Brief description of authentic Chinese herbal medicine certification:

【Authentic production area】:

The Chinese medicinal materials produced in this production area have been selected through long-term clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine. Compared with the same Chinese medicinal materials produced in other regions, they have better quality and efficacy, stable quality and high popularity.

【Authentic medicinal materials】;

The so-called authentic medicinal materials, also known as genuine medicinal materials, is a special term for high-quality and pure medicinal materials. It refers to medicinal materials with a long history, suitable origin, excellent varieties, abundant output, exquisite preparation, outstanding efficacy and regional characteristics.

[Differences and similarities between authentic medicinal materials and geographical indications]: (Excerpt from part of the information released by the Trademark Office of the State Intellectual Property Office on 2021-12-0307:58).

1. [Similarities between authentic medicinal materials and geographical indications]

(1) [Both are also limited by origin]

my country's Trademark Law also stipulates that geographical indications must indicate that a product originates from a certain region.

Similarly, authentic medicinal materials also have distinct characteristics of origin. One of the characteristics of authentic medicinal materials is that they come from a specific natural environment. The original meaning of "authentic" medicinal materials refers to medicinal materials that are local specialties. After a long period of development of traditional Chinese medicine, they have become representatives of medicinal materials with high quality and good efficacy.

(2) [Both have a quality, reputation or other definite characteristics which are due to their place of origin]

Geographical indications require that the quality, reputation or other characteristics of the products using geographical indications must essentially depend on the natural or human factors of the place of origin. The Trademark Law of the United States stipulates that the specific quality, reputation or other characteristics of the goods using geographical indications are mainly determined by the natural or human factors of the region.

Similarly, the specific quality and reputation of authentic medicinal materials come from the natural and human factors unique to their authentic production areas. Natural factors are a prerequisite for the formation of authentic medicinal materials. The natural factors that affect the growth and development of authentic medicinal materials include sources, climate, soil, sunlight, water, etc. Soil conditions affect the growth and accumulation of medicinal materials, mineral elements in the soil affect the nutrient absorption of plants, the content and ratio of air and water in the soil affect the respiration of plants, and sunlight and climate conditions determine the variety, quantity and reproduction of microorganisms around plants. After long-term observation and comparison, ancient medical scientists found that even widely distributed medicinal materials have different qualities due to different natural conditions, and gradually formed the concept of "authentic medicinal materials". For example, the traditional harvesting season of peony bark is the second and eighth months of the lunar calendar, that is, early spring and late autumn. The accumulation of ingredients such as paeoniflorin and paeonol contained in it has two peak periods in a year, namely May-June and September-October. Since spring is the time for stem and leaf growth and root nutrients to rise, the root bark dug at this time is of poor quality. In addition, spring is rainy and the medicinal materials are not easy to dry. Therefore, the harvesting of peony bark is mostly chosen in autumn. The medicinal materials harvested at this time are powdery, full in shape, and of high quality and yield. Specific medicinal material planting, harvesting and processing techniques are important guarantees for the excellent efficacy of authentic medicinal materials.

(3) [The two have basically the same form of expression]

Geographical indications are usually composed of "geographical name + common name". Geographical name refers to the formal and long-established or commonly accepted name that refers to a specific geographical entity or geographical area. Common name refers to the name of a certain type of product that is commonly used within a certain range2.

The names of most authentic medicinal materials are the same as "authentic production area + medicinal material name". For example, Dong'e Ejiao, Huaishan Yam, Chuanbeimu, etc.

2. [Differences between authentic medicinal materials and geographical indications]

(1) [The range of products with geographical indications is wider than that of authentic medicinal materials]

The types of goods currently registered as collective trademarks and certification trademarks of geographical indications include vegetables, fruits, poultry, grains, handicrafts, medicinal materials, etc. The scope of objects of authentic medicinal materials is relatively narrow, limited to animals, plants or mineral products with medicinal value.

(2) [Product quality requirements for authentic medicinal materials are stricter than those for geographical indications]

The "collective trademark and certification trademark" protection system of the State Intellectual Property Office requires that a product be marked as coming from a certain region, and that the specific quality, reputation or other characteristics of the product are mainly determined by the natural or cultural factors of the region. It does not stipulate that the quality of geographical indications is higher than that of ordinary products.

Authentic medicinal materials are different from this. The reason why authentic medicinal materials are "authentic" is that they are "higher quality and better efficacy" than ordinary medicinal materials. In terms of quality, authentic medicinal materials have higher content of active ingredients, less pesticide residues and heavy metal ions than ordinary Chinese medicinal materials.