Dendrobium candidum: the "industrial dream" of "immortal grass" in the world

From spreading and out of reach to sweeping coastal cities and developed areas, from sporadic collection to attracting many listed enterprises such as Conbe, Guangming, Tianmu Mountain and so on, industrial planting has been formed in various places. In the past 20 years, the attention of Dendrobium candidum has been heating up and has been widely studied and cultivated.

Is Dendrobium candidum being immortalized or well-deserved? According to the industry, in the next 10 years, the country will form a developed Dendrobium industry, is it on paper or there is a strong market demand as a guide? The special column of "Business Viewpoint" of Xiangshang Times Weekly in this issue will unveil the mystery of Dendrobium candidum for readers.

The Legend of herbs in 2000

Some people say that it is a "earthly fairy grass". It has multiple health effects, such as nourishing yin and fluid, tonifying spleen and stomach, protecting liver and gallbladder, lowering blood sugar, inhibiting tumor, improving immunity and so on.

Some people say that it is "soft gold in medicine". Because it is difficult to find a grass, it can only be used as a royal tribute.

Dendrobium was first published in the Classic of Shennong Materia Medica more than 2000 years ago, and it is listed as the top grade, saying: "the main injury, remove arthralgia, lower qi, make up the five internal organs, tired and thin, strengthen yin, take thick intestines and stomach for a long time." Since then, the function and applied diseases of Dendrobium have been continuously supplemented and developed by successive dynasties of Materia Medica. In the Compendium of Materia Medica in the Ming Dynasty, Li Shizhen evaluated Dendrobium candidum as "strengthening yin and nourishing essence, thickening intestines and stomach, tonifying internal deficiency, calming stomach, growing muscle, promoting intelligence and eliminating shock." light to prolong years ". Daozang, a Taoist medical classic in the Tang Dynasty, lists Dendrobium candidum on Tianshan snow lotus, deep mountain Ganoderma lucidum, Cordyceps sinensis and so on, ranking first among the "nine immortal herbs in China".

However, there are many kinds of Dendrobium families, and their effects are far from each other. It is understood that there are more than 1400 species of Dendrobium in the orchid family all over the world, and 81 species have been named in China. Among them, Dendrobium candidum, also known as black section grass, gets its name because of its iron-green epidermis. It is one of the most valuable and medicinal varieties of Dendrobium.

Modern medicine shows that Dendrobium candidum is rich in polysaccharides and alkaloids with pharmacological activities, which can act on human immune system, blood circulatory system and digestive system. It can not only effectively enhance the non-specific immunity of the human body, resist the invasion of various pathogenic microorganisms, but also reduce blood lipids, cholesterol, blood sugar, anticoagulation and anti-ulcers, and delay the aging of the human body. it also has a significant therapeutic effect on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes, gastric ulcer and leukopenia caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

In 2010, the Pharmacopoeia of the people's Republic of China distinguished Dendrobium from Dendrobium as two varieties, and established its unique medicinal and health-preserving value.

Artificially cultivated ice-breaking road

However, wild Dendrobium candidum has high requirements for living environment. It grows in the shade of alpine cliffs, needs to be nourished by clouds and rain all the year round, is not hardy, is extremely difficult to survive, and the growth cycle is slow, it takes 4-5 years to grow to 20 centimeters, so it is extremely precious. In the 1980s, wild Dendrobium candidum was listed as a rare and endangered medicinal plant under national secondary protection, which made the general public sigh and envy, but it was out of reach.

Until the 1990s, the cultivation of Dendrobium candidum ushered in the ice-breaking journey-Zhejiang took the lead in breaking through the ecological artificial cultivation technology of Dendrobium candidum and realized the industrial cultivation of Dendrobium candidum. After that, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangdong and other places began to respond.

The vigorous development of the industry, the rapid expansion of production capacity, the continuous intervention of hot money, and the prospect of the market also make the development of Dendrobium candidum fall into a fake war between "Li Kui" and "Li Ghost".

In February 2006, the weekly quality column of CCTV reported that the iron maple bucket products produced by a factory in Hangzhou deceived consumers with fake and shoddy medicinal materials, which once triggered a crisis of trust among consumers in the Dendrobium industry, as well as careful thinking and in-depth exploration of the growing environment and cultivation technology of Dendrobium candidum.

Industry insiders said, "just like in the nine immortal grasses, ginseng must have a net weight of more than three taels, Ganoderma lucidum must grow for more than 60 years, and not all Dendrobium candidum are effective." Only the alpine Dendrobium candidum which is highly compatible with its wild ecological environment can give full play to its medicinal properties and curative effect.

Due to the unique environmental advantages, in recent years, a large number of large planting families of Dendrobium candidum in Zhejiang and local biological companies in Yunnan have chosen Yunnan to cultivate Dendrobium candidum. Kangenbei, the largest traditional Chinese medicine enterprise in Zhejiang, is one of the leading and leading representatives. Its cultivation of Kangnbei alpine Dendrobium candidum has become a leading brand in the industry.

Yunnan sprang to its feet and became a dark horse in the development of Dendrobium candidum industry. At present, 70% of the output of Dendrobium in China comes from Yunnan. Dendrobium candidum is also more and more widely known by the public. In the area of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, the derivative product of Dendrobium candidum, iron maple dou, has become the first choice for people's daily health care and holiday gifts.

The Breakthrough Dream of Dendrobium Industry

Dendrobium candidum needs high-tech guidance, standardization and industrial management.

In May 2012, the State Forestry Administration commissioned enterprises and research institutions to jointly formulate the Technical regulations for the cultivation of Dendrobium candidum, which is the first national industry standard for the cultivation of Dendrobium candidum.

The formulation of this standard took two years and was officially released in November 2014. it is a milestone for Dendrobium candidum and effectively promotes the sustained and healthy development of Dendrobium industry.

At the same time, the national production capacity of Dendrobium candidum has increased significantly by great strides: from single variety to multiple varieties, from farmers' planting to enterprise large-scale production, from the provision of raw materials to product processing, the industry of enriching and benefiting the people leading growers to a well-off society has been formed, which is deeply welcomed by the common people.

Take Yunnan and Zhejiang, the two largest producing areas of Dendrobium candidum in the country as an example, at present, apart from Shangri-La, Lijiang and Zhaotong, Dendrobium is planted in many places in Yunnan Province, and there are 10 key developments in Pu'er, Mangshi, Ruili and other places, driving more than 100000 of farmers to get rich, increasing the employment and income of more than 500000 of the rural population, and promoting the development of the local economy. In Zhejiang Province alone, the planting base of Dendrobium candidum reached 20, 000 mu in 2014, with an output value of 3.5 billion yuan. in the field of consumption in the province, Dendrobium candidum was included in the scope of medical insurance reimbursement, which greatly stimulated the development and growth of the industry. Professor Shi Jinping of the College of Forestry and Biotechnology of Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University predicts that the industrial output value of Dendrobium candidum will exceed 10 billion yuan in 2015.

Some experts said that according to the existing rate of development and the "guidance of the state to support the old-age and health-preserving industry", the health-preserving industry has ushered in unprecedented opportunities for development, and the national Dendrobium industry is expected to develop 50-100 billion yuan in the next 5-10 years.

Although people from all walks of life have drawn a grand blueprint for theoretical discussion, it is still difficult for the market to digest this "big cake" eventually. On the one hand, there are many plants of Dendrobium candidum in the market, how to control its quality and authenticity. On the other hand, Dendrobium candidum belongs to high-end consumer goods. It has been calculated that the average monthly consumption cost of Dendrobium candidum is about 1000 yuan, and the consumption of more fine and deeply processed Dendrobium products such as edible extract is even higher. this high consumption mode inevitably limits the development area and speed. In addition, due to the lack of publicity, the public awareness of Dendrobium candidum is not high, many people do not know what Dendrobium is, let alone what effect it has, naturally there is no desire and demand for consumption.

Therefore, paying attention to cultivating environment, advocating rational planting, highlighting brand effect, improving industry self-discipline, expanding the research and development of complete industrial chain, and strengthening market publicity are the winning ways for Dendrobium candidum to achieve vigorous development.