Lianzhou Creek Yellow Grass

Lianzhou Creek Yellow Grass

Lianzhou Creek Yellow Grass is a geographical indication protected product.

　　Lianzhou Creek Yellow Grass is a highly distinctive and premium authentic traditional Chinese medicinal product. It has the effects of clearing heat and promoting diuresis, cooling blood and resolving stasis, and offers remarkable efficacy in preventing and treating conditions such as acute hepatitis and acute cholecystitis. On September 13, 2007, Announcement No. 145 of 2007 issued by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China declared Lianzhou Creek Yellow Grass as a Chinese geographical indication protected product. The protected area covers the current administrative region of Lianzhou City, Guangdong Province.

　　Creek Yellow Grass

　　During the Liang Dynasty, the Taoist priest Liao Chong decocted "Creek Yellow Grass" for local people to drink as an herbal remedy. It is a folk herb with many common names, including Wind Blood Grass, Hand Rub Yellow, Yellow Juice Grass, and Fragrant Tea Herb. "Creek Yellow Grass" is not recorded in ancient texts, but as a liver-clearing and gallbladder-benefiting medicine, it has been used in the Lianzhou area for over a thousand years. Residents of Lianzhou still maintain the habit of brewing it into "cooling tea" during the summer. It is named for its preference to grow in damp areas near mountain streams and valleys, and the deep brownish-yellow juice released when its fresh leaves are crushed. Modern publications such as the "Handbook of Commonly Used Chinese Herbal Medicines," "Commonly Used Herbal Medicines in Guangdong Veterinary Medicine," "National Compendium of Chinese Herbal Medicines," and "Compendium of Materia Medica" all include this herb and feature botanical illustrations.

　　According to the "Buddhist Scriptures," during the Liang Dynasty, the Taoist priest Liao Chong once practiced alchemy and Taoism at Fushan Mountain in Baoshan Town, Lianzhou City, known as the 49th Blessed Land in the world, and later attained immortality. Legend has it that during a certain year in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, a strange epidemic ravaged Lianshan Commandery (now Lianzhou City). Liao Chong used bitter herbs with square stems from the stream near Fushan to make decoctions for the locals. Those who drank the decoction saw their yellowish swelling symptoms quickly disappear and gradually recovered. Word spread rapidly, and residents within dozens of miles came to know this miraculous herb as "Creek Yellow Grass."

　　Due to its unique efficacy and therapeutic effects on various symptoms such as hepatitis B, icteric hepatitis, excessive internal heat, red eyes, dark urine, painful urination, sore throat, irritability and rib pain, bitter taste in the mouth, and bad breath, Creek Yellow Grass gradually became an essential health product for local households. Lianzhou Creek Yellow Grass tea was renowned for its unique flavor during the Ming and Qing dynasties and was exported as far as Southeast Asia, where it enjoys enduring prestige to this day.

　　Lianzhou Creek Yellow Grass Awarded as Guangdong Provincial Famous Brand Product

　　Lianzhou has a profound foundation in traditional Chinese medicine culture, fostering a long-standing tradition of developing high-quality authentic herbal medicines. Since the late Qing Dynasty, Lianzhou had already mastered the cultivation techniques for Lianzhou Creek Yellow Grass. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the then-county government and party committee placed great emphasis on the development of traditional Chinese medicine, continuously advancing the development and application of local herbal resources. During the 1970s, cooperative medical stations were established, each equipped with herb-collecting teams, herb cultivation fields, and processing facilities, while also educating villagers about herbal medicine, making it a model for rural healthcare in the Lianzhou area. In recent years, the Lianzhou Municipal Party Committee and Government have prioritized the development of medicinal herbs like Creek Yellow Grass as a distinctive economic focus in the mountainous regions of Lianzhou. Production shifted from natural growth to organized large-scale cultivation and development. Building on traditional experience, a series of production and management technical standards were established and implemented, regulating every aspect of Creek Yellow Grass production, processing, and sales. This effectively controlled the residues of harmful substances such as heavy metals, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers, achieving pollution-free production and further improving the quality of the medicinal herb.

　　With the scaled development of Lianzhou Creek Yellow Grass cultivation, its development system has also been continuously refined. In 1986, the county government established the Lian County Traditional Chinese Medicine Factory and included Lianzhou Creek Yellow Grass in its research and development plans. In August 1988, the factory successfully developed Lianzhou Creek Yellow Grass substitute tea and began promoting it. In March 1989, the county government approved the "Report on Establishing a Lian County Herbal Medicine Base" and formed a coordinating leadership group for the base's construction, providing organizational assurance for the development of Lianzhou Creek Yellow Grass. In 1992, the Guangzhou Baiyunshan Pharmaceutical General Factory, recognizing the high-quality authentic herbal resources like Lianzhou Creek Yellow Grass, entered into a joint venture with the Lian County Traditional Chinese Medicine Factory, which was renamed the Baiyunshan Pharmaceutical General Factory Lianzhou Branch. This marked a new turning point in the development and utilization of Lianzhou Creek Yellow Grass, which had already gained widespread fame for its significant medicinal efficacy. In 1999, following the restructuring of the pharmaceutical factory, some key technical personnel seized the opportunity to start their own businesses, achieving success. Deep-processing enterprises for Lianzhou Creek Yellow Grass diversified and gradually transitioned into modern processing and production. In 2004, experts from Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine conducted research and testing on Lianzhou Creek Yellow Grass, discovering extremely high levels of effective components that inhibit the hepatitis B virus. This further highlighted the significant medicinal value of Lianzhou Creek Yellow Grass, accelerating its development towards large-scale and base-oriented production. In 2006, the city’s total cultivation area reached 10,000 mu, with an annual output of 30,000 tons and a production value of 50 million yuan, demonstrating strong supply and demand. In the same year, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine collaborated with the Lianzhou government to develop traditional Chinese medicine planting technology projects, with a focus on Lianzhou Creek Yellow Grass, opening up broader prospects for its development.

　　Over the past decade, as production processes and product packaging have continuously improved, the product has gradually evolved towards branding. The city now has four sizable production enterprises. Lianzhou Haoshuang Natural Health Food Co., Ltd., which accounts for over 65% of the city’s Creek Yellow Grass tea production, saw its "Haoshuang Brand" Lianzhou Creek Yellow Grass awarded the title of Guangdong Provincial Famous Brand Product in 2006.

　　Fragrant aroma, bitter taste

　　Dried aerial parts of the Creek Yellow Grass plant, available in whole plant, cut segments, and powdered forms. It features a distinctive fragrant aroma and a bitter taste.

　　Whole plant: Stems are square-shaped, 1.5–2 m long, green with purple hues, densely covered with fine soft hairs; leaves, when flattened, are ovate or ovate-lanceolate, with acuminate tips and wedge-shaped bases, usually dark green on both sides.

　　Cut segments: Stems are square-shaped, green with purple hues, with hollow medullary sections when cut, and pale yellow wood; leaves are broken, wrinkled, and dark green.

　　Powder: Composed of incomplete stem and leaf fragments, with stem fragments being brownish-yellow and leaf fragments dark green.

　　Lianzhou enjoys strong sunlight, ample photosynthesis, and significant diurnal temperature variations.

　　Lianzhou Creek Yellow Grass is a long-day plant that thrives in sunlight, dislikes waterlogging and compacted soil, and is suitable for cultivation in loose, fertile, well-drained sandy loam. Waterlogged lowland soils can cause root rot. It often grows wild in wetlands along streams, near villages, ditches, fields, and under forests. The long cultivation history of Lianzhou Creek Yellow Grass means its quality is closely tied to the region’s unique geography, soil, and climate. When grown in Guangzhou using the same seeds, the plants are noticeably shorter and less bitter than those cultivated locally in Lianzhou.

　　Lianzhou is often described as "uniting countless mountains into one and merging numerous waters into one." Amidst the vast mountains, misty clouds, abundant waterfalls and springs, and lush forests, the air is fresh. The city’s main river, the Xingzi River, originates from the Dadong Mountain Range, near which a large reservoir with a capacity of 170 million cubic meters has been built. The area boasts abundant water resources, free from industrial "three wastes" pollution, with pure water quality. Most Creek Yellow Grass planting bases can use natural water for irrigation.

　　Additionally, Lianzhou is a mountainous (county-level) city primarily focused on agricultural cultivation, with relatively contiguous, flat farming areas, fertile soil, and deep soil layers. The soil is mainly sandy loam and loam, which is relatively loose. Soils with organic matter content exceeding 3% account for 72% of the city’s natural soil area, and the region is rich in trace elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium, particularly conducive to the accumulation of active components in Creek Yellow Grass.

　　Meanwhile, Lianzhou falls within the mid-subtropical monsoon climate zone, with abundant light and heat resources. The seasons are distinct—spring rains, summer heat, autumn drought, and winter cold—with a mild climate and ample rainfall. Winds are light, and diurnal temperature variations are significant, with an average annual temperature range of 9.8°C. The natural conditions of light, temperature, and water can adequately meet the growth needs of Lianzhou Creek Yellow Grass. Strong sunlight and ample photosynthesis, combined with significant diurnal temperature differences, facilitate the formation and accumulation of plant metabolic components.

　　Moreover, in other regions, there are no strict time limits for harvesting Creek Yellow Grass, which is collected from spring until plant growth stops before winter. However, in Lianzhou, there is a local tradition of harvesting the herb when its branches and leaves are lush, just before flowering, as the plant is fully mature and at its most vigorous. To determine the optimal harvesting period for Creek Yellow Grass and provide a basis for establishing relevant standard operating procedures according to GAP (Good Agricultural Practice) principles, Lianzhou commissioned Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine to conduct research on planting and harvesting seasons. The results showed that among different harvesting periods, the content of 2α-hydroxyursolic acid—an anti-hepatitis B component—in Creek Yellow Grass was highest in August, i.e., just before flowering. The study also indicated that 2α-hydroxyursolic acid is more abundant in the leaves.

　　Related Links

　　Creek Yellow Grass is a folk herb, commonly known as Bear Gall Herb, Blood Wind Grass, Yellow Juice Grass, Streamside Grass, Fragrant Tea Herb, or Wild Huanglian. It is mainly produced in provinces south of the Yangtze River, such as Hunan, Sichuan, Yunnan, Jiangxi, Guangdong, and Guangxi. Creek Yellow Grass has the effects of clearing heat and promoting diuresis, reducing jaundice and dampness, cooling blood and resolving stasis, and is used to treat conditions such as acute icteric hepatitis, acute cholecystitis, dysentery, enteritis, and bruises. It is widely used clinically across Guangdong and has been developed into various health products for hepatitis prevention and treatment, such as Creek Yellow Grass granules and bagged tea, showing great market potential.

　　Creek Yellow Grass is a commonly used anti-hepatitis folk herb in China, with over 10 formulations developed domestically. The estimated sales volume of Creek Yellow Grass formulations is around 100–200 million yuan. Some domestic companies have processed it with herbs like Hedyotis diffusa, Polygonum cuspidatum, and Salvia miltiorrhiza into compound medicines for treating chronic hepatitis B or C.

　　Scholars at home and abroad have sparked a research boom on Creek Yellow Grass, publishing hundreds of papers. Reports indicate that its main active components are flavonoids, which significantly inhibit the replication of hepatitis viruses, with clinical efficacy as high as 84%, even surpassing the combination of interferon and ribavirin. Experts predict that once Creek Yellow Grass-based formulations are developed and marketed as formal medicines, their annual domestic sales could reach several hundred million yuan.

　　Main Indications

　　① For acute icteric hepatitis: Combine Creek Yellow Grass with Oxalis corniculata and Veronicastrum sibiricum, and decoct for oral administration.

　　②For acute cholecystitis with jaundice: Combine streamside yellowweed with Japanese St. John's wort, wormwood, chicken bone herb, and plantain herb. Boil in water and drink as a decoction.

　　③For damp-heat dysentery: (1) Crush fresh leaves of streamside yellowweed and take the juice; (2) Combine streamside yellowweed with Japanese balloon flower and wild peony. Boil in water and drink as a decoction.

　　④For dysentery and enteritis: Use fresh leaves of square-stem wormwood. Wash, crush to extract the juice, and take orally. Once daily, 5 ml each time; for children, 2–3 ml.

　　⑤For urinary retention: Use 60 g of fresh fragrant tea herb, 30 g each of fresh pyrrosia leaf and fresh plantain herb. Boil in water and drink as a decoction.

　　⑥For chronic hepatitis and early-stage cirrhosis: Use 500 g of river snails and 50–100 g of streamside yellowweed. Keep the river snails in water for 2–3 days to allow them to expel mud and waste, then slightly crack the tail of the snails. Boil the snails together with 50–100 g of streamside yellowweed and consume the soup.

　　The geographical indication product protection area for Lianzhou streamside yellowweed is defined according to the scope proposed in the Letter on Applying for the Delineation of the Production Area of Lianzhou Streamside Yellowweed (Lianfu Letter [2007] No. 86) issued by Lianzhou City, Guangdong Province, covering the current administrative region under the jurisdiction of Lianzhou City, Guangdong Province.