiang Vegetable is a miraculous plant that helps lower blood sugar, blood lipids, and blood pressure. It can be consumed as food or used medicinally. Fresh Tianxiang Vegetable has a fragrant aroma, while dried versions carry a distinctive fermented flavor. It does not attract insects, and when soaked briefly in boiling water, the fermented taste disappears, leaving a refreshing fragrance with a mildly bitter yet sweet taste that quenches thirst and relieves summer heat. Due to its unique flavor, Li Shizhen referred to it as “Tianxiang Vegetable,” which became its name. In fact, locals in Shangcheng often call it “bitter vegetable” or “smelly vegetable.” Its “smell” and “heavenly fragrance” are believed to dispel evil — a concentrated reflection of Traditional Chinese Medicine’s philosophy of treating illness by supporting the healthy and expelling pathogens.

　　Tianxiang Vegetable grows wild in the Dabie Mountains. People in the mountainous areas, regardless of age — from the elderly to children — all know that Tianxiang Vegetable is not only edible but also possesses certain medicinal value. Before liberation, during times of drought, floods, or failed harvests, mountain farmers would pick Tianxiang Vegetable as food — it could stave off hunger and also cure illnesses. Compared to other wild vegetables, eating Tianxiang Vegetable did not cause symptoms such as body swelling, constipation, or discomfort, so it was called the “life-saving vegetable” by mountain dwellers. When injured by axes or bitten by insects while logging or farming, locals would crush Tianxiang Vegetable and apply it to wounds to stop bleeding and reduce swelling. Hence, it earned the reputation of “Guanyin Vegetable.” With social and technological progress, people have gained deeper understanding of Tianxiang Vegetable. It is found to be rich in 18 amino acids and various trace elements, with medicinal effects such as “clearing heat, cooling blood, detoxifying, treating dysentery, jaundice, hematuria, hemorrhoids, abscesses,” and more. It can lower blood pressure, reduce blood lipids and blood sugar, effectively protect the liver, enhance its detoxification functions, and show significant efficacy against diabetes. Health teas made from Tianxiang Vegetable are high in vitamins and can help prevent and treat myopia and pseudo-myopia. The vegetable also contains anti-tumor components, offering auxiliary therapeutic effects for cancer patients and helping prevent and fight tumors. Today, as living standards continue to rise, diseases such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, coronary heart disease, cerebral thrombosis, diabetes, childhood obesity, myopia, and tumors are prevalent — Tianxiang Vegetable offers significant auxiliary therapeutic effects against them, thus giving it high development value.

　　Shangcheng County seized this business opportunity promptly. Starting in the early 1990s, efforts were made to develop Tianxiang Vegetable. The harvested vegetable was processed into dried form, and in 1995, the Tianxiang Tea Products Factory was established in Sanliqiao Village, Chengguan Town, producing and selling Tianxiang Vegetable tea. The Tianxiang Vegetable product — Tianxiang teabags — also applied for a patent with the State Intellectual Property Office, with patent number 01124622.7. In 2004, the Tianxiang Tea Products Factory set up a branch in Changzhuyuan to produce Tianxiang Vegetable products. Thanks to the excellent quality and notable health benefits of Tianxiang Tea, coupled with effective marketing strategies, the sales of Tianxiang Tea products have been thriving since their market launch. Sales volume increased from just over a hundred kilograms in the mid-1990s to nearly 60 tons annually today. Nowadays, Tianxiang series products are sold across major domestic cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Some are even brought to the United States, Thailand, Singapore, Macau, and Hong Kong by relatives and friends, showing strong growth momentum.