Jiyuan Dongling Cao: Ten-thousand-year Herb and Thousand-year Ginkgo

Henan Daily

Zhengzhou: On September 29, the small city of Jiyuan in central China’s Henan province enjoyed a pleasant climate. In the afternoon, steeping a cup of Dongling Cao (Rabdosia Rubescens) tea is a joy. As the leaves unfurling, the broth was clear with green leaves, a perfect balance of bitterness and sweetness, offering an excellent anti-inflammatory, detoxifying, and heat-clearing effect.

“Mount Wangwu, a treasure among treasures, with thousand-year ginkgo and ten-thousand-year herb.” The herb refers to Dongling Cao (Rabdosia rubescens), which is a gift from the Taihang Mountains to Jiyuan and is also approved as a national geographical indication in China. Every winter, because its plants can form ice blades as thin as cicada wings, varying in shape, Dongling Cao is thus named. Dongling Cao in Jiyuan has a long history, rich resources, unique populations, and authentic quality. The content of the active ingredient methylxanthine is more than 50% higher than that from other regions.

Zaomiao village in Kejing town, Jiyuan, is located in the transitional zone between the mountainous region at the southern foot of the Mount Taihang and the plain. The crop yields are low, so the local community adapts to the environment and lead villagers to explore the cultivation of Dongling Cao, which is easy to survive and has strong drought tolerance. “This year, the market is doing well, and we are eager to expand cultivation,” Wang Zhenquan, a major grower, said with a smile.

As the main production area for Donglingcao in China, Jiyuan has the largest Dongling Cao cultivation base in the whole country. The protected area within the region covers 5,800 hectares, with an annual production capacity of over 50,000 tons of the whole Dongling Cao herb, generating a total industry output value exceeding 600 million yuan. In recent years, Jiyuan Demonstration Zone has been committed to developing and utilizing this valuable resource of Dongling Cao, forming a complete industry chain covering a variety of sections including variety selection and breeding, domestication of wild resources, seed collection, large-scale planting, scientific production and sales, standardized storage, as well as research and innovation of new products.

At the end of last year, Jiyuan Dongling Cao Geographical Indication Product Protection Demonstration Zone in Henan province was approved for construction, with a construction period of 2 years. This will significantly enhance the image and market competitiveness of Jiyuan Dongling Cao geographical indication products and promote the high-quality development of the Dongling Cao industry.

“We will continue to strengthen the protection and application of geographical indication products, further promote the development of geographical indication-related industries and regional development plans, and establish an effective linkage mechanism between government departments and leading geographical indication enterprises. Our goal is to build a strong regional public brand and industry benchmark, empowering rural revitalization,” said Wang Bo, head of the Market Supervision and Regulation Bureau of Jiyuan Demonstration Zone.