What are the pre-sowing treatment methods for Chinese medicinal herb seeds?

Atractylodes macrocephala (Baizhu)It is the dried rhizome of the Asteraceae plant Atractylodes macrocephala. This product is mainly produced in Zhejiang, Anhui, Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi. Sow in March to April each year. Before sowing, select plump seeds free from pests and diseases, soak them in warm water at 25°C-30°C for 24 hours, take them out and place them in a winnowing basket in a windproof indoor spot, keep them moist, and sow once the seeds begin to germinate and show a white point. The method is to open shallow furrows on the prepared seedbed beds at a furrow-center spacing of 20cm, with a sowing spacing of about 10cm, sow the seeds evenly into the furrows, scatter a layer of plant ash, then cover the bed surface with fine soil, and finally cover with a layer of rice straw, water frequently to keep the bed surface moist, and after 10-15 days the seedlings will emerge successively.

Trichosanthes kirilowii (Gualou)Its tuberous root is used as the medicine known as trichosanthes root, and its seeds as trichosanthes seed; its rind is used as the medicine known as trichosanthes peel, which are respectively the dried root, dried ripe seeds and dried ripe fruit peel of the Cucurbitaceae plant Trichosanthes kirilowii or Trichosanthes rosthornii. This product is mainly produced in Henan, Jiangxi, Hubei, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Sichuan, Shandong, Jiangsu, Guizhou and Anhui. Sow in March each year. The method is to select orange-yellow, robust fruits with short stalks for seed use when the fruits are ripe. At sowing, cut open the fruit rind, take out the seeds, soak them in warm water at 40°C-50°C for 24 hours, take them out and mix evenly with wet sand, then place them indoors at 20°C-30°C to promote germination. When most seeds have split open, open holes in the prepared seedbed, place 4-5 seeds per hole with the split facing downward, and cover with soil 6cm thick. After sowing, keep the holes moist, and generally after 15-20 days the seedlings will emerge.

Cassia obtusifolia (sicklepod, sicklepod)It is an annual semi-shrub-like herb of the Fabaceae. This product is mainly produced in Jiangsu, Anhui, Sichuan, Guangxi and other provinces. Sow in mid-to-late April each year. The method is to select plump seeds, soak them in warm boiled water at 50°C for 24 hours so they fully absorb water, take them out and dry the surface moisture, open furrows in the seedbed at a row spacing of 50-60cm with a furrow depth of 5-7cm, scatter the seeds evenly into the furrows, cover with soil about 3cm, and press lightly so the seeds and soil are in close contact. After sowing, keep the soil moist, and seedlings can emerge in 7-10 days.

Magnolia biondii flower (Xinyi flower)It is the dried flower bud of the Magnoliaceae plant Magnolia biondii. This product is distributed in Yunnan, Henan, Hubei, Shaanxi, Henan and other places. Sow in spring or autumn each year. The method is to select robust trees that have grown for more than 15 years for seed use (leaving 10-30 flower buds per tree), collect the fruits after they ripen, sun-dry them and rub off the seeds, and store them in a cool place. Before sowing, soak the seeds in warm water mixed with plant ash for 3-5 days, rub off the waxy layer, then soak them in warm water at 60°C for 1 day, take them out and cover with rice straw, water frequently, and sow once the seeds have split open. Generally drill sowing is used. Open furrows 5cm deep in the seedbed, scatter the seeds into the furrows, cover with soil about 3cm, press lightly, then shade appropriately and keep the seedbed moist; transplant in the second year after emergence.

Coix seed (Yiyiren)It is the dried ripe seed kernel of the Poaceae plant Coix lacryma-jobi. This product is mainly produced in Liaoning, Hebei, Jiangsu, Fujian, Henan, Shaanxi, Sichuan and other provinces. The main disease of coix seed is smut, so strict seed treatment must be carried out before sowing. The method is to first soak in warm water at 60°C for 10-20 minutes, then put the seeds in a cloth bag, immerse them in 5% lime water or 100-fold Bordeaux mixture, press them down with something on top so they do not float above the water surface, soak for 24-48 hours, then take them out and rinse twice with clean water. The sowing season of coix varies greatly depending on variety, climate and soil conditions. Early-maturing varieties (also called short-stalk varieties) are best sown in early to mid-March; medium-maturing varieties (including white-shell and black-shell types) are best sown from late March to early April; late-maturing varieties (also called tall-stalk varieties) are best sown from late April to early May. Direct sowing is generally used. On the prepared seedbed, open furrows at a row spacing of 33cm, scatter the seeds evenly into the furrows (using 4-5kg of seed per mu), cover with burnt mud ash just enough to cover the seeds, then cover with soil up to the level of the bed.

Isatis root (Banlangen)It is a biennial herb of the Brassicaceae genus Isatis, with the root (Isatis root) and leaves (Isatis leaf) used as medicine. This product is mainly produced in Hebei, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Shaanxi and other places. Its sowing time is divided into spring sowing and autumn sowing. Generally, except for seed-production fields which use autumn sowing, medicinal materials are mostly spring-sown. Spring sowing is during the period from "Qingming" to "Guyu"; autumn sowing is around "Chushu". The method is to select plump seeds, remove impurities, soak them in water for 1 hour, mix with 2 times their volume of screened decomposed compost, then open shallow furrows of about 1.5cm on the prepared bed surface at a row spacing of 20-25cm, scatter the seeds evenly into the furrows, cover with soil 2cm, using 2-4kg of seed per mu. After sowing, seedlings can emerge in 5-10 days.

Gardenia (Zhizi)It is the dried ripe fruit of the Rubiaceae plant Gardenia jasminoides. This product is mainly produced in Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangxi, Hubei, Henan, Anhui and other provinces. Gardenia is sown in spring and autumn, with spring sowing being better. Spring sowing is mostly from late February to early March, and autumn sowing from late September to October. Before sowing, peel open the fruit rind, take out the seeds, place them in water to soak, and rub the seeds lightly, then remove the floating debris and undeveloped seeds, take the seeds that sink to the bottom and soak them in warm water at 45°C for 24 hours, then first apply base fertilizer (1500-2000kg of human and animal manure) to the seedbed, level it, open shallow furrows of 2cm at a row spacing of 20-25cm, sow the seeds evenly into the furrows, cover with 2cm of burnt soil ash or fine soil, press slightly, and cover with grass to retain moisture. Raise the seedlings for one year, and when the seedlings are about 35cm tall they can be transplanted.