“Huating Du huo” was registered as a certification trademark for geographical indications with the State Administration for Industry and Commerce in 2009 and renewed in 2019; in 2020, it was recognized as a protected agricultural product with geographical indications by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; and on July 16, 2025, it was recognized as a protected product with geographical indications by the China National Intellectual Property Administration.
The China National Intellectual Property Administration issued Announcement No. 640, stating that, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the “Measures for the Protection of Geographical Indication Products,” “Huating Duhuo” has been recognized as a geographical indication product and is subject to protection.
Herbal farmers in Maxia Town, Huating City, are tending to their medicinal plants.
Huating Duhuo consists of the dried roots of Angelica sinensis var. dentata, a plant of the Apiaceae family, and is produced in the cold, high-altitude, shaded, and humid mountainous regions of the loess plateau’s hilly and ravined areas on the eastern slopes of the Guanshan Mountains in the Qinling Range. The root of Huating Duhuo is slightly cylindrical and highly branched, with a grayish-brown or brownish-gray surface. The root strands are robust, fleshy, and thick, without any woody texture; the cross-section contains numerous scattered oil glands and is pale yellow in color. It has a strong, aromatic scent and a bitter, pungent taste that causes a slight numbing sensation on the tongue, making it an effective remedy for dispelling cold and removing dampness.
Huating rhubarb has been cultivated for nearly a century. The medicinal parts are the dried roots and rhizomes, which are cylindrical, conical, ovoid, or irregularly lump-shaped, with a surface ranging from yellowish-brown to reddish-brown. The cross-section is brownish-yellow or brownish-red and distinctly granular, while the longitudinal section shows prominent beef-tendon-like fibers. It has a firm texture, a fragrant aroma, and a bitter, slightly astringent taste. When chewed, it sticks to the teeth and has a gritty sensation, making it a high-quality raw material for processing traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces and preparations.
Huating has long been known as the “Millennium Herbal Town” and the “Longdong Medicine Repository,” with a history of medicinal herb cultivation spanning over 1,700 years and 261 species of wild medicinal herbs found within its borders. In recent years, the city’s herbal cultivation area has remained stable at over 60,000 mu, with the annual output value of the entire industrial chain reaching 550 million yuan. However, despite sitting on this “golden resource,” insufficient deep-processing capabilities and a reliance on “selling raw materials with low added value” have long been persistent weaknesses. The Huating City Traditional Chinese Medicine Industrial Park, with a total investment of 57.1805 million yuan, is a key strategic move by Huating to address these processing shortcomings and drive the extension, supplementation, and strengthening of the industrial chain.
The Huating City Traditional Chinese Medicine Industrial Park covers an area of 33.64 mu, with a total floor area of 15,497.73 square meters. Within the park, a four-story comprehensive service center spanning 3,833.08 square meters stands imposingly, while three pharmaceutical processing workshops totaling 8,328.34 square meters are arranged in sequence. Supporting facilities—including pharmaceutical wholesale warehouses, Class A storage facilities, hazardous waste storage, underground equipment rooms, a central heating boiler room, and a wastewater treatment plant—are all in place. A modern industrial platform integrating deep processing, warehousing and logistics, and service support has begun to take shape.
To unlock the industry’s potential for value-added growth, Huating adheres to a strategy of “attracting external investment and nurturing local talent” to cultivate leading local pharmaceutical enterprises. The park has established a standardized production line for traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces, capable of processing 325 varieties of medicinal materials with an annual output of 2,000 metric tons. Enterprises are deeply engaged in the “medicinal and edible dual-use” sector, continuously extending the industrial chain, and establishing supply and distribution channels across Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and nationwide. By leveraging models such as land transfer and local employment, they have helped over 1,000 residents secure stable jobs and increase their income, achieving a transformative leap in value for authentic medicinal herbs—from raw materials in the fields to premium decocted pieces.
Ma Xia Town leverages its local mountainous resources to continuously expand and strengthen its distinctive Chinese medicinal herb industry, steadily increasing the cultivation scale of authentic medicinal herbs such as Du Huo, rhubarb, and Dangshen. The town’s agricultural technicians regularly visit the fields to provide on-site technical guidance at every stage—from seedling cultivation, weeding, and pest and disease control to harvesting and post-harvest care. They promote standardized cultivation techniques, guide residents in scientific management and timely harvesting, and continuously improve the quality of medicinal herbs.
