Heshui Pueraria

Heshui Pueraria

Heshui Pueraria is a protected geographical indication product.

Heshui Pueraria is a certified geographical indication trademark.

　　Pueraria is one of the local specialties of our city, mainly distributed in mountainous towns such as Heshui. The people of Heshui have been cultivating pueraria for over 30 years. This year, the planting area covers nearly 10,000 mu, accounting for more than 80% of the city’s total pueraria cultivation. Heshui Pueraria is renowned far and wide for its starchy texture and sweet taste, making it a popular dish on dining tables. It is the “king of agricultural by-products” in Heshui Town, with an annual production of around 9,315 tons. Last year, it generated economic returns of over 20 million yuan. In addition to being sold in major cities across the province, it is also exported to places such as Hong Kong, Japan, and the United States. (Gaoming)

　　The Heshui Pueraria variety is the fine-leaf type, with tuberous roots shaped like spindles. The skin is wrinkled and yellowish-white, while the flesh is white, containing less fiber, high starch yield, and a sweet taste. Heshui Pueraria offers significant nutritional, medicinal, and culinary value. Tests have shown that it contains puerarin, puerarin xyloside, and daidzein. The pueraria powder consists of 76.144% starch, making it an excellent raw material for many pueraria food processing manufacturers. In April 2006, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China approved the implementation of geographical indication product protection for Heshui Pueraria.

　　Heshui Town is the source of the Gaoming River and boasts a beautiful natural ecological environment. It receives approximately 1,800 mm of annual rainfall, with an average annual temperature of 22°C and 2,100 hours of annual sunshine. The frost-free period lasts over 360 days a year, and the climate conditions are favorable, featuring distinct characteristics of a subtropical monsoon climate. The soil is mainly alluvial yellow sandy loam, loose and fertile, making it particularly suitable for the growth of root crops such as pueraria.

　　Heshui Pueraria mainly includes four types: fine-leaf pueraria, large-leaf pueraria, Cangwu pueraria, and chai pueraria (hemp pueraria). The pueraria root is rich in starch, with high nutritional and economic value, good storability, and can be used as a vegetable. Both pueraria slices and powder can be used medicinally, offering cooling, detoxifying, blood sugar-lowering, and hangover-relieving effects. The stems and vines can be used as rope or for weaving, and also serve as green manure.

　　Heshui Pueraria was first introduced to Heshui Town from Taiping Township in Xinhui in 1972 by the Bulian Brigade of Genghe Town and was gradually promoted throughout the town. Initially, cultivation was limited to small-scale household self-sufficiency, covering about 1,000 mu. It wasn’t until the early 1990s, under the guidance of the town government, that agricultural restructuring began. With a focus on developing “high-yield, high-quality, and high-efficiency” agriculture, farmers shifted their mindset to become market-oriented, expanding pueraria production and cultivation areas. Between 1993 and 1994, the annual pueraria planting area reached 10,000 mu, initially forming a “one village, one product” pattern. As the sales market continued to expand, demand for pueraria outstripped supply.