This type of grass that grows on cliffs and streams in Vietnam makes Chinese merchants spend hundreds of millions to buy it

Due to being hunted too much, this strange grass has fallen into danger of extinction .

A sought-after herb

In the years from 2018 to 2021, many Chinese merchants went to communes in Binh Lieu district, Quang Ninh province to buy a type of weed that they claimed was a miracle drug. The purchasing price can sometimes be up to hundreds of million dong for a kilo, so many people rush into the forest to search for it.

Not only in Binh Lieu, in 2012, many traders also tried to buy a lot of this type of grass in some communes such as Huong Trach, Phuc Trach, Huong Lam, Huong Lien. in Ha Tinh.

According to VTC News, not only Chinese traders, many Japanese traffickers are also willing to spend huge amounts of money to buy them after they have been dried.

What kind of grass is that that is so expensive?

Golden orchid is a type of grass sought after by many Chinese and Japanese merchants. (Photo: Thai Son Medicinal Materials)

In an article on Vietnamnet, the above type of grass is called golden orchid, which is abundant in Vietnam . Golden orchid (scientific name: Anoechilus roxburglihayata), belongs to the Orchid family (Orchidaceae). It also has many other names such as: diamond grass, velvet grass, golden lotus, brocade orchid or moc mountain stone pine.

The reason it is named that way is because the leaves of this grass are velvety purple, the underside of the leaves is pinkish, the leaf veins can be seen very clearly, and although the leaves are thick, they feel soft and smooth to the touch. When observed, the viewer feels that the leaf veins are shiny like glitter. The trunk is divided into many segments.

Orchids are herbaceous plants with long roots that stick straight into the soil. The length of the roots depends on the size of the plant; on average, a golden orchid has from 2 to 10 roots.

The leaf veins of the orchid glitter like glitter. (Photo: VNUA).

After growing, the leaves are egg-shaped, the base of the leaf is round, and the closer it gets to the tip, the more pointed it becomes. Leaves often grow spirally around the stem, spread out on the ground and are about 3-6cm in size. The plant likes high humidity and shade, is light-tolerant, and requires soil rich in humus, loose, and airy.

Orchids grow on cliffs, along streams, under large trees in humid forests at altitudes of 500-1,600 meters. They are often found growing singly or in scattered clusters in the high mountains of Vietnam. In addition, they also grow in Laos, Thailand, China, India, Nepal.

Orchids grow on cliffs, along streams, under large trees in humid forests at altitudes of 500-1,600 meters. (Photo: LIFE GIFT)

Most orchids are precious. Species have very high value in the ornamental world, such as Anoectochilus albo-lineatus Paret Rchbf. very famous, has pictures in all bonsai magazines. In Vietnam, there are currently more than 15 species of which there are only 2 species that are very precious medicinal plants, including silver jade brocade orchid (Anoectochilus formosanus Hayata) and pink jade brocade orchid (Anoectochilus roxburghii). These species live along the Hoang Lien Son range and the Truong Son range.

The grass has precious medicinal value

According to Dan Tri, golden orchid is one of the precious medicinal plants in Vietnam , due to its diverse pharmacological effects and high economic value. In the Vietnamese Dictionary of Medicinal Plants, vol . chronic stomach".

According to the Chinese book "Manuscripts of Erectile Dysfunction" , the golden orchid is the king of herbs with the function of cooling the liver, clearing heat, detoxifying, dry cough, sore throat, vomiting blood, abdominal pain, high fever, increasing blood pressure. resistance…

Golden orchid is one of the precious medicinal plants in Vietnam, due to its diverse pharmacological effects and high economic value. (Photo: VNUA)

Western medicine experts have researched that when tested on rats with diabetes, golden orchids have the ability to combat hyperglycemia from polysaccharose. They administered 2 doses of polysaccharose, 100 or 300 mg/kg, once daily for 25 days with them. The results showed that, compared to untreated diabetic mice, those receiving the drug significantly reduced pathological damage in the pancreas and liver and the function of these two organs also improved. much.

In addition, purslane also has the effect of restoring damaged stem cells and is often used to treat diabetes, stones, bronchitis.

US Patent US 7033617 B2 on "Use of Chi Lan Kim Tuyen plant extracts as herbal nutritional supplements for the prevention of chemical damage or treatment of malignant tumors in children People".

In 2015, American scientists published US patent US 9072770 B2 stating "Aqueous extract of Chi Lan Kim Tuyen, useful pharmaceutical for liver protection".

Due to over-exploitation, the orchid is in danger of extinction. (Photo: SFARM)

However, due to excessive exploitation, in the 1990s, the Chinese government placed it on the list of precious medicinal plants in danger of extinction.

With valuable medicinal properties, the golden orchid is purchased by the market at a quite high price, more than 100,000,000 VND/kg dry. Due to its small quantity, scattered growth and overexploitation (in the form of cutting down entire trees), this type of grass was included in the Vietnam Red Book in 2007 according to Decree 32/2006/ND-CP, rated EN A1a,c,d and commercial exploitation is prohibited.

Scientists have selected, preserved genes and successfully grown Vietnamese golden orchids in the Langbian plateau, Lam Dong and some other regions.