Wild Gastrodia Elata

Wild Gastrodia Elata

　　Wild Gastrodia Elata is purely natural, non-toxic, rare, and a gift from nature.

　　 　　Gastrodia Elata, originally named "Chijian" (Red Arrow), is referred to as "Dingfeng Cao" (Wind-Calming Grass) in the Compendium of Materia Medica. Later, legend had it that it was a gift from the heavens, and thus it came to be called "Gastrodia Elata."

　　 　　Gastrodia Elata is a precious traditional Chinese medicinal herb that grows deep in mountain valleys. A single plant that grows only one Gastrodia Elata is called "Du Ma" (Single Gastrodia); a plant that grows a cluster of them is called "Wo Ma" (Cluster Gastrodia).

　　 　　Gastrodia Elata belongs to the Orchidaceae family. It is a perennial saprophytic terrestrial herbaceous plant with no green leaves and no chlorophyll. Its underground part features fleshy, thick rhizomes that are oblong and flat, varying in size. The surface is yellowish-white or light brownish-yellow, semi-transparent, with annular nodes. It is used medicinally as a rhizome. With a neutral nature and sweet taste, it can expel wind, relieve spasms, alleviate pain, refresh the mind, benefit qi, nourish liver, lower blood pressure, and treat conditions such as coma, convulsions, facial paralysis, neurasthenia, limb numbness, and infantile convulsions. Stewing it with black chicken makes for a famous medicinal dish believed to promote longevity.

　　 　　The seeds of Gastrodia Elata are extremely tiny and invisible to the naked eye. Ancient people said: “The Gastrodia Elata in the deep mountains is truly miraculous — planted by immortals beneath the earth, its fruits reveal themselves upon ripening, yet mortals cannot cultivate it.” Thus, it is called the “Divine Medicine.”

　　 　　The primeval forests within Wudao Gorge are lush with vegetation and enjoy a mild climate. Precious medicinal herbs like Gastrodia Elata stand out among countless plants. Experts in mycelium cultivation from Baokang successfully implemented cavity-sealed cultivation of Gastrodia Elata, transforming this mountain “divine medicine” into a cultivable plant.

　　 　　Gastrodia Elata is mainly used to treat symptoms such as liver-wind headaches, dizziness, and infantile convulsions, with notably effective results. Many deep mountain regions in China produce Gastrodia Elata, but the ones from Baokang are said to have the best medicinal efficacy. There is also a legend behind this. Long ago, deep in the Jing Mountains, there was a tribe of a hundred or so households living peaceful and contented lives. One year, a strange illness suddenly broke out among the tribe. Once afflicted, victims suffered from splitting headaches, and in severe cases, limb convulsions and hemiplegia. The tribe sought medical help everywhere, but nothing worked.

　　 　　The tribal chief, who usually prepared some herbal remedies for minor ailments like headaches and fevers, felt deeply distressed seeing his people suffer while being unable to help. Determined, he set out to find a renowned doctor and seek the medicine and method to cure the illness. Hearing that a divine doctor in Wudao Gorge could treat the disease, the chief packed some provisions and set off at dawn. Wudao Gorge is a winding, rugged valley surrounded by towering mountains and rarely visited by people — where could he find the divine doctor? After crossing peak after peak and traversing every slope, the chief finally encountered an old woodcutter in a grove of trees. Hoping to learn where the divine doctor lived, the chief asked the old man, who sized him up and said the doctor had gone to Shuangti Village recently and suggested the chief look for him there. The chief bade farewell to the old man and hurried toward Shuangti Village. This village was actually a natural stone settlement perched atop sheer cliffs. The mountain path was rugged, with jagged peaks piercing the clouds. After enduring countless hardships, the chief finally climbed up to Shuangti Village. No sooner had he entered the village gate than he felt dizzy and collapsed into a cave. Before long, his limb convulsions also stopped. When he got up and looked around the cave, he noticed some plant rhizomes piled on a stone table. Just then, an old man walked in holding a bowl of medicine and offered it to the chief. The chief realized the old man was the same woodcutter he met in the Wudao Gorge woods. Before he could speak, the old man laughed and stopped him, explaining that the chief’s illness, like that of his people, could be cured by a certain medicinal herb. The medicine was ready and placed on the stone table, and he should take it back to the tribe after recovering. The chief bowed deeply in gratitude for saving his life. The old man told him that if there was any medicine left, he should hide it among conspicuous rotten leaves, and it would never run out. The chief bowed again, and when he looked up, the old man had vanished. Realizing he had met a divine doctor and that the medicine was a heaven-sent gift, the chief put the prepared herbs into his bag and carried them back to the tribe.

　　 　　Back in the tribe, the chief boiled a large pot of the divine medicine and had the sick drink it. After several pots, the ill began to recover gradually. He followed the divine doctor’s instructions to hide the remaining herbs among rotten leaves in shaded areas. From then on, the herbs multiplied year after year.

　　 　　People said the herbs were a heavenly gift from the divine doctor and were especially effective against dizziness and hemiplegia, so they named the herb “Gastrodia Elata,” or “Heavenly Hemp.”