Study On The Origin And Distribution Of Authentic Chinese Herbs In Sichuan Province From Ming Dynasty To The Republic Of China

Medicinal herbs are an important material basis for the development of the Chinese medicine industry,of which Dao Di herbs are representatives of regional characteristics and high quality and effectiveness.Sichuan is blessed with a natural environment for the growth of medicinal herbs,and is rich in medicinal resources,and is renowned for its production of authentic medicinal herbs.The period from the Ming to the Republic of China was an important period in the formation and development of Sichuan’s Dao Di herbs.Based on the natural and human environment of Sichuan province,the area of Sichuan from the Ming to the Republic of China is divided into the high mountain plateau region of northwest Sichuan,the southern mountain region of west Sichuan,the basin circumference mountain region and the central basin region.The types and distribution of Dao Di herbs in each region during the Ming Dynasty,Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China are then compared.At the same time,some of the representative Chinese herbs,such as Chuan Bei Mu,Chuan Pepper,Niuxi,Dan Shen and Qiang Huo,were selected and analysed in terms of their change of origin,and concluded that Sichuan traditional Chinese herbs showed the characteristics of relatively stable main production area and variable range change.Among the factors influencing the growth of Dao Di herbs,apart from changes in the natural environment,population growth and mobility,the impact of Western medicine,the frequency of war,the development of transportation and the flourishing of trade were also crucial to the changes in the distribution of Dao Di herb production areas.From the Ming Dynasty to the Republic of China periods,the distribution of the production areas of Sichuan’s traditional Chinese herbs generally showed a pattern of regional expansion,concentration of regional centres and unevenness between regions.The formation of the general layout of Sichuan’s traditional medicinal Chinese herbs in the historical period is an important cornerstone for the development of the Chinese herbal medicine industry today.An analysis of the distribution and changes in the production areas of Sichuan’s traditional Chinese herbs from the perspective of historical geography will have a positive effect on the heritage and development of traditional Chinese herbs and the revitalisation of the economy of the Chinese herbal medicine industry in Sichuan Province at present.