Wuyi Dendrobium

Wuyi Dendrobium

Wuyi Dendrobium is a product with a geographical indication for agricultural produce.

　　Among the Dendrobium orchids, Dendrobium has long enjoyed a high reputation and is hailed as “a noble variety that stands alone at the pinnacle.” In terms of its essence, Dendrobium gets its name from the iron-green color of its epidermis. Also known as Black Joint Grass, it is the most precious and medicinally valuable type among Dendrobium medicinal herbs, and can be regarded as the finest of all Dendrobium varieties. The ancient pharmacologist Zhang Shouyi described Dendrobium as: “Among Dendrobium, those with deep green skin, firm texture, and a thick, slightly sweet taste that feels sticky on the tongue when chewed are considered top-grade — these are called Dendrobium.” In other words, one particular type of Dendrobium, known as Dendrobium, is the best among all Dendrobium varieties. China’s earliest extant materia medica, the “Shennong Bencao Jing” (The Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica), along with many other influential medical works such as the “Mingyi Bie Lu” (Supplement to the Classified Materia Medica), “Bencao Gangmu” (Compendium of Materia Medica), and “Bencao Sibian Lu” (Critical Discussions on Materia Medica), all include Dendrobium and recognize its medicinal value as “top-grade” among Chinese herbal medicines. The Tang Dynasty medical classic “Daozang” (The Treasury of Dao) even ranks Dendrobium as the “foremost of the Nine Immortal Herbs of China.”

　　The medicinal use of Dendrobium has been recorded as early as in the “Shennong Bencao Jing” from the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Numerous ancient Chinese medical texts, including the “Bencao Gangmu” and the “Chinese Herbal Dictionary,” document the medicinal functions of Dendrobium. Dendrobium枫斗 (Dendrobium Candied Stems) is the processed medicinal form of Dendrobium. Since fresh Dendrobium is not convenient for transport and storage, it is processed through cultivation and drying methods, twisted into a silkworm pupa-like shape, resembling a candied stem, hence the name. Dendrobium is a valuable traditional Chinese medicine.

　　Represented by enterprises like Shouxian Valley, Wuyi has developed a complete traditional Chinese medicine industrial chain for Dendrobium, covering basic scientific research in Chinese medicine, breeding of superior varieties, wild-simulated organic cultivation, exploration of ancient health-preserving secret formulas, modern extraction of active ingredients in TCM processing, and clinical application of Chinese medicine. Over ten achievements related to Dendrobium, Ganoderma lucidum and others have filled international and domestic gaps, reached internationally advanced levels, and won numerous provincial, municipal, and national science and technology progress awards. Products developed under their leadership — such as Dendrobium Candied Stems, Dendrobium Candied Stems Granules (Capsules), Dendrobium Candied Stems Extract, Carthamus ruili Extract, and Ganoderma Lucidum Broken Spore Powder (Capsules) — have received consistent praise from experts, scholars, and consumers for their authenticity and efficacy. The Shouxian Valley brand Dendrobium won the Gold Award at the 2008 China Yiwu (International) Forest Products Expo in November 2008 and was honored as a Zhejiang Famous-Brand Product in September 2010. The Shouxian Valley brand Dendrobium-Ganoderma Extract won the Jinhua Famous-Brand Product title in May 2011. The Shouxian Valley brand Dendrobium Candied Stems Capsule was awarded the Jinhua Quality Agricultural Product Gold Award in October 2005. The Dendrobium Candied Stems Capsule (Granules) was recognized as one of the Top Ten Wuyi Tourism Commodities in December 2007. The project “Breeding and Industrialization Research of the New Dendrobium Variety ‘Xianhu No.1’” won an Excellence Award in the Science and Technology Progress Awards by the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce in November 2010. The project “Breeding, Rapid Propagation and Industrialization Research of New Dendrobium Varieties” won the Third Prize in Science and Technology of Zhejiang Province in 2009. In June 2011, the base of the Shouxian Valley Rare Plant Medicine Research Institute for Dendrobium was designated by the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province as a Provincial Modern Agriculture “Dendrobium Boutique Garden.”

　　Wuyi Dendrobium

　　Geographic Scope

　　The protected geographic area for the Wuyi Dendrobium geographical indication for agricultural produce extends east to Chesu and Qianzhangyan in Quanxi Town, south to Sankeng Village in Sankeng Township, west to Dakengxia in Xilian Township, and north to Zhangkeng and Changshexing Villages in Baimu Township. The geographical coordinates are between 119°28′–119°55′ east longitude and 28°32′–28°50′ north latitude, covering 13 towns and subdistricts in Wuyi County, including Wangzhai Town, Baimu Township, Quanxi Town, Yuanyuan Township, Shuxi Subdistrict, Tanhong Township, Liucheng Town, Taixi Town, Xinzhai Town, Xilian Township, Datian Township, Sankeng Township, and Daxikou Township, encompassing 95 administrative villages. The plantable area spans 2,388.7 hectares, with 452 hectares planted in 2011.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　1. External Sensory Characteristics 1.1 Fresh Product: The stems are yellowish-green with light longitudinal stripes. The flowers are yellowish-green. It has a faint grassy aroma, a mild or slightly sweet taste, and feels slightly sticky upon initial chewing, then becomes thick and viscous. The stems are cylindrical with a circular cross-section, slightly swollen between nodes; nodes are distinct, spaced 1.3 cm–1.7 cm apart, unbranched, with a stem diameter of 2 mm–6 mm. Leaves are two-ranked, alternate, oblong-lanceolate, with bases extending downward as sheaths that clasp the stem. Leaf edges and midribs often have a pale purple tint, and leaf sheaths often feature purple spots. As they age, the upper edges of the sheaths loosen and separate from the stem, leaving a ring-shaped bluish-black gap. Racemes usually emerge from the upper parts of older stems, bearing 2–3 flowers. Sepals and petals are yellowish-green, oblong-lanceolate, about 1.8 cm long and 4 mm–5 mm wide. 1.2 Dried Product (Dendrobium Candied Stems): Yellowish-green. It has a faint grassy aroma, a mild taste that turns slightly sweet, and feels sticky upon initial chewing, then becomes thick and viscous, with no residue. It is spiral or spring-shaped, typically with 3–5 coils. When straightened, the stem measures 3.5 cm–8 cm in length and 0.2 cm–0.3 cm in diameter. The surface has fine longitudinal wrinkles, a firm texture, and is easily broken, with a flat fracture. 2. Internal Quality Indicators 2.1 Fresh Product: Moisture ≤88%, crude polysaccharides (calculated as glucose) ≥25% (after drying). 2.2 Dried Product (Dendrobium Candied Stems): Moisture ≤12%, ash ≤6.0%, acid-insoluble ash ≤1.2%, extractives ≥6.5%, crude polysaccharides (calculated as anhydrous glucose) ≥25%, mannose to glucose peak area ratio 2.4–8.0, mannose 13.0%–38.0%. 2.3 Safety Requirements: Comply with the Zhejiang Provincial Standard “Pollution-Free Dendrobium” (DB33/635.4-2007).