Diversity of Botanical Origin of Wild-Harvested and Cultivated Asparagi Radix Produced in China and its Cultivation History and Current Status

Abstract

In the previous DNA barcoding studies, four or five species, in addition to Asparagus cochinchinensis, were found in the crude drug ‘Asparagi radix’ from Chinese and Japanese markets. Among these, the proportion of cultivated samples among the identified crude drug samples was 78% for A. taliensis and 35% for A. cochinchinensis but cultivated A. subscandens was not observed. The increase of cultivated Asparagi radix in response to the decrease of wild resources will likely lead to potential changes in the species composition of the botanical origin of the Asparagi radix in the market in future, particularly with an expected increase in A. taliensis. Therefore, this study aimed to elucidate the reasons behind the diversity of the source plant species of Asparagi radix in China, considering the cultivation of A. cochinchinensis and A. taliensis. A literature review and on-site investigations were conducted to uncover the history and status of the production areas. In wild-harvested areas in Hubei, Guizhou, and Sichuan, only A. cochinchinensis was harvested. In contrast, in cultivated areas, A. taliensis was cultivated in Yunnan and Guizhou, whereas A. cochinchinensis was cultivated in Guangxi and Sichuan. This situation was probably caused by the cultivation history in the three regions where native species and strains were independently used. Among the cultivated crude drugs, those derived from A. cochinchinensis in Guangxi, the most prevalent in the market during the survey, were small and thin. In contrast, those derived from A. taliensis from Yunnan and Guizhou were large, well-filled, and light-colored, matching the characteristics of high-quality products in the crude drug market. As Yunnan and Guizhou are geo-authentic herb (Di Dao, geo-authentic “best quality”)-producing areas of Asparagi radix, traditionally, Asparagi radix originated from A. taliensis will likely increase more in the future.