As the society keeps progressing and our life keeps improving, we’re paying more and more attention to keep ourselves healthy in a scientific way. Thus the pursuit of safe, effective health care food has become an urgent need. Related departments have put forward the way of “both medicine and food” based on the theory of “take precautions before the disease attacks”.

The theory of “medicine and food share the same origin”, having a long history, has won public acclaim by virtue of its unique charm. Those which can be used as both medicine and food are classified as superior class medicinal herbs in The Classic of Herbal Medicine, aka Shennong Bencaojing. As defined in the book, “They (superior class medicinal herbs) mainly nourish life and correspond to heaven. They are nontoxic and taking them in large amounts and for a long time will not harm people. They are perfect for those who intend to make their body light, boost the qi, prevent aging and live a long life.” Most of them have been regarded as food for a long time.

The development of modern “medicine-food” products not only plays an active role in satisfying people’s multi-level, diversified health demands and promoting people’s health but have far-reaching influence on the modernization and development of traditional Chinese medicine.

Based on the support and advocacy of state policies and driven by the theory of “both medicine and food”, all sectors of society, mainly enterprises, keep releasing new health care products and commercializing their scientific and technological achievements thus making great contribution to human health.

Dendrobium Officinale and Ganoderma Lucidum, Thousand-Year-Old Traditional Health Care Food Materials That Are “Both Medicine and Food”, Start to Appear on People’s Dinner Tables

Dendrobium Officinale and Ganoderma Lucidum have been used to prevent certain diseases since the ancient times because of their excellent performance in health improvement. In 2018 the National Health and Family Planning Commission planned to put nine materials, including Codonopsis, Panax Quinquefolius, Gastrodia Elata, Cistanche, Dendrobium Officinale, Fructus Corni, Cortex Eucommiae leaf, Astragalus, and Ganoderma Lucidum on the list of medicine-food. In the end of 2019, the National Health Commission and the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly announced to start the pilot work of those nine materials as “both medicine and food”.

Dendrobium Officinale and Ganoderma Lucidum are precious traditional Chinese herbs listed as “top 9 Chinese immortal grasses” because of their excellent medicinal value, with Dendrobium Officinale ranking first on the list. According to ancient records, Dendrobium Officinale has been used as food since a long time ago. People in Shanghai, Zhejiang, Guangdong and Guangxi are used to putting it in tea. Dendrobium Officinale is not only thought highly of by renowned doctors through the ages but adored by common people. Classic TCM works like The Classic of Herbal Medicine, Compendium of Materia Medica, Transactions of Famous Physicians, and Bencao Sibianlu all include it and give high praise to its effect. Modern medicine and TCM pharmacologic researches also show that Dendrobium Officinale is rich in dendrobium polysaccharide and multiple essential microelements for the metabolism of human body, which can strengthen people’s health, improve human immunity, invigorate the spleen, whet the appetite, nourish the liver, improve the vision, moisturize the skin, and nourish the five internal organs.

Ganoderma Lucidum has been regarded as a treasure which is both medicine and food and can help people live longer since the ancient times. Known as “a cure for all disease” nontoxic for long-term use, it was admired by emperors and nobles of the past dynasties. Its medicinal value has been recorded in TCM works through the ages. Furthermore, modern medicine proves that Ganoderma Lucidum and its spore powder are rich in active ingredients like triterpenoids and polysaccharides, which can improve human immunity, regulate blood sugar, control blood pressure, assist tumor chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and protect the liver.

ShouXianGu Sticks to Genuine Medicinal Materials to Establish High Standards to Enhance the Development of Dendrobium Officinale and Ganoderma Lucidum Industries

Food is the first necessity of people and safety is the first necessity of food. Food safety has always been one of people’s big concerns. The emerging and development of products that are “both medicine and food” not only are a major topic for domestic pharmaceutical enterprises and food enterprises but will be the focus of common people. The key to researching and development of products that are “both medicine and food” lies in sticking to genuine medicinal materials and improving the quality of traditional Chinese medicinal materials.

It is ShouXianGu’s spirit of originality and high-standard pursuit of excellence to realize the inheritance and innovative development of safe, quality, genuine medicinal materials. Taking “serve for people’s health, beauty and longevity” as the mission, ShouXianGu sticks to TCM whole industrial chain mode to guarantee high quality and keeps cultivating and highlighting the genuineness and characteristics of quality traditional Chinese medicinal materials to promote core industrial competitiveness. ShouXianGu cultivates precious herbs like Ganoderma Lucidum, Dendrobium Officinale, and Saffron without any form of pesticide, chemical fertilizer, or plant growth regulator to allow the plants to grow in a natural way and adopts intelligent, large-scale, and standard production to make sure all the medicinal materials are safe, effective, natural, organic and pollution-free.

The products from ShouXianGu Base have gained four organic product certifications in EU, the U.S., Japan and China, China’s TCM GAP certification, and the Certificate of Protected Eco-origin Product issued by National Medical Products Administration. ShouXianGu’s cultivation bases have been rated as Genuine Crude Dendrobium Officinale Protection and Standardized Cultivation Base and Genuine Crude Ganoderma Lucidum Protection and Standardized Cultivation Base by China Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine and as Zhejiang Quality Genuine TCM Herbs Cultivation Base by Zhejiang Medicinal Materials Association.

Medicinal materials can never be genuine without standards. Relying on decades of scientific research and outstanding advantages in the standard establishment of Dendrobium Officinale and Ganoderma Lucidum, ShouXianGu has taken a lead in the establishment of ISO international standards for “TCM Dendrobium Officinale” and “TCM Ganoderma Lucidum”, helping China play a leading role in the establishment of the industrial standards of the two medicinal materials. By sticking to scientific innovation, ShouXianGu has injected new energy into traditional vibe, playing a positive role in the R&D of TCM industrialization and standardization.

Making traditional Chinese medicinal materials into snakes has become a new commercial mode. Ganoderma Lucidum and Dendrobium Officinale are two pilot materials. In the 2020 plan, ShouXianGu will take the opportunity to promote the R&D of new retail food, develop health care food made of Ganoderma Lucidum and Dendrobium Officinale, actively explore the development path of genuine traditional Chinese medicinal material industry, further enhance the healthy development of TCM industry, and thus make positive contribution to the construction of Healthy China.