Origin Distribution and Latest Producing Areas of Anemarrhena asphodeloides
Anemarrhena asphodeloides is also known as rabbit oil grass, large reed water, mother grass, garlic clove grass, goat beard root, ground ginseng, etc. It is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Anemarrhena in the Liliaceae family. Its rhizome is a famous traditional Chinese medicine, and it is divided into “hairy Anemarrhena” and “Anemarrhena flesh”. Its producing areas are widely distributed, and it is cultivated throughout the country. Let us take a look at the origin distribution of Anemarrhena asphodeloides together below!
Origin Distribution of Anemarrhena asphodeloides
The producing areas of Anemarrhena asphodeloides are mainly distributed in Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong, Shaanxi, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang, and it is also distributed in Korea. The two producing areas of Anguo in Hebei Province and Bozhou in Anhui Province are the most famous.
Producing Area Environment of Anemarrhena asphodeloides
Anemarrhena asphodeloides grows on hillsides, grasslands or roadsides below 1450 m in altitude, in relatively dry or sunny places. It has strong adaptability and is cold-resistant, and in the north it can overwinter in the field. It likes warmth and tolerates drought. Apart from appropriate watering during the seedling stage, it should not be watered too much during the growth period. Especially during high temperatures, if the soil moisture is too much, the growth is poor and the rhizome is prone to rot. The soil should preferably be loose humus loam, and low-lying waterlogged and overly heavy soil are both unsuitable for planting.
The Story and Legend of Anemarrhena asphodeloides
Once upon a time there was a lonely old woman with no children. When she was young, she made a living by digging medicinal herbs. Because she did not seek money and gave all the herbs she gathered to the poor who were sick, she had no savings at all when she grew old. She could endure this bitter life, but the old woman had a worry: no one could inherit her skill in identifying medicines. After thinking it over, she decided to beg along the streets, hoping to meet a reliable young man, recognize him as her adopted son, and settle this worry of hers.
One day, the old woman came begging to a village and told the crowd gathered around her about her concern. Before long, the news spread that the old beggar woman wanted to recognize an adopted son and pass on her herb-gathering skills.
Soon, a rich young gentleman found her. This young gentleman had his own calculations: “If I learn to identify medicines and treat illnesses, won't that give me one more way to curry favor with officials?” So he took the old woman home and waited on her with fine clothes and good food. But after more than ten days, she still had not mentioned the herbs. One day, he hypocritically called the old woman “Mother” and asked about passing on the medicine knowledge. The old woman replied: “Let's wait a few years and talk about it then.” This made the young gentleman furious. He shouted: “I've supported you for nothing for years. You want to cheat me out of food and drink, don't you? Get out!” The old woman was not angry either. She gave a cold laugh, changed back into her own tattered clothes, and left the young gentleman's house.
She began begging along the streets again. Not long after, a merchant found her and was willing to recognize her as his adoptive mother. What this merchant had in mind was selling medicinal materials and making big money. He took the old woman home and at first treated her to good food and drink, but after more than a month, still seeing no sign that the old woman would talk about passing on the medicine knowledge, he could not hold back any longer and, like the young gentleman, drove the old woman out of his house.
In a flash, two years passed. The old woman still kept begging along the streets and telling people of her concern, and many people even took her for a madwoman or a swindler. That winter, she tottered into a remote mountain village and, being physically and mentally exhausted, fell down outside a family's door.
The noise alerted the head of the household. The head was a young woodcutter. He helped the old woman inside, asked after her warmly, and when he learned that she was hungry, quickly asked his wife to prepare a meal and bring it over. After eating, the old woman was about to leave, but the couple stopped her: “In such cold weather, where are you going?” When the old woman said she still had to go begging, the kind couple were very sympathetic and urged her: “At your age, begging is so hard. If you don't mind our poverty, then stay here!” The old woman hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.
The days passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye it was warm spring with blooming flowers. One day, the old woman tentatively said: “Living in your home like this all the time makes me feel uneasy, so I'd better leave.” The woodcutter became anxious: “You have no children, and we no longer have our elders. Let's make one family and live together. We'll recognize you as our mother. Isn't that just fine?” The old woman shed tears and finally told them the details. But the woodcutter and his wife did not mind: “We are all poor suffering people. What reward would we seek? It's enough if you can be comfortable, old mother.”
From then on, the woodcutter and his wife busied themselves with work and were very filial to the old woman. In this way the old woman spent more than 3 years of happy time, reaching the advanced age of 80. In the summer of that year, she suddenly said to the woodcutter: “Child, carry me up the mountain to take a look.” The woodcutter did not understand why, but still happily agreed to the old woman's request. He carried the old woman up slopes and down gullies, running here and there, so tired that his sweat flowed like rain, yet he still joked with the old woman from time to time, and the old woman remained happy throughout.
When they came to a hillside overgrown with wild grass, the old woman got down, sat on a stone, and pointed to a clump of wild grass with linear leaves and flowers striped in white with purple and said: “Dig up its root.” The woodcutter dug out a section of yellow-brown grass root and asked: “Mother, what is this?” The old woman said: “This is a medicinal herb that can treat illnesses such as lung-heat cough and weakness with fever. Its uses are great. Child, do you know why I only taught you to identify medicines today?” The woodcutter thought for a moment and said: “Mother wanted to find an honest and kind person to pass on the medicine knowledge to, afraid that someone with bad intentions would use this skill to get rich and harm the common people!” The old woman nodded: “Child, you truly understand my thoughts. This medicine has no name yet, so just call it ‘Anemarrhena’.”
Later, the old woman also taught the woodcutter to recognize many kinds of medicinal herbs. After the old woman passed away, the woodcutter changed his trade to gathering medicines, but he always firmly remembered the old woman's words and sincerely delivered medicines to treat the poor.