Hou Po is a common Chinese medicine, mainly composed of its bark, root bark, and twig bark. In addition to its medicinal uses, Hou Po is also an ideal tree species for beautifying the environment and can be used for manufacturing furniture and other crafts. Therefore, Hou Po not only has high medicinal value but also has significant economic value. However, due to the scarcity of wild resources, Hou Po is a protected plant in the country, and the government has long been encouraging and supporting its cultivation and development.
1. Genetic Improvement and Mechanism Research of Hou Po are a Long Way to Go
The content of Hou Po phenols not only varies among different sources but also varies greatly among individuals within the same source. Three sources of Hou Po, Wu Feng, He Feng, and En Shi, have significantly superior quality compared to other sources. Under current technological conditions, the most effective way to improve the quality of Hou Po is to use superior sources for afforestation. However, there are still significant differences in phenol content among individuals within the same source. If the goal is only to produce medicinal materials using superior sources of Hou Po, there is still a considerable gap in meeting the requirements of "quality stability and control" for modernization and internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine. At the same time, these differences provide a material basis and great potential for further genetic improvement of Hou Po.
Therefore, the selection of excellent individual plants within superior sources of Hou Po and the research of asexual rapid propagation techniques (including tissue and cell culture techniques) are the key to achieving the modernization and internationalization goals of "controlled and stable" Hou Po medicinal materials. Genetic improvement of Hou Po needs to consider both the quality and yield of medicinal materials, requiring the content of Hou Po phenols and total phenols in the bark of 15-20-year-old trees (measured at a height of 1.2-1.3 meters from the trunk) to be above 8% (according to the methods specified in the 2000 edition of the Pharmacopoeia) and the bark yield to be more than 15% higher than the control (typically artificial forests).
With the rapid development of molecular biology and modern biotechnology, the effective components of secondary metabolism such as phenols and alkaloids in Hou Po, as well as their biosynthesis processes, regulation key enzymes, genes, and storage and accumulation mechanisms, will become the focus of scientific research. The combination of traditional breeding and modern biotechnology is a promising and realistic goal to develop new high-quality and high-yield varieties for production.
2. Formulating and Implementing Production Management Standards is a Top Priority
The modernization, industrialization, and internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine are requirements of the times. To achieve the modernization and internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine, it is necessary to meet the high requirements of "safety, effectiveness, control, and stability" for plant medicines and products. This requires the formulation and implementation of production management standards to improve the yield and quality of Hou Po. By assembling existing technologies, starting from seeds and propagation materials, priority should be given to seedling engineering, vigorously promoting excellent varieties, and strictly controlling the mixing of poor-quality germplasm. Selecting suitable nurseries for winter sowing at the right time, selecting suitable planting sites, applying minimal or no fertilizers and pesticides, and ensuring safety and hygiene in the harvesting, processing, and storage processes.
3. Wide Prospects for the Development and Utilization of Hou Po Resources
Hou Po has a wide range of pharmacological effects, including antibacterial, anti-ulcer, antispasmodic, anti-allergic, and muscle relaxant properties. It has minimal toxic and side effects. Therefore, its clinical application is becoming increasingly widespread. Currently, more than 200 Chinese patent medicines formulated with Hou Po are used in the pharmaceutical industry nationwide, and medicines such as Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Pills and Fu Po Oral Solution are widely used in clinical practice. Some strong companies are developing traditional Chinese medicines based on Hou Po as the main raw material. Tianjin Tasly is developing Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Drop Pills, Zhejiang Nais is developing Hou Po cavity-preventing toothpaste, and Zhejiang Weikang Pharmaceutical is also developing traditional Chinese medicines mainly based on Hou Po. There have been new developments in the application of Hou Po in the development of anti-tumor drugs. We have every reason to believe that China's unique Hou Po will make more contributions to human health.
Hou Po wood is straight, lightweight, with a fine texture, and does not warp or shrink. It is easy to process and is suitable for making boards, carvings, lacquerware, musical instruments, machinery, vessels, buckets, sanitary chopsticks, pencil shafts, and matchsticks. The wood chips are a high-quality substrate for bagged shiitake mushrooms. It has an elegant tree shape and is an excellent tree species for garden landscaping.
