By Eric Brand

China is a large country with a diverse ecosystem and a long history of trade in medicinal products. China’s early development of a common written language and efficient transportation routes allowed herbs to be employed in regions far from the original production areas. Over time, certain regions came to be known for producing certain herbs, and the best quality of a particular product was often thought to come from one particular region.

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The topic of herbal quality in relation to geographical production regions is called dao di yao cai (Authentic Region Medicinal Products). In many cases, the area that is famous for a given herb is simply the region where that item grows the best. For example, most Sha Ren comes from the South, most Xi Xin comes from Manchuria, and most Fu Zi comes from Sichuan. These items are called the famous southern herbs, famous Manchurian herbs, famous Sichuanese herbs, etc. Typically, the regional specialties reflect broad environmental influences and cultivation density; for example, tangerines come from the tropics so the South is a key production region for Chen Pi.

Perception of quality related to specific geographical production regions ultimately goes the simple question of which region produces the most abundant supply. For example, the best cinnamon bark comes from Vietnam, but the most abundant product on the market comes from China’s Guangxi province. In other cases, the main production area contains smaller counties or sub-regions that are particularly famous in terms of quality. For example, all Chinese ginseng comes from the three northeastern provinces of Jilin, Liaoning, and Heilongjiang, but the areas that are the most famous in terms of “dao di yao cai” and quality are specifically Jilin’s Shizhu and Changbaishan regions. Likewise, good Fu Zi generally is said to come from Sichuan but the best is said to come from Jiangyou county.

Chinese books group production regions as follows: 关 (Manchuria)，北 (Northern)，怀 (Huai region- Henan)，浙 (Zhejiang region- Wenzhou, Hangzhou)，江南 (Jiang Nan- “south of the river”)，川 (Sichuan)，云 (Yunnan)，贵 (Guizhou)，广 (Guangdong)，西 (West- Silk road)，藏 (Tibet). Each region has one character that is used as its shorthand name for the discussion of regional herbal specialties. Some examples include:

Manchuria (Northeast, near Korea)- Lu Rong, Ren Shen, Xi Xin, and Wu Wei Zi are all famous items from the Northeast.

North (around Inner Mongolia, Gansu, etc) - Huang Qi, Dang Gui, Gou Qi Zi, and Da Huang are all famous from this region.

Huai region- Henan grows over 300 medicinals, famous for Huai Niu Xi, Huai Shan Yao, Di Huang

Zhejiang region- This regions grows over 400 herbs but there are eight items that are called the “Zhe Ba Yao” (eight medicinals of Zhejiang). These are: Bai Zhu, Bai Shao, Xuan Shen, Yan Hu Suo, Ju Hua, Mai Dong, Yu Jin, Zhe Bei Mu. Other famous items of the region include Wu Yao and Bai Zhi.

Jiang Nan- This region includes Hubei, Hunan, Fujian, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Jiangxi. These regions produce many items, including Bo He, Mu Gua, Chan Su, Gui Ban, and Tai Zi Shen.

Sichuan- Sichuan is one of the most famous herbal production regions, and over 1000 herbs are grown there. Among the most famous are Chuan Bei Mu, Huang Lian, Chuan Niu Xi, (Chuan) Huang Bai, Hou Po, Hua Jiao, Fu Zi, and Hong Hua.

Yunnan- Yunnan grows many Chinese herbs, and can be divided into different regions based on climate. Yunnan’s Fu Ling, Mu Xiang, and San Qi are particularly famous.

Guizhou- Tian Ma, Du Zhong, Wu Zhu Yu

Canton (Guangdong)- Often called “Southern medicinals,” the medicinals of Canton are particularly abundant. Guangdong produces about 92% of the Huo Xiang in use, along with 80% of the Sha Ren and the best Chen Pi and (Hua) Ju Hong. The “Four Great Southern Medicinals” are: Bing Lang, Sha Ren, Ba Ji Tian, and Yi Zhi Ren.

West- These items traditionally came from the area along the “Silk Road.” Specialties include Qin Jiao, Gan Cao, Zi Cao, and Rou Cong Rong.

Tibet- The “Four Great Tibetan Medicinals” are: Zang Hong Hua (saffron), Dong Chong Xia Cao (cordyceps), Xue Lian Hua (snow lotus), and Lu Bei Mu (a type of Chuan Bei Mu). Hong Jing Tian (rhodiola) is also a famous Tibetan product.