Quality Control of Radix Astragali (The Root of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus) Along Its Value Chains

Abstract

Radix Astragali (RA), the root of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus (Bunge) P.K. Hsiao, known as "Huangqi" in Chinese, has been used as a traditional herbal medicine or food in China for more than 2,000 years and is now consumed globally. Unfortunately, the increasing demand for RA has led to the overexploitation of its wild stock, as well as quality problems, including adulteration and contamination. Therefore, the sustainable cultivation of RA is urgently needed. In the present research, semi-structured interviews and key informant interviews were conducted, over a 2-year period, to collect data from stakeholders in the main production areas; moreover, a targeted chemical analysis-based quality assessment strategy was applied to understand the quality of RA. Accordingly, 10 different types of value chains (VCs) were identified in RA production; meanwhile, the contents of the main active ingredients (astragaloside and calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucoside) were analyzed by HPLC-ELSD-UV and the yield of medicinal material was demined and further analyzed using k-means clustering analysis. The results show that the tight relationship between quality of the RA and stakeholders' revenues among the VCs, which reflects a more general trend in the production system. Over the past few decades, vertical coordination has emerged increasingly in VCs of RA, which leads to a more coherent traceability system and rigorous regulations in the supply chains. Daodi herbs can be considered to be a standard that is distinctive with good quality characteristics that emphasize the origins of the medicinal plants. We find that the suitability of geographical areas and vertical integration can improve the VCs of RA, which further contributes to its quality control, as well as its sustainable production.

Keywords: daodi herb; grade; quality; radix astragali; value chain.

FIGURE 1

Radix Astragali production areas in China (mapped using ArcGIS v10.4.1). Red circle: center of the daodi area of Radix Astragali (Midwest Inner Mongolia and north Shanxi), blue ellipse: main production areas of Radix Astragali in the east (east Inner Mongolia and parts of Hebei), green ellipse: main production areas of Radix Astragali in the west (Midwest Gansu and parts of Ningxia and Shaanxi).

FIGURE 2

Radix Astragali goes through six stages before it reaches the consumer.

FIGURE 3

Commercial grades of Radix Astragali found at a local market in Inner Mongolia: (A) huge (d > 1.5 cm), (B) large (d > 1.2 cm), (C) medium (1.2 cm ≥ d > 0.8 cm), and (D) small (0.8 cm ≥ d ≥ 0.35 cm).

FIGURE 4

Primary value chains and stakeholders involved in Radix Astragali produce.

FIGURE 5

Herbal practitioner value chains for crude botanical materials, beginning with a grower in Inner Mongolia and finishing with the consumers. The data were derived from informants questioned after the Radix Astragali harvest in 2019. Value are expressed as Mean ± Srandard deviation (SD).

FIGURE 6

Results of the geographical indication analysis (based on 31 batches of Radix Astragali from 16 habitats).

FIGURE 7

Factors affecting the quality of herbal medicines produced via small-lot and high-quality production models.