What medicinal herbs are suitable for growing in Shaanxi? These varieties are recommended
In southern Shaanxi, you can grow honeysuckle, Forsythia suspensa, Gastrodia elata, Coptis chinensis, ginseng, American ginseng, Poria cocos, Polyporus umbellatus, Acanthopanax senticosus, Gynostemma pentaphyllum, Salvia miltiorrhiza, and so on. In the Guanzhong region, grow Astragalus membranaceus, Trichosanthes kirilowii, Chinese yam, Astragalus complanatus, Cuscuta chinensis, Scutellaria baicalensis, and so on. In northern Shaanxi, grow Astragalus membranaceus, licorice, Bupleurum chinense, Ephedra sinica, Isatis indigotica, Arctium lappa, and so on.
1. Salvia miltiorrhiza
Salvia miltiorrhiza is a plant in the Lamiaceae family. Its dried roots and rhizomes are harvested in spring and autumn, cleaned of mud and sand, and dried. It is distributed in most parts of the country and has the effects of invigorating blood and removing stasis, unblocking meridians and relieving pain, clearing the heart and relieving restlessness, and cooling blood and reducing abscesses. It is used for conditions such as chest impediment and heart pain, abdominal and hypochondriac pain, abdominal masses and accumulations, painful heat impediment, restlessness and insomnia, irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea and amenorrhea, and sores and ulcers with swelling and pain.
2. Gynostemma pentaphyllum
Gynostemma pentaphyllum, also known as Tian Tang Cao, Fu Yin Cao, Chao Ren Shen, Wu Ye Shen, and Qi Ye Shen, is a herbaceous climbing plant in the genus Gynostemma of the Cucurbitaceae family. Its stems are slender, branched, with longitudinal ridges and grooves, hairless or sparsely covered with short soft hairs. It prefers shady, damp, and mild climates and mostly grows wild in shaded places such as under forest and beside streams. It is known as “Southern ginseng.” Gynostemma pentaphyllum grown in the south has relatively high medicinal content, and folk tradition calls it the miraculous “herb of no aging and long life.”
3. Atractylodes macrocephala
Atractylodes macrocephala, also known as Fu Ji, Yu Zhu, Dong Bai Zhu, and Cang Zhu, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the genus Atractylodes of the Asteraceae family. It prefers a cool climate, and its rhizome is used as medicine. It has the effects of strengthening the spleen and supplementing qi, drying dampness and promoting diuresis, stopping sweating, and preventing miscarriage. It is used for conditions such as spleen deficiency with poor appetite, abdominal distension and diarrhea, phlegm-fluid dizziness and palpitations, edema, spontaneous sweating, and restless fetal movement.