Nayong Gastrodia Elata

Nayong Gastrodia Elata

　　　Gastrodia elata, also known as "Chi Jian," is a perennial herbaceous plant of the orchid family. It contains no chlorophyll and grows in cool, damp forest environments. The aboveground stem is upright, yellowish-red, with membranous scales on the nodes. It blooms in summer, typically forming dense racemes. The flower corolla is obliquely pitcher-shaped and yellow. Underground, it has a fleshy, thick rhizome, which is the primary part used for medicinal and culinary purposes. In the ancient pharmacopoeia “Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica,” it is listed as a top-grade tonic for brain health. The rhizome contains substances such as vanillyl alcohol, vitamin A-like compounds, glycosides, and trace alkaloids.

　　Located in the Wumeng Mountain area of northwestern Guizhou, Nayong benefits from suitable altitude, cool and moist climate, and acidic sandy soil rich in humus—providing an ideal environment for the parasitic growth and breeding of Gastrodia elata, making it one of its native producing regions. Especially in towns and townships such as Zongling, Zhangjiawan, Shuidong, Kunzhai, Zuojigua, and Yangchang, both wild and cultivated Gastrodia elata are abundant, large in size, rich in juice, and when dried, exhibit a light yellowish-brown color, thick flesh, firm texture, and semi-transparency. Laboratory tests and clinical practice have shown that cultivated Gastrodia elata contains high levels of vanillyl alcohol, vitamin A-like compounds, glycosides, and trace alkaloids, with chemical composition and pharmacological effects similar to those of wild Gastrodia elata, making it widely favored. Over the years, Nayong has produced around 5 tons of Gastrodia elata annually.

　　In traditional Chinese medicine, the underground rhizome of Gastrodia elata is used medicinally. It is neutral in nature and sweet in taste, with the function of calming wind and settling convulsions. It is primarily used to treat conditions such as liver-wind headaches, dizziness, convulsions, spasms, and infantile convulsions. According to modern scientific data, Gastrodia elata has strong brain-strengthening and heart-benefiting properties and shows significant therapeutic effects on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.