Yan'an Jujube

Yan'an Jujube

Yan'an jujube is a geographical indication protected product.

　　Yan'an is a suitable growing region for jujubes. Yan'an jujubes are rich in vitamins, citric acid, as well as trace elements such as calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, and various bioactive substances. They are often referred to as the "natural vitamin pill." Consuming more jujube-based foods also has nourishing, health-promoting, and brain-enhancing benefits. The seeds contain jujubosides A and B. The fruit is neutral in nature, with a sweet and sour taste, and offers benefits such as nourishing the heart and calming the spirit, supporting liver function, and regulating sweating. It is used to treat symptoms such as irritability and insomnia, palpitations, physical weakness with excessive sweating, neurasthenia, frequent dreaming, and dry mouth with low sweat. Yan'an jujube has the highest content of active ingredients among all types of jujubes in China. According to testing by the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Peking University, the kernels of Yan'an jujubes contain medicinal components such as activated carbon and fatty oils. After purification, these can be made into new drugs that help lower blood pressure, improve cardiovascular function, and regulate nervous system functions. In particular, the total saponin content of the medicinally effective components in the jujube kernel is 1.1353%, ranking among the top in quality across China.

　　Yan'an jujube, a specialty of Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province, is a national geographical indication product of China. Yan'an jujube comes from wild varieties of the Loess Plateau, is pollution-free and harmless, and has high nutritional content. It is often referred to as the "natural vitamin pill." It is an excellent dual-purpose dried fruit for both food and medicine.

　　　Jujube is also known as mountain jujube, thorn jujube, wild jujube, or thorny jujube. It is a deciduous shrub or small tree belonging to the Rhamnaceae family, Ziziphus genus. It grows 1 to 3 meters tall. The bark is gray-brown with longitudinal fissures; young branches are green and feature both long and short shoots. Long shoots have zigzag shapes and bear a pair of spines at the base of their branches — one straight and needle-like, the other curved downward. The leaves are simple, alternate, elliptic to ovate-lanceolate in shape, with a shortly pointed and slightly notched tip, an oblique base, three basal veins, sparse serrated edges, and very short petioles. The flowers are small, yellow-green, and grow 2–3 per cluster in leaf axils, alternating with sepals. The drupe is nearly spherical, turning dark red when ripe, with a sweet-sour taste and a large, blunt-ended stone. Flowering occurs from April to May, and fruiting from May to September. It thrives in sunny, dry environments. It is highly adaptable, capable of withstanding alkaline soil, cold, drought, and poor soil, but does not tolerate waterlogging. It can grow on hillsides, mountains, ditches, roadsides, and wastelands.

　　　In accordance with the "Regulations on the Protection of Geographical Indication Products," the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine organized a review of the application for the geographical indication protection of Yan'an jujube. Upon passing the review, approval was granted to implement geographical indication protection for Yan'an jujube starting December 31, 2005.

　　Protected Area

　　　　The protected area for Yan'an jujube as a geographical indication product is based on the scope proposed in the document “Letter Regarding the Application to Define the Protected Area for Yan'an Jujube as a Geographical Indication Product” (Yan Zheng Han [2005] No. 13) issued by the People's Government of Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province. This includes the administrative regions of twelve counties and districts under the jurisdiction of Yan'an City: Baota District, Wuqi, Zhidan, Ansai, Zichang, Yanchuan, Yanchang, Yichuan, Ganquan, Fu County, Luochuan, and Huangling, as well as the administrative regions of eight towns in Huanglong County: Shibao Town, Fanjia Zhuozi, Jietoumiao, Hongshiya, Baimatan, Baiyu, and Sancha.