80 Common Chinese Herbal Cultivation (Second Edition)

Author: Zhou Chengming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: In the 1980s, a trend of applying natural plant medicines emerged internationally. China, with its vast territory and abundant resources, has a rich plant medicine heritage, with a 5,000-year history of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and herbal medicine application, and over 2,000 years of history in the artificial cultivation of plant medicines. It is a major producer and exporter of plant medicines. According to incomplete statistics, China's annual consumption of licorice reaches 140,000 tons, while the annual export volume of local medicinal materials such as coix seed, Codonopsis pilosula, and Angelica sinensis exceeds 100 tons. The global plant medicine market generates $14 billion in revenue. Therefore, the world plant medicine market is a highly promising market. The author graduated from Jilin Agricultural University's College of Medicinal Plant Cultivation in 1985 and later enrolled in the postgraduate program at China Agricultural University to continue his studies in TCM and herbal medicine cultivation technology, as well as natural medicine research. In 1988, he worked at the China National Pharmaceutical Research and Development Center under the State Pharmaceutical Administration, conducting research and development on TCM and natural medicines, during which he visited several pharmaceutical research institutions in the United States, including the National Institutes of Health. In 1993, he established the Beijing Daxing Shizhen TCM Technology Research Institute, dedicating himself to researching folk medicines and TCM cultivation techniques. He has completed research on dozens of TCM cultivation techniques and established over 50 medicinal material production bases across the country. Over a decade of learning, research, and development has accumulated some experience, which is now shared with friends who wish to grow medicinal materials.
Before planting medicinal materials, it is essential to conduct thorough research on the market demand, the difficulty of cultivation techniques, and your own financial, land, and human resources. Consult with relevant experts or visit nearby medicinal material markets and companies. Second, choose the medicinal material varieties based on local conditions. Determine the planting area according to your land, climate, and human and material resources. Do not forcibly introduce medicinal material varieties that are not suitable for the local climate; it is best to seek expert guidance. Growing medicinal materials offers high profits but also high risks—development must be steady. Third, select high-quality seeds and seedlings. It is crucial to have seeds and seedlings evaluated by professional research institutions and experts. Choosing the right seeds and seedlings is equivalent to half the success. Fourth, master the cultivation techniques. After medicinal materials transition from wild to cultivated varieties, seedlings grow weakly during the initial stages. Before the plants fully cover the ground, intensive field management is necessary to prevent pests, diseases, and weeds. It is essential to discard the outdated idea of planting medicinal materials without proper management. Fifth, focus on the harvesting and processing stages of medicinal materials. After painstakingly growing medicinal materials, they must be harvested and processed with precision. At the same time, closely monitor changes in the market demand for the medicinal materials you grow. Avoid holding onto inventory at high prices or selling at low prices; instead, sell actively in line with market conditions. If these five points are followed, growing medicinal materials will surely be successful.