Lueyang Eucommia

Lueyang Eucommia

Lueyang Eucommia is a protected geographical indication product.

Lueyang Eucommia is a certified geographical indication trademark.

　　Eucommia is a plant of the genus Eucommia in the family Eucommiaceae, and its dried bark is used as a traditional Chinese medicinal herb. China’s first pharmacopoeia, the “Shennong Bencao Jing” (The Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica), records Eucommia [Figure 1: Dried Lueyang Eucommia product].

　　…as having medicinal effects such as “tasting pungent, being neutral and non-toxic. It treats lower back and spine pain, strengthens the middle energizer, benefits qi, fortifies sinews and bones, sharpens the mind, removes itching and dampness in the genitals, and alleviates residual dribbling after urination. Long-term use makes the body light and prolongs life.” It is a traditional and highly valued medicinal herb.

　　Shaanxi Lueyang is the native habitat and optimal growth area of Eucommia, serving as the core production region. It has a long history of development. Since the 1983 National Woody Medicinal Materials Conference, where the state designated Lueyang as a key Eucommia base county, the local area has vigorously developed this tree species—which serves both medicinal and environmental protection purposes—by leveraging policies such as Long-Term Afforestation and Control Projects, poverty alleviation initiatives, auctions of barren land, conversion of farmland to forests, and natural forest conservation. By 2008, the county had 586,000 mu (approximately 129 million trees, averaging 4 mu or 890 trees per person) of Eucommia in the ground, accounting for one-eighth of the national total. In 2000, it was among the first regions named “Hometown of Eucommia” by the State Forestry Administration. In December 2008, after review by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, it was decided to implement national geographical indication product protection.

　　Lueyang County has 36,000 hectares of Eucommia plantations, with a stock of 129 million trees, accounting for 12.5% of the national Eucommia yield, making it the top Eucommia-producing county in China.

　　Protected Area

　　The protected geographical indication area for Lueyang Eucommia includes the administrative regions of 21 towns and townships in Lueyang County, Shaanxi Province: Chengguan Town, Hengxianhe Town, Jinjiahe Town, Guozhen Town, Xihuaiba Township, Jieshouting Town, Hejiayan Town, Xiakouyi Town, Heiheba Township, Lianghekou Town, Xiantaibei Township, Guanyinsi Township, Yudongzi Township, Baishigou Township, Jiuzhongjin Township, Xujiaping Town, Matiwan Township, Baishuijiang Town, Baiquesi Township, Lesuhe Town, and Shijiayuan Township.