A Detailed Explanation of the Other Names of the Chinese Herb Digupi and the Key Points of Its Cultivation Techniques

Digupi is a Chinese medicinal herb with effects of reducing fever, cooling the blood, and clearing the lungs and reducing fire. It is actually the dried root bark of the goji berry (Lycium chinense), commonly found on sunny slopes, hills, wasteland, roadsides, or beside trees. So what are the other names of the Chinese herb Digupi? What are the key points of its cultivation techniques?

I. What are the other names of the Chinese herb Digupi?

The other name of the Chinese herb Digupi is goji bark. It is generally dug up in early spring or after autumn, its root bark stripped off, impurities and the woody core removed, and then the Digupi is washed clean and dried in the sun or dried at low temperature. Digupi is mainly distributed in northeast China, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, southern Gansu, as well as the provinces and regions of southwest, central, south and east China. It also grows wild in Japan, Korea, Europe and other places. Digupi contains cinnamic acid and large amounts of phenolic substances, betaine, kukoamine A, lycium substance A, lycium substance B, β-sitosterol, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, hentriacontanoic acid and others.

II. What are the key points of Digupi cultivation techniques?

1. Soil requirements

Digupi does not have very high soil requirements. It is tolerant of fertilizer, drought and saline-alkali soil, but fears waterlogging, so choosing a well-drained, fertile neutral or slightly acidic light loam is relatively suitable. The salt content of saline-alkali soil should not exceed 0.2 percent. Strongly alkaline soil, clay loam, land that has been planted with rice, and marshy places cannot be used for planting.

2. Propagation methods

The common propagation methods for Digupi are seed propagation and cutting propagation. For seed propagation, Digupi of excellent varieties can be selected. So how do you judge this? Mature fruits that are large, brightly colored and free of pests and diseases are relatively excellent. After picking in summer, soak them in warm water, rub them, wash them clean, and dry them for later use.

When sowing, mix the seeds evenly with moist sandy soil and place them in a greenhouse to germinate. Wait until 30 percent of the seeds have sprouted white, or soak the seeds in clean water for a whole night before sowing. The sowing time can be chosen as spring, summer or autumn.

For cutting propagation, select excellent mother plants, take woody one-year-old branches, cut them into cuttings of about 20 cm, tie them into small bundles, soak them in a basin for two to three hours, and then carry out the cutting.

3. Management points

From May to July, weeding should be done once a month, and young trees should be shaped and pruned. After five or six years of shaping and cultivation, the trees enter maturity and still need pruning. Every spring, prune dead branches, crossing branches and root suckers. In autumn, carry out comprehensive pruning, and then select good fruiting branches.

4. Key points of pest and disease control

The common pests and diseases of Digupi include black fruit disease and the goji fruit fly. Attention should be paid to prevention in advance, so as to reduce the damage of pests and diseases to Digupi and their impact on the yield and quality of Digupi.