Con Cuong farmers grow 'poor man's ginseng' in greenhouses.
(Baonghean.vn) - After numerous failed attempts at cultivating the Aralia plant, often referred to as the "ginseng of the poor," resulting in losses of hundreds of millions of dong, in 2019, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Trung in Tien Thanh village, Chi Khe commune (Con Cuong district) successfully cultivated Aralia in a greenhouse, generating a stable income of approximately 100 million dong per year per sao (approximately 1000 square meters).
 |
Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Trung's three-year-old Gynostemma garden. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
After retiring from his local job, heNguyen Ngoc TrungA disabled veteran (category 4/4) embarked on an economic venture. With his experience in medicine gained during his five years in the military, and noticing the abundance of medicinal plants in the area such as Polygonum multiflorum, Silybum marianum, Gymnema sylvestre, and others, Mr. Trung began experimenting with preparing herbal extracts.
"Initially, we cooked it on a trial basis for our family and relatives. Then we started cooking it based on pre-orders from acquaintances. Currently, we have completed all the procedures and paperwork, and invested in modern machinery to produce large quantities to supply the market," Mr. Trung shared.
 |
The Aralia plant has high medicinal properties, is easy to grow, and easy to care for. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
During his research on medicinal herbs, he discovered that the Aralia plant is a valuable medicinal herb, a key ingredient in many medicines. In particular, all parts of this plant can be used to make medicine (extracts, remedies, teas, etc.), thus giving it very high economic value.
Meanwhile, locally, this plant grows scattered in hillside gardens; almost every household has a few plants for ornamental purposes and as a spice, but no one has yet shown any interest in using it as a medicinal herb.
In 2018, after carefully researching various documents, Mr. Trung decided to plant the Aralia plant in his rice fields. He obtained 7,000 Aralia cuttings from households in the district, propagated them, and planted them in the soil. After a period of care, the Aralia plants took root and grew.
 |
In reality, the Gynostemma pentaphyllum plant is well-suited to the climate and soil conditions in Con Cuong. However, expanding production requires collaboration to create a sustainable market outlet. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
However, the intense drought and heavy frosts caused the plants to wither and die before any leaves could be harvested. Over 100 million VND spent on land preparation, seedlings, fertilizer, and labor was lost, but this did not discourage him. “The reality shows that the failure of growing Centella asiatica in open fields is due to extreme weather conditions. If we bring this crop into a greenhouse, we can overcome this problem. Therefore, I decided to conduct a trial planting of 2,000 Centella asiatica plants on an area of 500 square meters.”2"The greenhouse," Mr. Trung said.
After 6 months of planting, the plants grow well and yield the first harvest of leaves, with a production of up to 8 quintals per harvest, which are purchased by traders right in the field at a price of 15,000 - 20,000 VND/kg.
 |
The leaves of the Aralia plant are processed into extract and tea bags. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
Regularly, he harvests six crops a year, yielding 6-8 tons of leaves. When prices are good, he sells them fresh in the field; when prices are low and sales are difficult, he dries them and stores them in the warehouse. Notably, to ensure a steady market for his Centella asiatica plants, he has researched ways to process them into extracts and teas for sale on the market.
Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Trung stated: “The medicinal properties of the Aralia plant are high, making it a key ingredient in many medicines, and it has beneficial effects on human health. Aralia is often referred to as the ‘ginseng of the poor’ for this reason. Currently, I have successfully formulated Aralia extract and Aralia tea bags for sale on the market.”
 |
Currently, Mr. Trung has proactively sourced small-leaved Gynostemma pentaphyllum seedlings to expand his cultivation area. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
Mr. Trung is currently trying to contact pharmaceutical companies to establish partnerships for cultivating and supplying the leaves and roots of the Aralia plant for medicinal purposes. Compared to other crops, Aralia requires less cost and care, offers a long harvesting period, high yields, and is very suitable for the climate and soil of the region.Con Cuong./.
