Where are the latest producing areas of Dendrobium officinale?

At present, the producing areas of wild Dendrobium officinale are mainly distributed in East Asia and Southeast Asia, and Australia also produces it. Domestically, artificially cultivated Dendrobium officinale is mainly distributed in Zhejiang, Yunnan, Guangxi, Hunan and Guizhou, among other places.

Dendrobium officinale has very high requirements for its growing environment, and the quality of the products from different regions differs greatly. Dendrobium officinale grown in Zhejiang is mostly soft, sweet in taste and sticky, with the highest content of active ingredients, and its market price is also the most expensive, especially that produced in northern Zhejiang.

The main reason for making Dendrobium officinale into Fengdou (dried Dendrobium coils) is the convenience of transportation and storage. In fact, many traditional Chinese medicine practitioners often use fresh Dendrobium officinale. This is because the active ingredients of Dendrobium officinale are mainly dendrobium polysaccharides and some bioactive substances, and some of the active ingredients are lost after drying. Because fresh Dendrobium officinale has not been processed, the dendrobium polysaccharides it is rich in are also easily absorbed and utilized by the human body.

Compared with dried Fengdou, fresh Dendrobium officinale has more obvious morphological characteristics, making it easy to distinguish the genuine from the fake. In addition, fresh Dendrobium officinale has a richer taste, with a fragrant and sweet flavor, is very convenient to eat, and can be eaten in more varied ways.

Dendrobium officinale is suitable for growing in a cool, moist and well-ventilated environment. It grows on semi-shaded, damp rocks in mountainous areas at altitudes of up to 1600 m, prefers a warm and humid climate and a semi-shaded, semi-sunny environment, and is not cold-tolerant.