Dihuang is about to be "served" with the same medicinal and food sources, whether it goes through the heart or the kidneys?
June 18, 2024
The team that shares the same origin of medicine and food is constantly expanding. In April of this year, the Food Department of the National Health Commission issued a letter soliciting opinions to health units in various provinces, soliciting the inclusion of four traditional Chinese medicinal materials in the "same source list of medicine and food", and Rehmannia glutinosa is one of them. When it comes to Rehmannia, many people's understanding of it may come from the TV advertisement of "Rehmannia Pill", so Rehmannia has been branded as "tonifying the kidney" in the hearts of Chinese people. Now that "joining" the same source of medicine and food, should Rehmannia continue to enter the consumer market with kidney tonifying or open up a second curve?
01
Besides tonifying the kidneys, what other characteristics does Rehmannia have?
From both traditional medical records and modern scientific research, in addition to tonifying the kidneys, Rehmannia glutinosa has potential applications in multiple health directions. Dihuang pills are just a branch of application. Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch. is a plant of the genus Rehmannia in the family Scrophulariae, and the traditional Chinese medicine Rehmannia uses its root tubers. As one of the four major medicinal herbs, Rehmannia glutinosa has a long history of medicinal use in China and is also listed as a top-grade herb in the Shennong Materia Medica Classic. According to different processing methods, Rehmannia can be divided into three types: fresh Rehmannia, raw Rehmannia, and cooked Rehmannia, with certain differences in their effects. Fresh Rehmannia glutinosa, used as a medicinal ingredient. It has the effects of clearing heat and generating fluids, cooling blood and dispersing stasis, detoxifying and relieving pain. Raw Rehmannia glutinosa is roasted to about 80% dryness before being used as medicine to clear heat, cool blood, nourish yin, and produce saliva. Rehmannia glutinosa is made by drying raw Rehmannia glutinosa wine before being used as medicine. It has the effects of nourishing yin and blood, nourishing essence and filling marrow, and is used for liver and kidney yin deficiency, waist and knee soreness and weakness, internal heat and thirst quenching, dizziness, tinnitus, and early whitening of beard and hair. In terms of composition, Rehmannia glutinosa has rich chemical components, mainly including iridoid terpenes, violones, phenylethanolamides, sugars, and other compounds. In addition, it also includes triterpenes, flavonoids, lignin, phenolic acids, and so on. The iridoid compounds are the most abundant and abundant class of compounds in Rehmannia glutinosa. In terms of application, many traditional classic ancient books have detailed records of the usage and direction of Dihuang. As mentioned in the Han Dynasty medical work "A Record of Famous Doctors", "Those who produce Rehmannia glutinosa are those who have newly discovered fresh herbs, so their nature is cold. Women who suffer from collapse, continuous bleeding under the vagina, and postpartum Qi and blood pressure can cause suffocation, injury to the fetus, wrist fractures, and stagnant blood. They are all suitable for drinking and drinking." In addition, the medical sage Zhang Zhongjing also recorded in his book "Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases" the use of fresh Rehmannia glutinosa in the direction of mental illness. Based on modern scientific research, Rehmannia glutinosa has good potential for application in areas such as heart health, vascular health, sleep health, joint health, brain health, immunity, and organs.
02
Dihuang, do you walk the heart or the kidneys?
At present, Rehmannia glutinosa has a certain planting scale. According to relevant research, incomplete statistics on the cultivation of traditional Chinese medicine in Henan Province in 2021 show that the planting area of Rehmannia glutinosa in Henan Province was 61000 mu. According to statistics from the agricultural department, in 2023, the planting area of the "Four Major Huai Medicines" in Jiaozuo City was 151900 acres, of which 71900 acres were planted with Huai Di Huang. In terms of raw material supply, Rehmannia glutinosa has already established a certain foundation. In terms of consumer awareness, the recognition of Rehmannia glutinosa is not low. Currently, Dihuang has accumulated over 60000 notes on Xiaohongshu; In 2024 (January May), the average Tiktok search index is 139000, which is one of the four Chinese medicinal materials for which opinions are sought, and the recognition is relatively high. However, it should be noted that due to the fact that Rehmannia glutinosa was previously classified as a traditional Chinese medicine and cannot be used in ordinary food, there is currently a lack of corresponding food standards for its relevant standards and geographical indication product standards. With the release of soliciting opinions, perhaps the food standards for Rehmannia glutinosa will also be introduced soon. So when Rehmannia can be added with medicinal and edible homology, where should the development of Rehmannia products focus on, whether it goes through the heart or the kidneys? On the path of kidney development, Rehmannia glutinosa has inherent advantages, such as market education costs and speed of product development. However, it cannot be ignored that there are many strong competitors in this market, such as dihuang drugs, health foods, and even ordinary foods. Although there are relatively few daily and convenient products for Rehmannia glutinosa at present, the role of the products, the display of selling points, and the use of "talking to people" to occupy consumer minds and comply with relevant regulatory requirements will be a major challenge for brands. If we choose to "go heart" and explore other routes beyond kidney therapy, combined with the needs and usage scenarios of various consumer groups, where should we focus on developing Rehmannia glutinosa? Is there a more efficient way to go? From the perspective of health benefits, Rehmannia glutinosa has several potential applications in different directions: On the one hand, heart health and vascular health. The most important type of compound in Rehmannia glutinosa is iridoid compounds, and the representative active ingredient in this type of component is catalpol. A research team conducted rat experiments and found that catalpol has good performance in heart health. It can reduce the formation of oxygen nitroso anion ONOO (-) in blood vessels (P<0.05), increase protein kinase (Akt), phosphorylation of endothelial ammonia synthase, and production of nitric oxide (NO). On the other hand, it is healthy aging. The methanol extract from Rehmannia glutinosa can achieve the goal of healthy aging by clearing free radicals. Not only that, clinical research reports have also found that Rehmannia glutinosa has the potential to be applied in problems such as wheatgrain swelling and chalazion swelling. The study mentioned that using fresh Rehmannia glutinosa juice for wheat swelling and chalazion swelling is beneficial. This means that in the future, there is also potential and space for commercialization of Rehmannia glutinosa in this direction. In addition, there are studies on the effects of Rehmannia glutinosa on joint health, sleep health, and other aspects. At present, in the terminal market, the main products of Rehmannia on the market are drugs, Chinese medicinal herbs, such as Rehmannia tablets, and some Rehmannia health foods. With the relaxation of regulations, the exploration and research related to the development of Rehmannia into ordinary food may continue to emerge. However, based on the current development situation, if enterprises want to layout Rehmannia, they still need to do more work in production processing and product development. Speaking of which, since both heart and kidney movements face different challenges, is there a shortcut to the development of Dihuang products? Extracting scriptures from ancient texts may be one of the ways out. Dihuang has been recorded in multiple ancient medical works, and enterprises can stand on the shoulders of their predecessors to further explore the various possibilities of using Dihuang ancient formulas today. Develop health products that meet the needs of modern people, taking into account their health needs and dietary habits. In this way, not only can we take a step forward in product development without being at a loss, but we can also highlight the "origin of ancient formulas" in our selling points, impose product endorsements and establish trust with consumers. At the same time, we can also let the long dormant ancient formulas radiate new vitality. Taking the "Catalogue of Ancient Classic Prescriptions (First Batch)" released by the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2018 as an example, out of the first batch of 100 classic formulas, 11 used Rehmannia glutinosa, and 4 formula names were related to Rehmannia glutinosa. Specifically, as follows: Enterprises can leverage these ancient methods to better develop Dihuang products. Let Dihuang continue to travel through thousands of years, bring health to those in need, and radiate new vitality in the new era.
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2024-06-18
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