Hefeng Nostoc

Hefeng Nostoc

Hefeng Nostoc is a product protected under geographical indication.

　　Nostoc

　　Nostoc, commonly known as "Tianxianmi" (Heavenly Fairy Rice), "Tianxiancai" (Heavenly Fairy Vegetable), "Shui mu’er" (Water Wood Ear), or "Tian mu’er" (Field Wood Ear), is an aquatic algal plant belonging to a type of blue-green algae. It is unicellular, rootless and leafless, dark green in color, bead-like in shape, entirely wild, and truly a natural green food. Legend has it that during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Ge Hong—a master of alchemy, medicine, and Taoist theory—while in seclusion in the southern lands, collected it as food during a famine year and incidentally gained health benefits from it. Later, when Ge Hong entered the imperial court, he presented it to the emperor. The frail crown prince, after eating it, recovered from illness and grew strong. To thank Ge Hong for his contribution, the emperor named the “Tianxianmi” as “Ge Xianmi” (Ge’s Fairy Rice), and the name has been used ever since.

　　Nostoc is highly nutritious and an excellent delicacy for banquets. It contains 15 types of amino acids, various vitamins, and essential trace elements such as manganese, calcium, zinc, iron, and phosphorus—minerals that are not commonly found in other natural foods.

　　It can be cooked either fresh or dried, seasoned with sugar or salt, and prepared by steaming, stir-frying, or in soups—it is delicious in any form. The *Compendium of Materia Medica* praises Nostoc as an “excellent and richly flavored food.”

　　In addition, Nostoc also has medicinal and health benefits. According to the *National Compendium of Chinese Herbal Medicine*, Nostoc is “cool in nature and mild in taste, capable of clearing heat, astringing, benefiting qi, and improving vision. It treats night blindness and rectal prolapse; externally it can be used for burns, scalds, and skin care and beauty.”

　　Zouma Town in Hefeng County is the world’s largest producer of Nostoc. The area has over 670 hectares of paddy fields and ponds suitable for Nostoc growth. Because Nostoc requires very specific natural conditions (such as climate, soil, sunlight, latitude, longitude, altitude, etc.) for growth, only a very small amount has been found elsewhere in the world today, mainly in Africa. Nostoc is indeed a truly rare treasure in the world.

　　The production area of Hefeng Nostoc includes the administrative regions of five towns in Hefeng County, Hubei Province: Tielu Bai Autonomous Township, Zouma Town, Wuli Township, Taiping Township, and Rongmei Town.