+86 182 0848 1245
Shibing County, located in the Qiandongnan Prefecture of Guizhou Province, China, has firmly established itself as the nation's preeminent production base for Taizishen (太子参), known in academic and international circles as Radix Pseudostellariae, Pseudostellaria Root, Prince Ginseng Root, or Heterophylly False Starwort Root. This report provides a detailed analysis of the current state of the Shibing Taizishen industry, focusing on four critical areas: cultivation scale, comprehensive development, scientific and technological research, and multi-stakeholder support. The findings indicate a robust and rapidly evolving industry, characterized by significant scale, deep scientific integration, and strong backing from government, academia, and private enterprises, all driving towards a future of high-quality, sustainable development.
Shibing County is the undisputed core of China's Prince Ginseng Root production. The scale of its cultivation is both extensive and highly concentrated.
National Dominance: According to statistics from the Qiannan Prefecture government, the cultivation area for Pseudostellaria Root within Shibing County exceeds 100,000 mu (approximately 6,667 hectares). The annual output ranges between 5,000 to 6,000 tons, accounting for a staggering 60% to 70% of the total national production of Taizishen . This dominance solidifies Shibing's position as the most critical hub for this valuable medicinal herb.
Regional Economic Driver: The industry is not confined to Shibing alone; it radiates outwards, driving economic activity in over ten surrounding counties and cities, including Kaili, Huangping, and Zhenyuan . Within Shibing, towns like Niudachang and Baiduo are central to this activity. Baiduo Town alone cultivates over 5,300 mu of Taizishen, with a yield of 350-400 kg per mu and an output value surpassing 10,000 RMB per mu, making it a veritable "golden" crop for local farmers .
Stable Production Base: While specific figures vary slightly between sources, the overall cultivated area in the region remains consistently massive, often reported at around 80,000 mu, with an annual output value exceeding 700 million RMB . This stability provides a strong foundation for further industrial development.
The development of the Shibing Heterophylly False Starwort Root industry showcases a clear trajectory from raw material production towards a more sophisticated, integrated, and value-added chain.
Primary Production and Farmer Benefits: The cultivation of Radix Pseudostellariae has become a powerful tool for rural revitalization. Through cooperative models that involve land transfer and local employment, farmers earn both "rent" for their land and "wages" for working on the bases, significantly boosting their income . This "co-prosperity equation" has effectively turned a "small medicinal herb" into a "wealth-generating root" .
Downstream Processing and Brand Building: A key step in development has been the move into processing. A significant milestone was the production and market launch of the "Shanyuan Taibao" Taizishen and Sea Buckthorn Beverage, a registered health food product developed by local enterprise Guizhou Sanhong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. . This signifies a crucial advancement in converting raw Prince Ginseng Root into a higher-margin, market-ready health product.
Economic Integration and Investment: The local government is actively promoting investment into the sector. In the first half of 2025 alone, Shibing County signed cooperation projects worth over 1.1 billion RMB, with a strong focus on industries including the deep processing of characteristic agricultural products like Taizishen . This indicates a concerted effort to strengthen and expand the industrial chain.
Science and technology are the core drivers behind the modernization and sustained health of the Shibing Pseudostellaria Root industry. Multiple initiatives are addressing fundamental challenges and boosting productivity.
The "Gene Defense Battle": For decades, the industry relied on vegetative propagation, which led to the accumulation of viral diseases, causing severe yield losses and threatening crop health . In response, the Shibing Taizishen Science and Technology Backyard, supported by the National Chinese Herbal Medicine Industry Technology System, has pioneered a powerful "one-two punch" strategy.
Sexual Reproduction ("The First Punch"): Researchers have developed effective sexual reproduction techniques to overcome the problem of low seed germination rates in Taizishen . This method helps stabilize and conserve superior genes. Through a rigorous "beauty pageant" selection process, over 100 germplasms have been collected, leading to the development of new varieties like "Guican No. 1" .
Tissue Culture and Rapid Propagation ("The Second Punch"): By applying stem tip detoxification and tissue culture techniques, scientists have created a "clone army" of healthy, rejuvenated seedlings . This advanced approach has dramatically reduced the incidence of viral diseases from 35% to below 5-20%, while increasing the yield of Taizishen by 10-20% .
Collaborative R&D Platform: A major conference, the "National Chinese Herbal Medicine Industry Technology System Taizishen Single Variety Research Conference," was held in Shibing in June 2025 . It brought together 18 expert teams from across the country, alongside representatives from Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Huaren Jiangzhong Pharmaceutical Group, to discuss product development and industry chain enhancement . This event underscores the national academic and corporate attention focused on Shibing's Taizishen. Furthermore, a technical cooperation agreement specifically for Taizishen was signed between the Shibing county government, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Huaren Jiangzhong Pharmaceutical Group .
The growth of the Taizishen industry is underpinned by robust support from government policies, strategic talent programs, and a focused drive to achieve "food and drug" status for the herb.
Policy and Talent Support: The Shibing county government has implemented a series of measures to "introduce, cultivate, utilize, love, and retain" talent for rural industry revitalization . This includes introducing 11 scientific and technical commissioners who provided over 460 technical services and trained more than 1,100 people in the past year . Programs like the "Thirty-Three Measures" and the "Outstanding Talent Award" incentivize experts to work at the grassroots level and contribute to industrial standardization and brand development, having already resulted in new varieties and geographical indication trademarks .
The "Pharmaco-Food" Designation Initiative: A critical and high-priority government-led project is the application to have Taizishen included in the national "Pharmaco-Food" substance directory . This designation would legally allow it to be used in both food and medicine, vastly expanding its market potential.
High-Level Coordination: Provincial health authorities are actively supporting this initiative, having invited experts from the National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment to inspect Shibing and having reported directly to relevant national ministries to seek support .
Major Research Investment: In a significant move, the Shibing County Health Bureau, in September 2025, signed a 2.94-million-RMB contract with the prestigious Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (CACMS) Institute of Chinese Materia Medica . The three-year project has the explicit goal of "completing the work for Taizishen to enter the 'Pharmaco-Food' substance directory" . This partnership with a top-tier national research institution demonstrates the seriousness and resource commitment behind this endeavor.
