Langzhong Chuanming Ginseng

Langzhong Chuanming Ginseng

Langzhong Chuanming Ginseng is a geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Since obtaining geographical indication registration certification in 2009, with high attention and strong support from the municipal Party committee and government, the Langzhong Agriculture Bureau has been committed to developing standardized planting bases, nurturing and strengthening leading enterprises, and promoting the rapid growth of the Chuanming Ginseng industry. The agricultural product geographical indication has become a driving force behind industrial development. On September 27, a geographical indication research team composed of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences visited Langzhong. Accompanied by relevant personnel from the provincial agriculture department, Sheng Songhua, head of the Geographical Indication Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, led experts to conduct on-site inspections of the Chuanming Ginseng improved seed breeding base in Wuma Township, Sichuan Mulanjun Biotechnology Co., Ltd., and some of its products. They spoke highly of the use and management of the geographical indication in Langzhong’s agricultural products and offered guiding suggestions.

　　It is reported that to advance the development of Langzhong Chuanming Ginseng as a geographical indication product, the city’s agriculture bureau has carried out scientific planning, rational layout, and structural adjustments, gradually forming an advantageous and distinctive benefit agricultural industry belt for Chuanming Ginseng with more prominent locational advantages and regional characteristics. At the same time, strictly following the "Pollution-Free Production Technical Regulations for Chuanming Ginseng" and the "Standardized Production Technical Regulations for Chinese Herbal Medicines," the bureau has focused on building demonstration areas centered around towns such as Qianfo and Wuma, establishing a 12,000-mu standardized production demonstration base, which has driven and influenced 20 surrounding towns. In 2010, the city’s Chuanming Ginseng planting area reached 40,000 mu, with standardized production and more distinct regional features. The bureau has also strengthened cooperation with the Sichuan Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Sciences, focusing on variety selection, deep processing technology research, and product development for Chuanming Ginseng.

　　On this basis, efforts have been made to nurture and strengthen leading enterprises. An agreement on the use of the Langzhong Chuanming Ginseng geographical indication was signed with Sichuan Mulanjun Biotechnology Co., Ltd. The company was supported in building a modern sulfur-free processing production line and a 1,500-cubic-meter cold storage facility. In 2010, the company fully honored its “order-based” purchase of fresh Chuanming Ginseng in base towns, giving full play to the leading role of deep-processing agricultural product enterprises and advancing industrialization further.

　　Characteristics of Langzhong Chuanming Ginseng:

　　Sweet, slightly bitter, neutral. Enters the lung and spleen meridians. Moistens the lungs and resolves phlegm, harmonizes the middle and nourishes the stomach. Used for dry cough, difficulty expectorating, physical weakness after illness, poor appetite, and dry mouth. Common dosage: 10g–15g.

　　Note: Previous medical texts mistakenly recorded Sichuan-produced Chuanming Ginseng as Radix Changii. This should be corrected.

　　Function: Enters the lung and spleen meridians. Moistens the lungs and resolves phlegm, harmonizes the middle and nourishes the stomach. Used for dry cough, difficulty expectorating, physical weakness after illness, poor appetite, and dry mouth. Common dosage: 10g–15g.

　　Flavor and nature: Sweet, slightly bitter, neutral

　　Geographical Scope

　　Langzhong Chuanming Ginseng (also known as Sand Ginseng) is produced in 24 towns (offices) within Langzhong City, Sichuan Province, including Qianfo, Hefeng, Wangya, Sanmiao, Fengzhan, Laoguan, Longquan, Xishan, Jinzi, Erlong, Jieyuan, Shitan, Liangshui, Siyi, Mulan, Qiaolou, Helou, Beimen, Zaobi, Dongxing, Qingquan, Pengcheng, Wuma, and Shaxi. Langzhong is a national-level ecological demonstration city, located in the low mountain and hilly area at the northern edge of the Sichuan Basin, in the northern part of Nanchong City and the middle reaches of the Jialing River. Its geographical coordinates are between 105°41′–106°24′ east longitude and 31°21′–31°51′ north latitude. It borders Bazhong and Yilong to the east, Jiange to the west, Nanbu to the south, and Cangxi to the north.

　　Natural Ecological Environment and Humanistic Historical Factors

　　(1) Soil and Topography: The land in Langzhong features undulating hills, with a topography consisting of hills and low mountains, divided into four types: narrow valleys in low mountains, mid-valleys in high hills, wide valleys in mid-hills, and dam-like areas in shallow hills. The soils are classified into four soil types, six subtypes, ten soil genera, and thirty-eight soil species. The soil pH ranges from 6.5 to 7.5. Soil fertility is moderate, predominantly neutral and slightly acidic, with organic matter content of about 1.55%.

　　(2) Hydrology: Langzhong receives an average annual precipitation of 1.923 billion cubic meters, or 996,000 cubic meters per square kilometer, with 2,356 cubic meters of water available per capita. There is abundant transit water. The city has one river (the Jialing) and four tributaries, along with 169 smaller streams, covering a total area of 9,080 hectares. The Jialing River is 45 kilometers long, while the East River, West River, Baixihao, and Gouxixi together stretch 149.35 kilometers. Just the transit water from the Jialing, East River, and Baixihao amounts to 24.03 billion cubic meters.

　　The city has relatively abundant groundwater reserves, totaling 58.33 million cubic meters, of which 26.72 million cubic meters are developable. This equates to 13,800 cubic meters per square kilometer and 40.9 cubic meters per mu of cultivated land. The water is clear and pure, making it ideal for industrial, agricultural, and domestic use, and creating favorable conditions for the large-scale production of Langzhong Chuanming Ginseng.

　　(3) Climate: Langzhong has a mid-subtropical humid monsoon climate, characterized by mild weather, abundant rainfall, and four distinct but suitable-for-farming seasons, with rich light, heat, and water resources. The climate is relatively warm, with distinct vertical zoning differences. The average annual accumulated temperature is 6,277.8°C, the mean daily temperature is 17.1°C, and the frost-free period lasts 289 days. The area receives abundant rainfall, averaging 996.1 mm annually, and enjoys good sunshine with an average of 1,413.4 hours per year. Evaporation is less than precipitation, resulting in relatively moist air with an average annual relative humidity of 75%—creating a unique environment ideal for the growth of Langzhong Chuanming Ginseng.

　　(4) Humanistic and Historical Background: Langzhong has a long history, a unique location, and has nurtured many notable figures. Ancient sites excavated by archaeologists at Lanjiaba in the northern part of the city indicate that humans were living there during the Neolithic Age, engaging in fishing, hunting, and farming. During the Warring States period, Langzhong was the capital of the Ba Kingdom. Since the establishment of Langzhong County by King Hui of Qin in 314 AD, it has a history of over 2,300 years. As early as the Qin and Han dynasties, it served as a key transportation hub from Qin into Shu. Bordered by the eastern foothills of the Daba Mountains and the majestic Jianmen Pass to the west, the Jialing River runs through the city from north to south, connecting Guangyuan and Bikou upstream and Chongqing and Shanghai downstream. Dynasties throughout history regarded Langzhong as a vital stronghold for controlling Sichuan and the southwest, establishing important administrative and military institutions here such as counties, prefectures, states, circuits, armies, routes, and provincial offices. Throughout the long course of history, Langzhong has remained the political, economic, and cultural center of northern Sichuan.

　　Langzhong Chuanming Ginseng is commonly called Sand Ginseng, also known as Turen (Earth Ginseng). It is a herbaceous plant of the Umbelliferae family, with therapeutic and health functions similar to those of wild ginseng. It is a unique monotypic genus plant in China, growing only in Sichuan and Hubei. Legend has it that during the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty, the founding abbot of Ciyun Temple on Yun Ding Mountain, Elder Yunhua, presented this herb to Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. After consumption, it was said to improve eyesight, invigorate the spirit, and boost vitality, prompting the emperor to name it “Ming Shen” (Bright Ginseng). Chuanming Ginseng is both a major traditional Chinese medicinal material and a premium nutritional supplement. It was once an imperial tribute in ancient courts, with its value recorded in the ancient pharmacopoeia Compendium of Materia Medica. According to the Langzhong County Medical Annals, Langzhong Chuanming Ginseng has over a hundred years of artificial cultivation history. Through generations of cultivation and propagation, its traits have remained excellent and stable. However, due to its limited quantity and unknown active components, it is only documented in the Sichuan Provincial Herbal Medicine Standards.

　　To expand and strengthen the Chuanming Ginseng specialty industry, the Langzhong Municipal Party Committee and Government have established long-term technical cooperation with the Resource and Planting Research Institute of the Sichuan Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Sciences. They have moved beyond the “household-based operation” model and actively promoted an operational model of “company + research + association + specialized cooperative + grower (farmer).” They have also established...

　　...a specialized herbal medicine association to serve the industry. The “Langzhong Chuanming Ginseng Production Base Management System” and the “Langzhong Pollution-Free Agricultural Product Production Technical Procedures (Chuanming Ginseng)” are strictly implemented. The project “Standardized Cultivation Techniques and Industrial Development of Chuanming Ginseng” has also been listed as a national Spark Program project. Moreover, Langzhong Chuanming Ginseng’s unique processing method has been applied for a national patent, continuously improving its production and management standards. In 2009, the Sichuan Provincial Government designated Langzhong as one of the three key medicinal herb base counties in the province.