Black-Red Gastrodia Elata

Black-Red Gastrodia Elata

　　Gastrodia elata is a perennial herbaceous plant and is considered a premium medicinal herb. It has multiple benefits, including enhancing memory, benefiting qi and consolidating essence, nourishing yin and enriching blood, calming the liver and soothing wind, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, relieving pain, preventing dizziness and convulsions, dispelling rheumatism, and strengthening muscles and bones. Recent medical research indicates that Gastrodia elata is highly effective in promoting brain health for aviation personnel and in treating senile dementia and insomnia. There are no side effects when taking Gastrodia elata products, and long-term use can contribute to longevity.

　Led by Wang Shaobo, a senior agronomist in Yichang City, the Gastrodia elata research team began research in 1993 and successfully developed the Black-Red hybrid Gastrodia elata, which is currently the best achievement in China’s hybrid Gastrodia elata research projects. In China, there are four varieties of Gastrodia elata: Black, Red, Yellow, and Green. The Black and Red varieties are superior to the Yellow and Green ones. Historically, China has primarily cultivated the Black and Red types. The Black-Red hybrid Gastrodia elata developed by Wang Shaobo’s team is superior to both the Black and Red varieties. The Black variety is mainly produced in Yunnan, with good morphology, high medicinal quality, and a high drying rate, but it has a limited adaptability range, poor propagation ability, and low yield. The Red variety is mainly grown around the Three Gorges area, with wide adaptability, high yield, strong reproductive capacity, and disease resistance, but it has a higher dry-wet ratio and lower medicinal quality compared to the Black variety. The Black-Red hybrid Gastrodia elata is a cross between the Yunnan Black Gastrodia elata inbred line and the Three Gorges Red Gastrodia elata inbred line, combining the advantages of both parent lines: strong resistance to pests and diseases, good morphology, and high medicinal quality, with a gastrodin content as high as 0.08%, which is 60.24% higher than that of the Black variety and more than double that of the Red variety. The Black-Red hybrid Gastrodia elata also has a high yield, reaching 7.5 kilograms per square meter, which is 4 kilograms higher than the Black variety and 2 kilograms higher than the Red variety. Its growth cycle is similar to that of the Black and Red varieties.