Binhai White fleeceflower root

Binhai White fleeceflower root

Binhai White fleeceflower root is a protected geographical indication product.

Binhai White fleeceflower root is a certified geographical indication trademark.

Binhai White fleeceflower root is an agricultural geographical indication product.

　　Binhai White fleeceflower root, commonly known locally as He Shou Wu or Bai He Shou Wu, and abbreviated as Shou Wu, is derived from the original plant Cynanchum auriculatum Royle ex Wight of the Asclepiadaceae family (subfamily Asclepiadoideae), belonging to the genus Cynanchum. It is a traditional Chinese plant used for food, medicine, and beauty purposes. 95% of the national production of Cynanchum auriculatum Royle ex Wight, the source plant of white fleeceflower root, comes from Binhai County, Jiangsu Province. Local farmers have a long history of cultivating white fleeceflower root, making the region famous as the “Hometown of Shou Wu.”

　　 Historical herbal texts indicate that white fleeceflower root was first used in the late Tang Dynasty, flourished during the Song and Ming Dynasties, and has been in continuous use to this day, enjoying a prestigious reputation both in China and abroad. It has been regarded by generations of medical practitioners as a precious tonic for health preservation and anti-aging, with benefits such as calming the nerves, enriching the blood, consolidating vital essence, nourishing liver and kidney, darkening hair, and combating aging. In the seventh year of the Yuanhe era of the Tang Dynasty (812 AD), Li Ao wrote the "Record of He Shou Wu." The "Kaibao Bencao" (Compendium of Materia Medica from the Kaibao Era) of the Song Dynasty states under the He Shou Wu entry, “There are red and white varieties; the red is male, and the white is female.” It also says: “The roots are harvested in spring, summer, and autumn, and both male and female types are used.” Ming dynasty’s Li Zhongzi pointed out: “The white one enters the qi, the red one enters the blood; combining red and white nurtures both qi and blood together.” Li Shizhen also valued the traditional practice of combining red and white in clinical application. The tonifying formulas in "Compendium of Materia Medica" that feature He Shou Wu as the main ingredient all follow the principle of using equal parts of red and white He Shou Wu in preparation and combination. Thus, since ancient times, He Shou Wu has been distinguished into red and white varieties, with a tradition of combining them. As for the original plants, according to the "Tujing Bencao" (Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica), “In spring it grows sprouts; the stem is purple, the leaves are opposite, resembling taro but not glossy. In summer and autumn it bears yellowish-white flowers... The female plant’s sprouts are yellowish-white, while the male’s are yellowish-red.” Combining records from the "Compendium of Materia Medica," "Classified Materia Medica," and the illustrations in Li Ao’s "Record of He Shou Wu" from the Tang Dynasty, the red variety originates from Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. of the Polygonaceae family (genus Polygonum), known as red He Shou Wu, male He Shou Wu, or red fleeceflower root. The white variety comes from three cultivars of Cynanchum auriculatum Royle ex Wight of the Asclepiadaceae family (genus Cynanchum): Cynanchum auriculatum, Cynanchum wilfordii, and Cynanchum bungei—these three are known as white He Shou Wu, female He Shou Wu, and white fleeceflower root, respectively. Among them, Cynanchum auriculatum is mainly produced in Binhai, Jiangsu, with over two hundred years of cultivation history, and has been continuously used by folk communities to this day; Cynanchum wilfordii is primarily found in Yanji, Jilin, growing wild; Cynanchum bungei mainly comes from Tai’an, Shandong, mostly wild with some limited cultivation.

　　 The Cynanchum auriculatum Royle ex Wight, or white fleeceflower root, in Binhai has gradually been domesticated from its original wild form into a locally specialized cultivated variety, with a planting history spanning over two hundred years. The ecological environment of the old course of the Yellow River region where Binhai white fleeceflower root is grown offers comprehensive natural conditions uniquely suitable for its growth and development.

　　 Binhai white fleeceflower root products are unique across the nation and have a long history. According to the "Funing County Annals" (Binhai County was formerly part of Funing County), as early as the end of the 18th century, people in the northeastern part of the county made powder from cultivated white fleeceflower root and presented it as tribute to the imperial court; the "Binhai County Annals" record that as early as the Xianfeng era of the Qing Dynasty, local farmers were planting white fleeceflower root, processing it into powder, and giving it as gifts to relatives and friends. This practice has been passed down through generations, with rich experience in cultivation and processing accumulated over a long period of production. Binhai is the first place in Chinese history to successfully process white fleeceflower root into functional and health foods. He Shou Wu, along with ginseng, lingzhi, and cordyceps, has long been known as one of the “Four Immortal Herbs” of traditional Chinese medicine. Legend has it that one of the Eight Immortals, Zhang Guolao, attained immortality by consuming a steamed thousand-year-old He Shou Wu. The white donkey that Zhang Guolao famously rode backward also became immortal after drinking the broth from the boiled ancient He Shou Wu. Historical texts alone document over 20 time-honored compound prescriptions for health, longevity, and preservation, primarily featuring combined red and white He Shou Wu, such as He Shou Wu Pills, Immortal’s Elderly-Training Pills, Hair-Darkening Yang-Benefiting Elixir, Longevity Pills, and Seven-Treasure Beard-Beautifying Pills, all of which are widely renowned. The traditional processing method of Binhai white fleeceflower root powder involves: at the end of autumn and beginning of winter, harvesting the white fleeceflower root tubers, washing them clean with water, peeling them with a bamboo knife, grinding them with a stone mill, and then filtering the slurry through a powder sieve or fine gauze to remove residue (similar to the tofu-making process). The slurry is left to settle naturally in a vat, then washed and stirred repeatedly with water for one to two rounds. The starch is then gathered with gauze, drained, and dried to become the final white fleeceflower root powder product. Historically, due to its rarity, it was mainly used for imperial tribute and as gifts to family and friends, with any remaining portion reserved for the household head and elders. This traditional processing method continued until the 1950s–60s, and it wasn’t until the 1970s when planned cultivation of white fleeceflower root was implemented and the supply and marketing cooperatives began unified purchasing and processing that electric stone mills, mechanical sieving, and slurry washing and settling methods were introduced. The starch was later dried using drying machines to produce the powder. Currently, the processing of white fleeceflower root products combines traditional methods with modern techniques on automated or semi-automated production and packaging lines.

　　The geographical indication protection area for Binhai White fleeceflower root includes the administrative regions of 11 townships in Binhai County, Jiangsu Province: Binhai Port Town, Zhendong Township, Chentao Township, Binhuai Town, Batan Town, Baju Town, Jiepai Town, Dongkan Town, Fanji Township, Datao Township, and Tiantang Township, as well as the provincial-level Binhuai Farm within the county.