Gastrodia, also known as "Ming Tianma", "Ding Fengcao", and "Hui Long Zi", is a type of orchid plant. The tuber of Gastrodia elata BL is used medicinally, and it is considered a valuable herb with the function of calming wind and spasms. It is mainly used to treat conditions such as rheumatic waist and knee pain, limb numbness, dizziness, headache, and childhood convulsions. Gastrodia has been used as medicine for over a thousand years, and was classified as a superior herb during the Eastern Han Dynasty. China has long been known as the kingdom of Gastrodia. Throughout history, imperial families regarded Gastrodia-based health wine as a treasured palace item, kept secret from the public. Consequently, its use spread widely among common people, becoming well-known. In ancient Chinese medical texts like "Shen Nong's Herbal Classic" and "Compendium of Materia Medica," there are records stating that Gastrodia can "cure all diseases, extend life, and delay aging." According to historical records, between 1403 and 1423, Zheng He introduced Gastrodia to foreign countries during his seven voyages to the Western Seas. By the early 20th century, there were large exports of Gastrodia, reaching Southeast Asia, Japan, the Middle East, and Europe and America. In recent years, the international market price of Chinese Gastrodia has reached up to $70 per kilogram, with high demand. As an irreplaceable precious medicinal herb from its original place of origin, its excellent quality and meticulous processing have earned Chinese Gastrodia a high reputation in the international market!
Gastrodia primarily grows within the latitude range of 24-45 degrees north and longitude range of 94-142 degrees east. This includes most regions of China, while globally, apart from small distributions in northern Korea, Japan, and parts of the former Soviet Union's Far East, Gastrodia is mainly produced in China. With continuous improvements in artificial cultivation techniques, such as regulating temperature and humidity and controlling growth environments, regional restrictions on Gastrodia cultivation in China have become less strict.
Wild Gastrodia mostly grows at altitudes of 500-1000 meters in high mountain broadleaf forests with loose soil. Gradually, it transitioned from wild to cultivated varieties. With continuous advancements in cultivation techniques, Gastrodia cultivation has expanded from cold, high-altitude areas to low-altitude hills and plains in warm temperate zones, from rural areas to urban settings, including front and backyards, courtyards, indoors, basements, and various forest understories. In terms of facility utilization, cultivation methods have evolved from underground and ground-level beds to brick pools, wooden boxes, bamboo baskets, and plastic containers. Cultivation materials have expanded from solely using oak trees to utilizing branches, trunks, leaves, corn cobs, wood shavings, straw, and more from over a hundred types of broadleaf trees. Cultivation substrates have expanded from single humus soils to include sawdust, rice husks, sand, and various broadleaf tree leaves.
Developing artificial cultivation of Gastrodia allows for both modern factory-style intensive batch production and decentralized planting. Various factors affecting Gastrodia growth and development can be controlled manually, reducing the impact of natural droughts and floods and minimizing pest and disease damage, ensuring stable and reliable yields. Indoor Gastrodia cultivation does not occupy farmland, uses readily available materials, requires simple equipment, involves minimal investment, and offers high returns.
With the improvement in living standards and increased health awareness in the 21st century, Gastrodia products have expanded from their previous single medicinal use to encompass dietary and health supplement industries, with demand increasing annually. Especially since the spring of 2010, domestic consumption has surged sharply, exports have continued to increase, supplies have struggled to meet demand, and prices have continuously risen. Therefore, the market prospects are very promising, presenting a rare opportunity!
The main wild resources of Gastrodia in China are distributed in Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Jilin provinces. There are also small amounts of wild resources in North Korea, Japan, and some Southeast Asian countries. Western Europe and America do not have Gastrodia resources. Thus, Gastrodia is hailed as a "Chinese Treasure" and is a rare delicacy.
Due to consistently high purchase prices (currently over 160 yuan per kilogram), farmers in producing areas have indiscriminately overharvested wild Gastrodia, leading to resource depletion. Nowadays, it is difficult to find wild Gastrodia in the pharmaceutical market. The National Pharmaceutical Administration reports that the national annual Gastrodia production is approximately 500,000 kilograms, while the annual demand is about 750,000 kilograms, leaving a significant gap.
Currently, with the improvement in living standards, Gastrodia is no longer just used for treating illnesses but has also entered people's lives as a health supplement. In recent years, emerging aerospace medicine has utilized Gastrodia as a brain-nourishing product for high-altitude flight personnel. Domestically produced Gastrodia tea and Gastrodia glutinous rice wine series products sell well both domestically and internationally.
Japan’s use of Gastrodia to prevent and treat elderly dementia has drawn widespread attention. Therefore, vigorously developing artificial cultivation of Gastrodia will surely bring substantial economic benefits.
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