A red sage root production and processing industry has formed in Miaoli County through public-private collaboration to boost the local economy, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Miaoli District Agricultural Research and Extension Station said on Wednesday.
Red sage root, known as danshen (丹參), is used in facilitating blood circulation and soothing the mind in traditional Chinese medicine, station director Lu Hsiu-ying (呂秀英) told a news conference.
The Miaoli County Government and the station began to promote contract farming of red sage root in 2021, with the Yuanli Township Farmers’ Association assisting a production and marketing group with the branding “Miaoli’s Red Sage Roots,” as well as creating processed red sage root products, Lu said.
Photo: Yang Yuan-ting, Taipei Times
To develop a stable industrial chain, seedling cultivation was commissioned to a professional nursery, with seeds provided by agricultural workers to save at least half of the cost, she said.
Mechanical harvesting devices, such as vibrating harvesters, were introduced to save 30 percent of manual labor in harvesting, she added.
All red sage root cultivated in Miaoli County meets the standard level of 0.15 percent Tanshinone IIA — a lipid-soluble component of red sage root that is an anti-inflammatory and can boost the nervous system — as required by the Taiwan Herbal Pharmacopeia (台灣中藥典), Lu said.
In elite single plants, the level of Tanshinone IIA could rise to more than 0.3 percent, she said.
Such elite plants were estimated to weigh 550g to 880g each and would be repurposed to produce more high-quality seeds, she said.
That would help stabilize production and ensure they have optimal health benefits, she added.
All red sage roots produced in Miaoli County have traceability labels, and they are mostly grown in Yuanli (苑裡), Zaociao (造橋), Houlong (後龍) and Tongluo (銅鑼) townships, with a total planting area of about 3 hectares, Lu said.
Many red sage root products have been developed, including fresh red sage root and herbal blended tea, she said.
Red sage root powder can be mixed with rice congee to add an herbal flavor, she said, adding that the “red oil” floating on the surface of congee soup contains Tanshinone IIA.
Pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies are also welcome to collaborate with the red sage root production and marketing group to develop applications in the health industry, she said.
Additional reporting by Yang Yuan-ting
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