How are Chinese medicinal herbs grown? A detailed guide to the cultivation methods of these medicinal herbs
Banxia (Pinellia ternata)
Site selection and land preparation: Banxia is cold-tolerant and prefers loose, fertile sandy or semi-sandy soil, though ordinary soil will also do. Before ploughing, apply 100-150 kg of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer per mu, plough deep and harrow fine, and make beds running east to west.
Sowing method: Propagate by tubers. Using a seed drill, open furrows at a row spacing of 21-24 cm and a depth of 4-6 cm, plant the seed bulbs at a spacing of 5-7 cm, then cover with soil and level with the drill, and press over twice with a large hoe. If the soil is moist, no watering is needed; after the seedlings emerge, water lightly as appropriate depending on soil moisture.
Field management: Within the beds, at a spacing of 1.5 cm, plant a row of tall-stalked crops running east to west, such as corn (1720,18.00,1.06%) or sorghum, which benefits the growth of Banxia. Banxia sheds its stems 2-3 times a year; after each shedding, water immediately, which helps the seedlings emerge and grow again. Water during drought and drain during rainy periods.
Harvest and processing: Depending on the situation, digging can be done around Frost's Descent or in the spring of the following year. Dig out the tubers; the large ones are processed for medicinal use, the small ones kept as seed. For those intended for medicine, put them in gunny sacks, place on a wooden or stone board, rub while dipping in water to peel off the skin, then pour into a sieve and immerse in water to float off the residue, and after drying in the sun they are ready for sale.
Huangqi (Astragalus membranaceus)
Growth habits: Huangqi is highly adaptable and can be grown in ordinary soil; it is drought-tolerant and cold-tolerant, and gives high yields in deep, loose, fertile soil.
Cultivation method: Sowing can be done in spring, summer or autumn. Before sowing, soak the seeds in warm water, take them out after 6 hours and place them in a basin, then sow. Choose well-drained, highly permeable sandy soil, apply plenty of base fertilizer, plough and harrow fine, and make wide beds. After watering for 3-5 days, level the bed surface with an iron rake, open furrows 1-2 cm deep at a row spacing of 23-27 cm, scatter the seeds into the furrows, and press over once with a large hoe. Then level and refine the bed surface; seedlings emerge in 6-7 days.
Field management: Keep the soil moist before emergence; after emergence, water less and loosen the soil more to encourage the roots to grow downward. When the seedlings are 6-7 cm tall, thin to a spacing of 10-13 cm. When they reach 17-20 cm, apply top dressing: 10-15 kg of chemical fertilizer and 25-40 kg of fermented cake fertilizer per mu. As flowering approaches, water demand gradually increases, so the frequency of watering can be appropriately increased. There are generally no pests or diseases; if there is excessive rain, pay attention to drainage.
Harvest and processing: Dig up in the autumn of the same year or the autumn of the following year, when the above-ground stems and leaves wither. Shake off the soil, remove the reed stems, dry in the sun, and tie into small bundles for sale.
Banlangen (Isatis indigotica)
Growth habits: It has no strict soil requirements and can be grown in ordinary soil in both cold and warm regions. It is afraid of waterlogging, likes sunlight, and can be grown continuously.
Cultivation management: Propagate by seed, with spring and summer sowing. Spring sowing: between March and May, choose well-drained, loose, fertile soil and draw furrows 15 cm deep at a row spacing of 18-20 cm. Scatter the seeds evenly into the furrows, cover with soil, tread over once, or press over twice in succession with a large hoe, then level and water. Seedlings generally emerge in 7-10 days at around 18°C. Summer sowing: between June and July, the method is the same as for spring sowing; seedlings emerge in 4-5 days.
Field management: Thin the seedlings when they are about 6 cm tall to a spacing of about 5 cm. From Lesser Fullness to Grain in Ear, apply 15 kg of ammonium nitrate and 15 kg of superphosphate per mu as top dressing, then cover with soil and water. From Summer Solstice to Minor Heat, cut the leaves; 4-5 days after cutting, when watering, apply 10 kg of urea as top dressing.
Harvest and processing: For spring-sown Banlangen, cut the leaves once during the dog days, cutting them off from the base, and drying them in the sun for one or two days is best. From Cold Dew to Frost's Descent, dig up the roots, dry in the sun and use as medicine. For summer-sown plants, cut and sun-dry the leaves at the time of digging, and the root-digging season is the same as above.
Jinyinhua (Lonicera japonica, honeysuckle)
Jinyinhua is a perennial shrub of the Caprifoliaceae family, able to grow all over the country, and is not harmed even at minus 35-40°C.
Plant characteristics: The stem is upright. After planting, the plant reaches 1 m to 1.5 m in height in the same year; if excessive growth is found, prune it to encourage more side branches. The more side branches, the higher the yield. Plant 450-500 plants per mu, with a survival rate of over 98%.
Pick once in the first half of the year when the flower buds are about to open, and once around the Mid-Autumn Festival; after picking, dry them in a well-ventilated, dry place. From the second year after planting onward is the peak production period, which lasts for many years, with a yield of 100-150 kg of dried flowers per mu. For winter planting, do it before the ground freezes; for spring planting, do it from the start of flowering until June 1. Dig small holes at a row spacing of 1.5 m and a plant spacing of 1.2 m and plant. A little watering is enough for them to survive. They can grow on hillsides, wasteland and sandy beaches.
Field management: Every year in late autumn, clear away the dead branches and fallen leaves at the base of the flower clumps and peel off the corky bark of the branches, which can reduce pest and disease damage the following year. Deeply turn the soil 30 cm around the flower clumps, apply 5-10 kg of farmyard manure per clump, and if conditions permit add 0.1 kg of superphosphate, then shape it into a trough form that is high on all sides and low in the middle. For flower clumps on mountain land, after fertilizing, shape them according to the terrain into fish-scale pits or basin shapes to help collect rain and snow. After picking the first flush of flowers, apply quick-acting fertilizer in good time to increase the yield of the second and third flushes.
Winter pruning: Generally carried out from after all the leaves have fallen in winter to before the buds swell the following spring. Winter pruning mainly follows the principle of "light pruning for vigorous branches, heavy pruning for weak branches, prune every branch": strong branches should be pruned lightly, generally retaining 8-10 buds; weak branches should be pruned somewhat heavier, retaining 3-5 pairs of buds; thin, weak, diseased and tangled or crossing branches should all be cut away. For plants with good water and fertilizer conditions and vigorous growth, pruning should generally take the form of renewal by cutting back, mainly by thinning and removal, using "major surgery" methods to transform and renew old flower clumps. For young flower plants after planting, the focus is on developing the plant shape; generally keep 3-5 main stems first, and the layout of the main stems should be reasonable. The top shoots should be cut back to encourage them to thicken.
Summer pruning: It has a big effect on increasing the yield of the second and third flushes; when done properly, the yield increase is notable, and the flowering period becomes relatively concentrated, making picking easier. Generally, after picking the previous flush of flowers, cut back the top shoots of vigorously growing branches to control apical dominance and encourage new branches to sprout; thin, weak small branches with yellowing leaves that affect ventilation and light penetration should all be cut away.
Harvest and processing: They can be picked 15-20 days after budding. When the upper part of the flower bud swells and turns greenish-white, it is the right time to pick; any delay and the flowers will open, affecting the quality and yield of the product. Picking is best done in the early morning and forenoon each day, and the freshly picked flowers should be processed and dried in good time.