Jeongeup-si Agricultural Technology Center Achieves Large-Scale Cultivation of Poria, Main Ingredient of Gyeongokgo

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Jaegil] A path has opened to mass-produce Poria, a major ingredient in the traditional herbal tonic Gyeongokgo, which is highly effective as a diuretic.

The Agricultural Technology Center of Jeongeup-si, Jeonbuk, announced that it has achieved tangible results in discovering Poria, a promising new medicinal crop used as a key ingredient in the traditional herbal tonic Gyeongokgo and known for its strong diuretic effects.

Poria is a special mushroom that has been used since ancient times for calming the mind and body, diuretic effects, and tonic properties, and is frequently included in prescriptions such as Sipjeondaebo-tang and Gyeongokgo.

Recently, its efficacy in inhibiting lung cancer cell proliferation and boosting immunity has become known, increasing demand; however, due to low production volume, most of the demand relies on imports.

Since the 1980s, Poria cultivation has evolved from outdoor buried cultivation using pine logs to facility cultivation using cultured wood and sawdust substrates.

The outdoor buried cultivation method has a low entry barrier for farmers but suffers from large yield variations depending on soil physical and chemical properties and cultivation skill levels. Facility cultivation allows mass production but requires high initial management costs.

To address this, the city developed greenhouse cultivation technology using potting soil, compensating for the drawbacks of traditional outdoor cultivation such as large cultivation area requirements, long cultivation periods, and excessive labor input.

When Poria is cultivated inside a greenhouse, the rise in ground temperature during cold periods promotes good mycelial establishment, reduces contamination by unwanted fungi, and increases yield.

Additionally, blocking rainfall during the monsoon season prevents decay, and cultivation in potting soil makes harvesting easier.

Based on the results of the greenhouse cultivation research project, the city plans to conduct further studies this year to increase productivity and improve product quality.

An official from the Agricultural Technology Center stated, “We plan to continuously improve the completeness of Poria cultivation technology through ongoing research,” and added, “We will strive to distribute the developed technology to farmers to help create new income sources.”