Gangnan Andrographis

Gangnan Andrographis

　　Andrographis, also known as Fructus Terminaliae or Happy Upon Sight, is a plant of the Acanthaceae family. The whole herb is used medicinally. It has a bitter taste and cold nature, and is known for its effects such as clearing heat and detoxifying, reducing inflammation, decreasing swelling and relieving pain. It is primarily used to treat bacterial dysentery, urinary tract infections, acute tonsillitis, enteritis, pharyngitis, pneumonia, and epidemic influenza, among others. For external use, it can treat boils, abscesses, and traumatic infections, and is one of the Chinese herbal medicine varieties suitable for cultivation in Guangxi with relatively high economic value. Gangnan District is an important main production area of Andrographis not only in Guangxi but also across China.

　　Andrographis is a perennial herbaceous plant, growing 50–100 cm tall, with an upright stem that is angled and much branched, and nodes that are knee-shaped and swollen.

　　The main cultivation method for Andrographis in Gangnan District is intercropping, predominantly with corn. The key producing areas are concentrated in Qiaowei Town, Dongjin Town, Zhanjiang Town, Batang Town, Muge Town, and Xintang Township. Intercropping mainly involves transplanting seedlings, supplemented by direct sowing. In Gangnan District, Andrographis seeds are sown for seedling cultivation around the Qingming Festival in April. After earthing up the corn, from mid-May to early June when the female ears emerge, the Andrographis is transplanted onto the corn ridges (furrows), typically yielding 450–750 kg of dried Andrographis per mu, with high yields reaching 1,000 kg. In the case of direct sowing intercropping, after earthing up the corn, treated Andrographis seeds are directly sown between the corn rows on the ridges. This usually yields 400–550 kg of dried Andrographis per mu, with high yields up to 750 kg. Currently, Gangnan District maintains a perennial planting area of over 30,000 mu of Andrographis. Harvest generally begins in late September and continues until the end of October, with market purchases extending into February of the following year.