Nine-leaf Prickly Ash

Nine-leaf Prickly Ash

　　    The nine-leaf prickly ash is cultivated under the unique microclimate and soil conditions of Xianfeng, making it distinctly unique. Among all varieties of prickly ash, it is the most competitive early-maturing variety, known for its fragrant fruit and pure numbing taste. It has thick skin and a green color, and is a non-polluting, green product. Testing by Southwest Agricultural University shows that nine-leaf prickly ash contains various trace elements needed by the human body, such as vitamin C, copper, iron, zinc, manganese, and selenium. The oil content of the prickly ash fruit and seeds is 10.73% and 27.6% respectively, with oil extraction rates of 10.47% and 24.7%. It strengthens the spleen and stomach, dispels wind and removes dampness, and is used in traditional Chinese medicine, showing significant therapeutic effects on chronic gastritis. It is easy to store and transport, and is highly favored by people. (Jiangjin)

　　I. Main Uses of Prickly Ash

　　The economically valuable part of prickly ash is mainly its fruit. Its pericarp is rich in volatile oil, which can be extracted as aromatic oil for use as a food flavoring and fragrance ingredient. The pericarp has a strong numbing aroma and is an excellent seasoning; the seeds can be pressed for oil, for edible or industrial use; the pericarp, peduncle, seeds, as well as roots, stems, and leaves can all be used medicinally. They help warm the middle energizer, dispel cold, dry dampness, kill insects, regulate qi, and relieve pain. They can also be used to prevent and control storage pests (as an insect repellent). Tender branches and fresh leaves can be directly used as ingredients for stir-frying or pickling vegetables, while dried green leaves can serve as a flavoring for baked pastries. Oil residue can be used as feed or fertilizer, and the stems are good materials for fine woodworking. Current market situation: The market for prickly ash is promising, with strong demand for both young and mature fruits — it’s a case of high demand but limited supply.

　　II. Morphological Characteristics and Introduction to Fine Varieties

　　Prickly ash is a deciduous shrub or small tree (green prickly ash is semi-evergreen to evergreen shrub or small tree), growing 3–7 meters tall. Its fruit, branches, leaves, and seeds all have a fragrant aroma. The bark is blackish-brown or green, with many wart-like protrusions. It has odd-pinnate compound leaves, arranged alternately, with 7–11 ovate-lanceolate leaflets. The leaf edges have fine serrations, and the serrated areas contain transparent oil glands. There are skin thorns on both sides of the petiole. The inflorescence is a terminal cymose panicle, with unisexual or monoecious flowers. The fruit is a follicle, with a warty surface, turning red to purplish-red when ripe (green prickly ash remains green). There is 1–2 round or semi-round seeds per fruit, black and glossy. Currently cultivated fine varieties include Jiangjin Nine-leaf Green, Dahongpao, Dahongjiao, Xiaohongjiao, Baishajiao, Doujiao, and Qin'an No. 1. Thornless prickly ash has not been widely promoted due to insufficient numbness caused by variety variation. Among them, Jiangjin nine-leaf green prickly ash has the highest content of all effective chemical components among all prickly ash varieties, making it the preferred raw material for deep processing of prickly ash.