Pingli Gynostemma

Pingli Gynostemma

Pingli Gynostemma is a protected geographical indication product.

Pingli Gynostemma is a certified geographical indication trademark.

　　Pingli Gynostemma is a variety of traditional Chinese medicinal herb, a specialty of Pingli County in Shaanxi Province, and a product with a geographical indication recognized by China. Pingli serves as the natural distribution and differentiation center of Gynostemma, earning the reputation as the “hometown of Gynostemma.” The unique micro-ecological environment of the region is highly suitable for the growth and development of Gynostemma. It is the earliest-developed and largest county for the artificial cultivation of Gynostemma in China, as well as a national standardization demonstration zone for Gynostemma. Pingli County’s Gynostemma products are popular in markets such as Japan, Beijing, and Guangzhou for being purely natural, pollution-free, and rich in trace elements.

　　　Gynostemma is hailed by the medical community as the “miracle grass of the East” and the “herb of human blessing,” but it has high requirements for soil, climate, and other conditions. Apart from limited cultivation in Fujian, Hubei, Yunnan, Sichuan, and other provinces in China, Pingli County—located in a northern subtropical humid monsoon climate zone—with its abundant rainfall, mild climate, ample sunshine, long frost-free period, and low content of harmful substances in the soil, has become the optimal region in China for ecologically grown medicinal plants. According to statistics, in 2007, the area under artificial cultivation of Gynostemma in China was approximately 70,000 mu. In Shaanxi Province, only Ankang City developed the Gynostemma industry, with a total planting area of 28,000 mu, of which Pingli accounted for 20,000 mu. The planting area and raw material yield in Pingli made up over 35% of the national total. Bitter-tasting Gynostemma is a unique variety in China. The selected superior varieties of Gynostemma cultivated here have active substance content that is 5 percentage points higher than other varieties and regions, reaching an internationally leading level. Pingli County is the natural distribution and differentiation center of Gynostemma in China. Of the 16 known species of Gynostemma worldwide, 7 are found in this county, with saponin content as high as 12.2%, ranking first in physicochemical indicators.

　　　In accordance with the Product Quality Law of the People’s Republic of China and the Regulations on the Protection of Products of Original Geographical Regions, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China approved the application for the protection of the original geographical region product of Pingli Gynostemma. Starting December 13, 2004, the original geographical region protection for Pingli Gynostemma was implemented (Announcement No. 189, 2004).

　　Geographic Protection Scope

　　　　The original geographical region scope of Pingli Gynostemma shall be based on the area proposed in the “Letter on Defining the Original Geographical Region Product Protection Scope of Pingli Gynostemma” (Ping Zheng Zi [2003] No. 12) issued by the People’s Government of Pingli County, Shaanxi Province, covering the entire administrative region of Pingli County.