Fangcheng Danshen

Fangcheng Danshen

Fangcheng Danshen is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Fangcheng, anciently known as Yuzhou, is situated at the junction of the northern subtropical and southern warm temperate zones, the Tongbai Mountains and the Funiu Mountains, the Huai River Basin and the Yangtze River Basin, the Nanyang Basin and the Huang-Huai Plain, as well as the North China Platform and the Qinling geosyncline. The 250-kilometer Tongbai Mountains and 400-kilometer Funiu Mountains meet here, extending over 1,000 kilometers within the county, forming a semi-enclosed mountainous natural barrier. This has created abundant medicinal herb resources, making Fangcheng a “natural medicine treasury” rich in Chinese herbal medicines, with over 800 species of wild medicinal herbs still found in the area.

　　　　“Exotic herbs thrive in the majestic mountains, and authentic Danshen fragrance spreads far and wide.” Fangcheng is renowned for its high-quality Danshen with remarkable therapeutic effects. According to the Qing Dynasty’s “Fangcheng Annals” (compiled in the 30th year of Kangxi’s reign and published in the 36th year), it states: “The vast expanse of Fangcheng’s territory is similar to that of ancient Yuzhou, located upstream along the Tongbai Mountains and the Huai River. Its peaks are interconnected, streams meander around, and the land is mostly undulating and fertile. The region produces excellent varieties of medicinal herbs such as platycodon, papaya, isatis root, and Danshen, making it a genuine and esteemed place, highly regarded by physicians… During the Jin Dynasty, it was called ‘YuDanshen’.” A folk rhyme says, “The king of Danshen, grown in Yuzhou, with superior quality and excellent efficacy, is treasured in pharmacies in Shanghai and Wuhan; it travels by waterways to go abroad,” which praises “YuDanshen.”

　　　　Fangcheng Danshen resembles ginseng in shape but has a red skin color like cinnabar. The medicinal material is dense and solid, with a thick skin, fine woody core, and few fibers. When broken, it shows a radial chrysanthemum-like pattern. Tests conducted by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, the National Ginseng and Deer Antler Product Quality Testing Center, and Guangzhou Baiyunshan and Hutchison Whampoa Chinese Medicine Co., Ltd., among others, show the following: Tanshinone I content is 1.182%, cryptotanshinone is 1.9235%, tanshinone IIA is 0.6503%, salvianolic acid B is 9.9214%, and tanshinol is 2.4%. In 1991, it won the silver award at the Zhongjing Cup International Expo; in 2001, YuDanshen was recognized as a famous brand product at the International Agricultural Expo; and in 2003, it obtained certification as a provincial pollution-free production base, pollution-free product certification, and national geographical indication product protection certification.

　　Tested by the Ministry of Agriculture’s Ginseng and Deer Antler Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Center, YuDanshen fully meets the standards set by the 2000 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia Part I, with tanshinone IIA content exceeding 0.60%, more than double the Pharmacopoeia standard. In 1991, it was awarded the “Silver Award” at the Zhang Zhongjing Cup International Expo; in 2001, it was honored as a “China Famous Brand Product” at the China International Agricultural Expo; in September 2003, it passed the certification for pollution-free Chinese medicinal material production bases in Henan Province; and also in September 2003, it received national geographical indication product protection certification. The research project “Cultivation Techniques for Pollution-Free Wild-Simulated YuDanshen Authentic Medicinal Materials” won the First Prize for Scientific and Technological Achievements from the Nanyang Municipal People’s Government.

　　Historical records indicate that Fangcheng Danshen has a history of over 2,000 years. Since Fangcheng was anciently known as Yuzhou, it is called YuDanshen. As early as the Han Dynasty, it was praised by the “Medicine Sage” Zhang Zhongjing as the “foremost Danshen.” According to the “Supplement to the Materia Medica,” Danshen grows in the valleys of the Tongbai Mountains, which is the source of the Huai River. Fangcheng is located at the junction of the Tongbai Mountains and the Funiu Mountains and is the source of tributaries of the Huai River. As early as the Ming and Qing Dynasties, YuDanshen was exported to Guangzhou, Shanghai, Wuhan, and Southeast Asian countries. A popular folk rhyme praises it: “The work of Danshen, grown in Yuzhou; with good quality and excellent efficacy; treasured in pharmacies in Shanghai and Wuhan; traveling by waterways to go abroad.”

　　To further develop and strengthen the YuDanshen industry, in 2001, Fangcheng County identified the Chinese herbal medicine industry, with YuDanshen as the main focus, as a follow-up pillar industry for enriching the people and strengthening the county. The county decided to implement mountain closure for Danshen cultivation in 12 mountainous towns, protect wild resources, and establish a 500-acre seedling base strictly in accordance with GAP standards for Chinese medicinal materials and the “YuDanshen Wild-Simulated Cultivation Technical Regulations.” It also planted 30,000 acres of YuDanshen and placed 150,000 acres under mountain closure for cultivation, putting the YuDanshen industry on a path of scientific, standardized, and large-scale development.

　　At the beginning of industrial development, Fangcheng County incorporated the deep processing of YuDanshen into its key agenda. It established Huafeng Chinese Herbal Medicine Co., Ltd., which developed a series of health products for lowering blood lipids and blood pressure, including high-, medium-, and low-grade YuDanshen health teas and life antioxidants.