Zhijin Headflower Polygonum

Zhijin Headflower Polygonum

Zhijin Headflower Polygonum is a protected geographical indication product.

　　Zhijin Headflower Polygonum is a famous authentic medicinal herb from Guizhou and a well-known brand in the Miao medicine market. As an authentic medicinal material, Headflower Polygonum has been cultivated artificially in Zhijin for over 30 years. Also known as sun grass, stone bramble, or water hydrangea, it is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Polygonum genus, Polygonaceae family, and Headflower Polygonum group, with its main components being flavonoids. Historically, Headflower Polygonum was a commonly used herbal medicine among ethnic minorities in northwestern Guizhou. It is warm in nature, with a bitter and astringent taste, and is uniquely effective in clearing heat and dampness, detoxifying and relieving pain, harmonizing blood and dispersing stasis, and promoting urination and unblocking liniments. It is used in the treatment of dysentery, pyelonephritis, cystitis, urinary tract stones, pelvic inflammatory disease, prostatitis, rheumatic pain, bruises and injuries, and sores, eczema, and other conditions. The stems, leaves, buds, and flowers of Zhijin Headflower Polygonum also have high ornamental value.

　　According to historical documents from the Qing Dynasty such as the *Guizhou General Gazetteer* and the *Pingyuan Prefecture Gazetteer*, it is specifically recorded: “Headflower Polygonum is widely produced throughout the prefecture, with red flowers, round purple leaves, and a slightly bitter and astringent taste. The Zhong Miao people often gather it for medicinal use.” This reflects that Zhijin Headflower Polygonum had already drawn external attention during the Qing Dynasty. Zhijin Headflower Polygonum is a renowned authentic medicinal herb from Guizhou with historically high recognition, which can be attributed to two factors. On one hand, it stems from the quality characteristics of Zhijin Headflower Polygonum. Before liberation, Zhijin Headflower Polygonum was mainly wild. The Miao people in northwestern Guizhou, who possessed remarkable medical aptitude but lived in extreme poverty, gradually discovered its medicinal value through production and daily life and widely used it as a primary herb for treating bruises, injuries, and inflammation and pain. On the other hand, it is determined by Zhijin’s geographical location. Situated in central-western Guizhou, Zhijin serves as a crucial junction connecting the western, northern, and Yunnan regions of the province. Zhijin is also a famous historical and cultural city in Guizhou, with significant population movement historically. The well-traveled people of Zhijin carried the medicinal uses of Headflower Polygonum with them during their time away from home, spreading awareness of it externally. Zhu Houze, the late former Minister of the Central Propaganda Department, was originally from Zhijin, Guizhou. Every time he returned to his hometown, he would fondly recall how, when he was a child and fell ill without the means for treatment, a kind neighbor cured him using Headflower Polygonum. Even after years away, whenever he missed his hometown, the image of Zhijin Headflower Polygonum would come to mind.

　　The quality characteristics of Zhijin Headflower Polygonum are mainly reflected in two aspects:

　　First, it has high levels of chemical components such as total flavonoids, gallic acid, and quercetin glycosides, demonstrating significant pharmacological effects including sedation, analgesia, antipyresis, anti-invasion, detoxification, stasis dispersion, and diuresis and liniment unblocking.

　　Second, it is rich in various chemical components and offers multiple special medicinal effects. According to experiments conducted by Professor Zhang Liyan from Guiyang College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and others, ten batches of Headflower Polygonum from southeastern Guizhou, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Zhijin were analyzed pharmacologically (in 2012), focusing on its most important active components: total flavonoids, gallic acid, and quercetin glycosides. The content of flavonoids, gallic acid, and quercetin glycosides in Headflower Polygonum from Zhijin County was found to be the highest, measured at 1.59%, 2.7%, and 0.34% respectively. Compared to Headflower Polygonum from within and outside the province, Zhijin Headflower Polygonum consistently maintains a relatively high overall percentage. Precisely because of this, Zhijin Headflower Polygonum has a high extraction rate and high medicinal value.

　　Additionally, according to research by Dr. Wang Xiangpei from Guiyang College of Traditional Chinese Medicine on the chemical components of Zhijin Headflower Polygonum, 88 components were isolated from the volatile compounds of Zhijin-grown Headflower Polygonum, and 51 compounds were identified, accounting for 73.10% of the total volatile oil. These mainly include 1-octen-3-ol, 2-hexenal, γ-gurjunene, 2-heptenal, nonanal, longifolene, and blue eucalyptus oil, among others.

　　The production area of Zhijin Headflower Polygonum covers the entire current administrative region of Zhijin County, Guizhou Province.