Lueyang Gastrodia Elata Geographical Indication Herb Base

Located at the southern foot of the Qinling Mountains and the upper reaches of the Jialing River, Lueyang County, Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province, builds a standardized Geographical indication herb base focusing on authentic Lueyang Gastrodia elata.

On September 21, 2009, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine officially approved Lueyang Gastrodia elata for national geographical indication product protection (Announcement No. 88 of 2009). Only gastrodia planted, harvested and processed within the administrative jurisdiction of Lueyang County is legally authorized to use the geographical indication exclusive logo, which locks the exclusive origin attribute of Lueyang gastrodia and protects its unique medicinal quality shaped by local mountain climate, forest soil and traditional cultivation techniques.

As China’s earliest gastrodia GAP certified planting area and a well-known authentic gastrodia producing region in the Qinba Mountains, this geographical indication medicinal herb base combines under-forest wild-simulated planting, whole-chain traceability and standardized management, forming a complete quality guarantee system dominated by geographical indication intellectual property protection.

1. Complete Certification Timeline of Geographical Indication Herb Base

1. 2006: Lueyang Gastrodia elata base became the first national GAP-certified gastrodia medicinal herb base in China, laying standardized production foundations for geographical indication management.
2. September 21, 2009: Lueyang Gastrodia elata obtained national geographical indication product protection qualification (Official Bulletin No.88), officially included in state-level origin protection management.
3. 2020: The local superior variety Lue Ma No.1 passed national Chinese medicinal herb new variety certification, becoming the designated seedling for geographical indication planting areas to guarantee unified germplasm traits of origin gastrodia.
4. Supplementary credentials: On the basis of geographical indication protection, the base has obtained organic product certification, ecological origin certification and national quality Chinese medicinal herb certification successively, forming a multi-dimensional certification matrix centered on geographical indication protection rights.
5. Protection scope: The geographical indication protection zone covers the entire administrative region of Lueyang County, clarifying geographical boundaries to prohibit counterfeit gastrodia from other regions from falsely using the “Lueyang Gastrodia elata” geographical indication mark.

2. Unique Terroir: Fundamental Reason for Geographical Indication Certification

The core reason why Lueyang Gastrodia elata is granted national geographical indication protection lies in its non-replicable mountain ecological environment:

• Ecology: Forest coverage rate reaches 78.75%, free from industrial pollution, known as a natural medicinal herb bank; the broad-leaved forest forms natural 70%–85% shade, perfectly matching the shade-loving growth habit of gastrodia.
• Climate: Transition zone of subtropical and temperate monsoon climate, mild temperature, moderate rainfall and scattered underwood diffuse light, which slows gastrodia growth and facilitates the accumulation of medicinal ingredients.
• Soil: Thick humus soil formed by decaying oak branches and fallen leaves, rich in beneficial microorganisms and organic matter. The gastrodin content of Lueyang gastrodia stabilizes at 0.36%~0.4%, 1.8–2 times the standard specified in Chinese Pharmacopoeia (0.2%), featuring plump tubers, strong unique medicinal fragrance and superior medicinal efficacy.
• These exclusive geographical characteristics create differentiated quality of Lueyang gastrodia, becoming the legal basis for national geographical indication protection.

3. Standard Planting Regulations Restricted by Geographical Indication Rules

All planting plots inside the Geographical indication herb base must implement unified origin management specifications to maintain the consistent quality of geographical indication gastrodia:

1. Unified germplasm control: Only domesticated superior varieties Lue Ma No.1 and Lue Ma No.2 are permitted for cultivation; foreign gastrodia varieties are forbidden to avoid changing the inherent quality of geographical indication products.
2. Dominant under-forest ecological planting mode: Prioritize wild-simulated cultivation under natural forests, strictly limit large-scale chemical cultivation, ban excessive application of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, retain the natural medicinal properties defined by geographical indication standards.
3. Unified harvesting & processing standards: Fixed harvesting cycle, low-temperature drying technology and processing procedures are formulated; products failing quality inspection are prohibited from attaching geographical indication logos for market circulation.
4. Full-cycle traceability system: Every batch of geographical indication gastrodia is bound with exclusive QR traceability code, recording planting plot, grower, growth cycle, testing reports and processing records, realizing anti-counterfeiting tracing from woodland to terminal market.

4. Scale & Industrial Value of Geographical Indication Herb Base

At present, the preserved planting area of geographical indication-certified gastrodia in Lueyang totals nearly 30,000 mu, with 17 standardized demonstration bases built; the whole industrial chain output value of gastrodia reaches 7 billion RMB (2024).

Adopting the operation mode of Leading Enterprise + Geographical Indication Base + Cooperatives + Farmers, Lueyang uniformly manages the authorization of geographical indication trademarks: only planting entities passing strict quality inspection can apply for the right to use the geographical indication special mark, effectively maintaining the premium status of authentic Lueyang gastrodia in domestic pharmaceutical factories, national TCM medicine centralized procurement market and overseas herbal markets.

Relying on geographical indication brand empowerment, Lueyang gastrodia has been selected into the national Chinese herbal decoction piece centralized procurement catalogue, ranking 1st in Shaanxi Province and 2nd nationwide in base assessment results, driving tens of thousands of mountain households to increase income steadily.

5. Significance of the Geographical Indication Herb Base

1. Brand protection: The 2009 geographical indication authorization legally safeguards the origin brand of Lueyang gastrodia and severely restricts counterfeit goods infringing on the reputation of authentic Qinba gastrodia.
2. Quality stabilization: Geographical indication unified production standards lock the high medicinal quality of Lueyang gastrodia, widely recognized by pharmaceutical groups at home and abroad.
3. Ecological & economic integration: Under-forest geographical indication planting realizes forest protection and medicinal herb cultivation simultaneously, turning ecological advantages into industrial benefits, building a replicable development model for geographical indication authentic medicinal herbs in mountainous areas of central and western China.

Conclusion

Authorized for national geographical indication product protection in 2009, Lueyang has constructed a standardized Geographical indication herb base for gastrodia bounded by origin scope and production norms. Protected by geographical indication intellectual property rights, supported by Qinling original ecology and standardized ecological planting technology, Lueyang gastrodia inherits the quality of Daodi authentic medicinal herbs and evolves into a benchmark geographical indication medicinal herb industry base in Northwest China.