Qichun Jiafang Wine

Qichun Jiafang Wine

　　Qichun Jiafang Wine is a specialty liquor from Huanggang, Hubei Province, also known as a tonic wine for invigorating qi and nourishing blood. It is brewed by the 29th-generation direct descendant of Li Shizhen from Qichun County, using a secret family recipe passed down for a thousand years.

　　As noted in "Essentials of Materia Medica," “medicinal wine, when consumed in moderation, harmonizes blood circulation, boosts vitality, and fortifies the body against cold.” Jiafang Wine contains the Four Treasures of Qichun, polygonatum, male silkworm moth, Chinese yam, and others, which can nourish the liver and kidneys. It is used for conditions such as deficiency of both qi and blood, as well as palpitations and tinnitus caused by liver and kidney insufficiency. Long-term consumption can replenish qi and blood, promote longevity, and effectively improve symptoms like physical weakness, qi deficiency, and a sallow, emaciated appearance. Its formula includes ingredients such as ginseng, deer antler, agarwood, the Four Treasures of Qichun (Qishan snake, Qigui turtle, Qizhu bamboo, and Ai grass — these four treasures make Li Shizhen’s family wine truly unique in the world), tiger penis, deer penis, dog penis, tiger bone, leopard bone, wolfberry, epimedium, angelica, ophiopogon, poria, polygonum multiflorum... thirty-two types of medicinal herbs, soaked in 70% aged grain liquor. It has the effects of strengthening muscles and bones, dispelling wind and activating blood, nourishing kidneys and protecting the liver, nourishing yin and kidney, invigorating qi and brain, calming the spirit and aiding sleep, and promoting longevity. This was the wine personally formulated by Li Shizhen for his own consumption. Under the guidance of modern pharmacology and nutritional science, the ancient formula has been moderately adjusted and enriched with additional valuable traditional Chinese medicinal ingredients such as polygonatum, male silkworm moth, Chinese yam, coix seed, sea dog penis, deer tendon, and safflower. It is now brewed using a new four-in-one biotechnology process. The wine is crystal clear in color, rich in flavor with a fragrant herbal aroma, pleasant to the palate, offering drinkers not only the enjoyment of fine liquor but also health benefits. In 1998, to promote Li Shizhen’s medical culture and modernize the traditional Chinese medicine industry, the Hubei Provincial Government and Qichun County Government took action. Li Shizhen Pharmaceutical Group responded actively by establishing the Compendium of Materia Medica Biotechnology Park in Qichun and implementing GAP-standard cultivation of medicinal herbs in the Dabie Mountain region, the traditional production area (GAP: Good Agricultural Practice, an international standard for pollution-free, chemical fertilizer-free, pesticide-free, strictly age-controlled authentic medicinal materials).

　　History　

　　Both Li Shizhen’s "Compendium of Materia Medica" and Wu Cheng’en’s "Journey to the West" were completed in their later years. Despite enduring strenuous travels and exhausting their energy and strength, they maintained their vitality thanks to regularly drinking Li Shizhen’s family tonic wine. In their old age, they retained all their teeth and hair, had keen hearing and sight, abundant energy, sharp minds, and large families, remaining vigorous despite their years. At a time when the average life expectancy was less than fifty, Li Shizhen lived to be seventy-six, while Wu Cheng’en, who suffered from multiple illnesses at sixty, miraculously lived to seventy-nine after obtaining the secret formula for Li Shizhen’s family wine. It is no exaggeration to say that without Li Shizhen’s family tonic wine, there might have been no "Journey to the West."