On the morning of 10 November, ZHAO Zhongxian, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), famous physicist in superconductor and founder of high-temperature superconductivity research in China, visited ShouXianGu for inspection along with his wife and others, accompanied by leaders of the Organization Department of Wuyi County Party Committee. XU Zigui, Supervisory Board Head of ShouXianGu Botanical Co., Ltd., warmly welcomed the arrival of academician ZHAO on behalf of the company’s Chairman LI Mingyan who was on a business trip.

ZHAO Zhongxian graduated from the Department of Technical Physics of the University of Science and Technology of China in 1964. In 1991, he was elected as a member (an academician) of CAS. ZHAO Zhongxian once served as a researcher at the CAS Institute of Physics, deputy director of the Superconducting Materials Lab, and director of the National Lab for Superconductivity, etc. His research results have speeded up the process of China’s high-temperature superconductivity research from running after to leading the world’s advanced level. He is also the winner of the First Prize of the National Natural Science Award and the country’s Highest National Award of Science and Technology in 2016. 

“I have indeed had some connection with TCM. I believe in and even worship it. A friend of mine who had worked in America was diagnosed with liver cancer in the mid-1990s and was issued a Notice of Critical Illness by the hospital of western medicine. He then asked me to bring him several bags of Ganoderma Lucidum Capsules from China to the United States and didn’t pass away until last year. According to him, ganoderma lucidum has indeed some medical value,” academician ZHAO Zhongxian said. 

The burly academician ZHAO speaks loudly and cheerfully. He is enthusiastic and serious when he talks with people. He always listens carefully and then asks instant questions about the issues he wants to know more.

After listening to the introduction of the staff of ShouXianGu, academician ZHAO learned that the company, as a time-honored Chinese enterprise and a national high-tech enterprise, had started researching and developing the wild-imitated organic cultivation techniques for rare traditional Chinese medicinal materials before the country’s introduction of the Administrative Measures on Organic Product Certification, strictly controlling the protection and cultivation of genuine traditional Chinese medicinal varieties such as ganoderma lucidum, dendrobium officinale and Crocus Sativus from the source of the industrial chain. 

The Organic TCM Base of ShouXianGu has also passed the organic product certifications in China, the European Union and the United States, as well as certifications of the National Demonstration Base for Protection and Large-Scale Planting of Genuine Traditional Chinese Medicinal Varieties, Eco-origin Product Base, Organic Food Base, etc. Furthermore, its refined processing of products has passed the National GMP Certification. ShouXianGu’s products, with their quality being “safe, effective, stable and controllable”, have been praised and affirmed by the leaders and experts of the superior authorities, and won the trust and favor among general consumers.

Academician ZHAO then asked, “According to your introduction, you have established strict standards for all links including breed selection, organic cultivation, deep processing and testing and I understood it. But I wonder whether the artificially cultivated ganoderma lucidum and dendrobium officinale have the same medicinal ingredients and therapeutic effects as the wild ones”.

“All organic bases of our company are located in Wuyi County, which is the place of origin for genuine medicinal materials of ganoderma lucidum and dendrobium officinale since ancient times. Our company’s chairman LI Mingyan, who is also known as a researcher, pays much attention to research in basic science and has independently bred 5 new varieties of the two medical herbs after decades of exploration and efforts. Among the new varieties of dendrobium officinale, Xianhu 1 and Xianhu 2, boasting a polysaccharide content of up to 47.1% and 58.7% respectively, well above the standard of 25% in Chinese Pharmacopoeia and also higher than that of the wild dendrobium officinale, are both in the leading domestic level. As to Xianzhi 1, a new variety of ganoderma lucidum developed and bred by ShouXianGu and also the first one that passes the provincial certification in China, its main medicinal ingredients are more than 30 percent higher than the Japanese red ganoderma lucidum, and Xianzhi 2 later developed has main medicinal ingredients about 20 percent higher than Xianzhi 1. Place of origin for genuine medicinal materials, fine varieties and organic cultivation together contribute to the ganoderma lucidum and dendrobium officinale of ShouXianGu, which are with even higher medicinal ingredient content and safety than that of wild ones.

 Meanwhile, wild ganoderma lucidum and dendrobium officinale have such problems as degraded varieties and medicinal effects, poor growing environment and excessive agricultural residue and residue of heavy metals,” the company’s leader XU Zigui answered in response to the question.

Academician ZHAO agreed about this. He further explained the significance of “genuine medicinal materials” by comparing the different therapeutic effects between Jichun wormwood and Taiwan wormwood he has used, and expressed his appreciation for ShouXianGu’s efforts in producing genuine and organic medicinal materials to improve its products’ quality and therapeutic effects. 

Academician ZHAO had long stopped to watch Longevity Valley’s TCM processing techniques. He applauded for the efforts of the national intangible cultural heritage inheritor LI Mingyan and ShouXianGu in combining excellent traditional techniques with modern technologies, so that the ancestral techniques and arcanum can be protected and improved while innovative development in safety and efficacy has been made.

“As traditional Chinese medicine can be physically, chemically and biologically extracted, which kind of method do you use? Academician ZHAO asked.

Staff of Longevity Valley provided an answer to it and specially introduced the intensive processing of ganoderma lucidum spore powder. Longevity Valley developed and adopted the supersonic airflow sporoderm-broken technology, thereby breaking the saying that “sporoderm cannot be broken by airflow for ganoderma lucidum spore powder”, and solving the worldwide problems such as excessive heavy metals of chromium and nickel, low active ingredient, easy oxidation & deterioration and poor safety caused by mechanical sporoderm-broken method with superfine grinding vibration mill. This revolutionary technology has been granted the national invention patent, and won the National Science and Technology Innovation Award and the Gold Award at the 46th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva.

During the visit, academician ZHAO had a keen interest in the life experience of Chairman LI Mingyan. After carefully reading the introduction of the life of Chairman LI, he exclaimed with admiration that for a young man who was born in 1960 and grew up in such a difficult living and learning environment, it was not easy for him to have developed an ancestral pharmacy into such a powerful modern listed company that leads the scientific research in the industry. 

“Chairman XI stressed that TCM is a gem of ancient Chinese science and TCM companies will also have a bright future.” At the end of the visit, academician ZHAO expressed his high recognition for the achievements Longevity Valley has made in the field of scientific and technological innovation, praised its “Organic TCM” products, and put forward some suggestions on its future research direction and industry development, hoping that the company will be better and stronger under the leadership of the researcher LI Mingyan.