Yulong Dian Chonglou

Yulong Dian Chonglou

Yulong Dian Chonglou is a product with a geographical indication for agricultural produce.

　　Chonglou holds significant medicinal value and is widely used in the production of various traditional Chinese medicines and clinical treatments. It is an important traditional Chinese medicinal herb. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that chonglou has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, reducing swelling and relieving pain, cooling the liver and calming convulsions. It is used to treat abscesses, sore throat, snake bites, bruises, and convulsions. Modern pharmacological research has found that chonglou also has hemostatic, expectorant, antibacterial, sedative, analgesic, anti-early pregnancy and spermicidal, as well as anti-cytotoxic properties. It is clinically used to treat functional uterine bleeding, neurodermatitis, surgical inflammation, and tumors, showing significant efficacy. Research has shown that among the 24 known species of chonglou worldwide, Yunnan Dian Chonglou has the highest medicinal value and best quality. It is mainly distributed in central and northwestern Yunnan, as well as surrounding areas, and is one of the source plants of the traditional Chinese medicinal herb chonglou as specified in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Years of exploitative overharvesting have led to the gradual depletion of wild Dian Chonglou resources, making it an endangered and rare species. Wild resources alone can no longer meet market demand, and the scarcity of chonglou resources has become a bottleneck restricting the sustainable development of related pharmaceutical industries. Artificial cultivation has thus become an inevitable choice to solve the shortage of chonglou. Yulong County has a highly suitable ecological environment for the cultivation and growth of Dian Chonglou, and it was historically one of the main producing areas. Currently, our county has achieved positive results in the wild-domesticated cultivation of Dian Chonglou, screening of high-quality varieties, experimental research on cultivation management techniques, and demonstration promotion. The county has over 50,000 mu of arable land suitable for Dian Chonglou cultivation. To date, the cumulative cultivated area of Dian Chonglou has reached 3,694.75 mu, and a number of standardized artificial cultivation demonstration sites and high-quality seedling breeding bases have been established, laying a solid foundation for future large-scale promotion.

　　Geographic Scope

　　Yulong Dian Chonglou is produced within the territory of Yulong Naxi Autonomous County, covering 16 townships (towns) and one office: Ludian Township, Liming Township, Taxue Township, Shitou Township, Jiuhe Township, Baoshan Township, Longpan Township, Tai’an Township, Daju Township, Baisha Town, Shigu Town, Judian Town, Lashi Town, Huangshan Town, Fengke Town, Mingyin Town, and Yulongshan Office. The geographical coordinates are: 99°22′49″ to 100°32′17″ east longitude, and 26°35′03″ to 27°45′46″ north latitude. The planting area spans 6,198.76 square kilometers. The planted area covers 6,667 hectares, with an annual yield of 1,000 tons (dried product).

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　1. External Sensory Characteristics: The product is nodular, flat cylindrical in shape, slightly curved, 5 cm to 12 cm in length, and 1.0 cm to 4.5 cm in diameter. The surface is yellowish-brown or grayish-brown, with white areas where the outer skin has peeled off; it is densely covered with layered, protruding coarse ring patterns. One side has prominent nodules with oval-shaped sunken stem scars, while the other side has sparse fibrous roots or wart-like root scars. The top bears remnants of scales and stems. The texture is firm, the cross-section is flat, and the color ranges from white to light brown, pink, or horny. It has a faint scent and a slightly bitter, numbing taste. 2. Internal Quality Characteristics: Moisture ≤ 12%, total ash ≤ 6.0%, acid-insoluble ash ≤ 3.0%. Calculated on a dry product basis, the total content of polyphyllin I (C44H70O16), polyphyllin II (C51H82O20), polyphyllin VI (C39H62O13), and polyphyllin VII (C51H82O21) must not be less than 0.60%. 3. Quality and Safety Regulations: Quality and safety strictly comply with the requirements of the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (2015 Edition, Part I).