Is Growing the Chinese Herb Motherwort Profitable? Seed Prices and Cultivation Methods
Motherwort is also called Yi Mu Hao, Yi Mu Ai, Hong Hua Ai, Kun Cao, wild Tianma, corn grass, lantern grass, Tie Ma Gan, Tui, Chong Wei, Jiu Chong Lou, Sendi, and the whole plant can be used as medicine.So is growing motherwort profitable? How much does a jin of seeds generally cost? What cultivation methods are there? According to information from a Jiangxi seed company, the price of motherwort seeds is about 40-60 yuan/jin, but it varies depending on seed quality, variety, place of origin, market, and other factors.
Is growing the Chinese herb motherwort profitable?
Growing motherwort does not require much technology or management, because it has strong growth ability, does not get diseases, and will not have pests, so its yield is also relatively high. Each mu can produce 2000 kg of dried motherwort. The current purchase price on the market is 3.5 yuan per kg, which means the income per mu is as high as 7000 yuan. After deducting labor and costs, the profit per mu is more than 6000 yuan. With more than 20 mu planted, the annual net profit is as high as over 100,000 yuan!
What are the cultivation methods for motherwort?
1. Nursery site selection
The quality of the soil directly determines how much motherwort is produced. If the soil quality is especially good and the growing environment is especially good, then maintenance by workers will be much simpler, and production will increase accordingly. Motherwort has very few restrictions on soil. It can be sandy gravel soil, yellow mud, clay, or soil with a high sand content; none of these are a problem. Motherwort is cold-resistant, not afraid of drought, and tolerant of waterlogging. The medicinal field is limited to flat terrain, and the land must drain easily. When the rainy season comes and the amount of water increases, accumulated water must be able to drain away immediately, otherwise it is very easy for a large number of seedlings to die. The key point of the terrain is that it is conducive to draining accumulated water. Ordinary soil quality is sufficient, and sunlight duration should be sufficient.
2. Land preparation
1. Deep plowing: Motherwort responds especially quickly to nutrients. If the soil is nutrient-rich, it can grow vigorously and green, and the plants will be strong. However, the soil in a very few medicinal fields is of ordinary fertility, so if you want high motherwort yields, you must apply enough green manure before planting, broadcasting 4-7 tons of cow dung and chicken manure per mu. After broadcasting the fertilizer, plow deeply once and harrow once, so that the soil and fertilizer are fully and evenly mixed together, with no large clods of soil, which is good for planting and improves the germination rate.
2. Making beds: To facilitate irrigation, weeding, topdressing, and other necessary maintenance work throughout motherwort's entire growth period, Changjing Landscape recommends making the land into fixed 1.4 m wide beds, 16-25 m long, with the actual situation decided according to the land.
3. Sowing
Motherwort seeds are average in size and have a very good emergence rate. Before planting, appropriate seed pre-sprouting methods can be used. Part of the process is actually very simple: soak in clean water for 1 day, then take them out and let them dry slightly before planting. The sowing depth should be appropriate or shallow, and the covering soil thickness should not exceed 5 cm. Generally, sowing is done in rows, choosing a windless environment, mixing motherwort seeds with wet sand, and then broadcasting them onto the ground. After sowing, soil can be raked over by hand or by machine to cover the seeds. After covering with soil, water once, and germination can be improved in about 8-11 days.
4. Seedling stage management
There is only one thing to maintain during motherwort's growth period: it basically has no diseases, and its growth and development trend is good. The most important things are only irrigation, weeding, and pest and disease control. During the peak growth and development period of motherwort, it needs large amounts of water and fertilizer. During this period, 35 kg of compound fertilizer can be used per mu. When motherwort is growing fastest, it also needs sufficient water. At this time, refer to weather conditions to decide whether watering is needed.
Appendix: The effects and functions of motherwort
1. Promotes blood circulation and regulates menstruation, promotes urination and reduces swelling. Used for irregular menstruation, painful menstruation, amenorrhea, persistent lochia, edema with little urine; acute nephritis edema.
2. Effect on the uterus: Motherwort decoction, ethanol extract, and motherwort alkaloid have an excitatory effect on the isolated uterus of rabbits, cats, and many other animals.
3. Effects on the cardiovascular system: In isolated guinea pig hearts, using isoproterenol to create a myocardial ischemia model, motherwort can significantly increase coronary flow and quite significantly slow the heart rate. Intravenous injection of motherwort preparation causes a marked increase in coronary flow, reduction in coronary resistance, slowing of heart rate, and reduction in output and left ventricular work in anesthetized dogs.
4. Anti-platelet aggregation and anti-thrombosis: In vitro experiments prove that motherwort and its extracts have an antagonistic effect on ADP-induced platelet aggregation in normal animals. In vivo experiments also prove that motherwort can significantly reduce the total number of platelets in the peripheral circulation and the platelets and their aggregates in the capillaries of the alveolar wall. Motherwort has a significant dissolving effect on red thrombi in the rabbit pulmonary circulation. In addition, motherwort also has effects such as enhancing the body's cellular immunity.
5. Other effects: Subcutaneous injection of motherwort alkaloid has a central inhibitory effect, with an MLD of 0.4-0.6 g/kg. Intravenous injection of motherwort alkaloid 1 mg/kg in rabbits shows a significant increase in urine volume. At higher concentrations, motherwort alkaloid can cause hemolysis in rabbit blood suspension. Motherwort alkaloid water infusion, using the test tube dilution method at 1:13-1:10, has an inhibitory effect on Trichophyton schonleinii, Microsporum lanosum, Epidermophyton rubrum, and Nocardia asteroides. Motherwort decoction, using the flat-plate paper disk method, has an inhibitory effect on Escherichia coli and Shigella dysenteriae.