What do medicinal herbs farmers do during the Qingming
What is Qingming Festival?
Qingming Festival is one of the twenty-four solar terms in China. This is a day to commemorate the passing of their loved ones and their ancestors. It is considered a dignified and solemn occasion. People usually go to sweep the graves of ancestors and commemorate their ancestors. The other important custom is to enjoy the good weather by plowing and farming grains, vegetables and medicinal herbs.
Literally meaning “clear” (Qing) and “bright” (Ming), this festival falls in early spring, on the 106th day after the winter solstice, around April,5. In 2022, it falls on April 5.
What do herbal medicine farmers plant and seed during Qingming
As the old saying goes: No timing is better than Qingming for afforestation. Timing plays a key role in cultivation and farming, and Qingming is the one.
Qingming is the best time for planting seedlings as follows.
🌱Salvia Miltiorrhiza(Salvia Miltiorrhiza Bge) Danshen
The roots and rhizome are generally the parts for TCM and Salvia Miltiorrhiza extract. The bioactive constituents include TanshinoneI, IIA, IIB and salvianolic acid B, Isotanshinone I, IIA, Cryptotanshinone, Isocryptanshinone, Methyltanshinone, Hydroxytanshinone, etc. In salvia miltiorrhiza extract, the most active ones are Tanshinone IIB and salvianolic acid B.
Salvia Miltiorrhiza(Danshen) is common use in China for promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis, pain relief, and treatment for irregular menstruation.
🌱Bitter Melon
Bitter melon grows in tropical and subtropic areas, including parts of East Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and South America, where it is used as a food. It produces beautiful flowers and prickly fruit. The fruit of this plant lives up to its name, it tastes bitter. The fruit is the safest and most prevalent part of the plant used.
🌱Pinellia(Pinellia Ternata（Thunb．）Breit),Ban Xia
Breit belongs to the Araceae family. The initial description of P. Ternata can be traced to “Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic” (Han Dynasty). Maturing in the middle of the summer, P. Ternata gained its Chinese name Ban Xia. P. Ternata is one of the most commonly used herbs in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Pinelliae rhizome (PR) is the medicinal part of P. ternata.Pinellia Ternata (Thunb.) Breit belongs to the Araceae family. The initial description of P. Ternata can be traced to “Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic” (Han Dynasty). Maturing in the middle of the summer, P. Ternata gained its Chinese name Ban Xia. P. Ternata is one of the most commonly used herbs in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Pinelliae rhizome (PR) is the medicinal part of P. ternata.
PR is described as pungent and bitter in taste and affects the liver, spleen, stomach, and kidney meridians (Chinese Pharmacopoeia, 2015 Edition). Modern pharmacological research has demonstrated that PR contains a large number of alkaloids, iridoids, iridoid glycosides, anthraquinones, anthraquinone glycosides, and fatty acids and their derivatives.
🌱Tiannanxing
The dry tuber of perennial herbaceous plant Arisaema Erubescens (Wall.) Schott, A. heterophyllum Bl. or A. amurense Maxim. of family Araceae. Collected in autumn and winter when stem and leaf withered.
🌱Shegan
The rhizome of Belamcanda chinensis (L.) DC. of family Iridaceae. Dugout at the beginning of sprout in earlier spring or in late autumn when the stem and leaves wither.
The immature fruit of bitter melon tastes bitter due to the cucurbitacius. Cucurbitacius is comprised of a group of triterpenes including momordicosides, A-E, K, L, and momardicius I, II, and III. The roots and fruit are used as an abortifacient.
Qingming is not only the best season for planting the medicinal herbs here before but also the golden time for following herb medicine seedings.
Radix Scutellariae, Baikal Skullcap Root (Huang qin)
Huang qin is a common use medical herb for centuries in China.
The main constituent responsible for the pharmacologic actions is Baicalin. Baicalin is the treatment of diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, hepatitis, nephritis, and atopic dermatitis as its agent of anti-inflammatory and antiallergic.
Astragalus (Huang qi)
Huangqi is generally the roots from Astragalus Membranaceus (Fisch. )Bge, Astragalus Membranaceus (Fisch. ) Bge. var. Mongholicus ( Bge. ) Hsiao. The authentic source of Astragalus is Gansu, InnerMeng.Huangqi root is much more common use in TCM for Qi invigorating and Yang raising, which means refreshing and pulling up.
There are over 200 isolated compounds in Astragalus Membranaceus extract, mainly are polysaccharides, saponins, and flavonoids. Astragaloside IV is the key active ingredient of saponins.
Andrographis Paniculata (Chuanxinlian)
Andrographis Paniculata (Burm.f.) Nees is native to South Asia and has a long history in herb medicine in India, China, and other countries. Guangdong and Guanxi are authentic sources for this herb in China.
Andrographis is a significant anti-inflammatory agent in many conditions: upper respiratory effection, immune system, common cold, osteoarthiritis, and ulcerative colitis.
The key active ingredients in Andrographis Paniculata extract are andrographolide, neoandrographolide,14-Deoxy-11,12-Didehydroandrographolide, 14-Deoxyandrographolide, Isoandrographolide,14-Acetylandrographolide. Meanwhile, there are several derivatives based on andrographolide, such as Yanhuning, andrographolide sulfonate(Xiyanping), they are both soluble andrographolide, having many applications in China. Especially, Xiyanping is on the list of “Diagnosis and treatment program of covid-19” in different versions.
Seeds of Campanulaceae Radix Platycodi (Jie Geng), Bupleurum(chai hu), Polygala(yuan Zhi), and Atractylodes(Bai Shu) started back to earth for new lives during this Qingming Festival also.
What do herbal farmers harvest during Qingming?
Yes, Qingming in Spring is also the timing of harvest beside Autumn, for medicinal herbs.
Green Tea collecting is generally finished and the next process also began.
Thousands of people are fun of green tea, do you know the best harvest time for green tea?
The green tea harvested before Qingming is called Pre-Qingming Tea, it is the favorite one for tea lovers. Thinking about that you enjoying the first batch of your Spring-your first bite of the Spring.
Timing for roots and rhizome medicinal herb harvesting besides Autumn.
The old saying” Fluid moistening begins to sprout, the branches and leaves are not full, and the power is pure and strong”, means fluid is strong and pure in the roots and rhizome, this makes the active ingredients are there.
Modern research also proves that the content of active ingredients in the rhizomes of plants is higher in early spring and late autumn, and the yield and quality are higher when collected at this time, such as gastrodia elata, pueraria, yuzhu, rhubarb, platycodon, atractylodes and so on.
Qingming festival is a part of spring with a good climate. Spring brings new hopes to the new year, as we cultivate herbs and seeds with hopes for the Autumn.
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