Guangji Buddha's Hand Yam

Guangji Buddha's Hand Yam

Guangji Buddha's Hand Yam is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Guangji Buddha's Hand Yam: One of the traditional and distinctive agricultural products of our Wuxue City, it boasts a long cultural history, rich nutrition, unique flavor, and is highly favored by consumers.

　　 The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine accepted the application for geographical indication product status for "Guangji Buddha's Hand Yam," which was announced in June 2009. Guangji’s "Buddha’s Hand" yam is grown at the southern foot of the Dabie Mountains, neighboring the hometown of Li Shizhen in Wuxue City (formerly Guangji County), and is classified as pollution-free green food. According to the “Compendium of Materia Medica” by the medical sage Li Shizhen, Buddha’s Hand Yam can treat various deficiencies and debilities, remedy the five strains and seven injuries, dispel wind affecting the head and face, relieve back pain, eliminate irritability and heat, replenish insufficient heart qi, open the heart orifices, enhance memory, strengthen bones and muscles, boost kidney qi, improve spleen and stomach function, treat diarrhea and dysentery, dissolve phlegm, nourish skin and hair, lower blood pressure, resist tumors, delay aging, and prolong life.

　　 Guangji’s "Buddha’s Hand" yam has become a fine delicacy for modern people. Whether used in banquets at hotels and restaurants or in festive home cooking, yam is essential for preparing a variety of delicious dishes. For example, washing and peeling the yam, slicing it thinly to stir-fry with meat slices, cutting it into thick chunks for red-cooked pork, or chopping it into large pieces and simmering it slowly in cold water to make pork rib soup—not only is the meat delicious, but the broth is even more fragrant and tasty, making it an endlessly enjoyable dish.

　　 Wuxue yam contains 18 types of nutrients such as sugar, protein, potassium, amino acids, and vitamins. When stewed, it emits a rich aroma and has a unique flavor, offering benefits such as nourishing yin, benefiting the lungs, strengthening the kidneys and stomach, relieving diarrhea and dysentery, dissolving phlegm, and nourishing hair and skin. It is an excellent food-medicine.

　　 Buddha’s Hand Yam belongs to the Dioscoreaceae family, genus Dioscorea, and is an annual or perennial twining vine plant. Its underground tuber can be used both as food and medicine. Wuxue has a history of over 300 years in yam cultivation.

　　The protected geographical indication area for Guangji Buddha’s Hand Yam covers the administrative regions of Meichuan Town and Yuchuan Town, two towns currently under the jurisdiction of Wuxue City, Hubei Province.