Species Use Database

Tianma
Gastrodia elata

Used for Food and feed and Medicine and hygiene in China

A. Species

Scientific name: Gastrodia elata

Common name(s): Tianma

Global IUCN Red List Threat Status:


B. Location of use

Geographic location(s):

  • China

Country/Region:


C. Scale of assessment

Scale of assessment: National Level

Name/Details of location: Yiliang county in Zhaotong City


D. Timescale of use

Start Year: 2020

End Year: 2025


E. Information about the use

How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from the wild but reared/cultivated in a managed site

Type of use: Extractive

Practice of use: Cultivation

Lethal or non-lethal: Lethal

Does this use involve take/extraction of: Only parts or products of the organism

Purpose(s) of end use: Food and feed and Medicine and hygiene

Motivation of use: Income generation from trade (individual/household/community) and Traditional/Cultural/Spiritual

Is this use legal or illegal?: Legal under national law


F. Information about the Users

Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people, National / local government and National / local private sector


G. Information about the sustainability of use

Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from the wild but reared/cultivated in a managed site

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable

Details of assessment carried out: Published literature

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: The use and trade of g. elata has promoted local economic growth and provides diverse employment opportunities.

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable

Details of assessment carried out: Published literature

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: The industry has played a crucial role in poverty alleviation, lifting 6,100 households and 25,600 individuals out of poverty. It enables young people to return to their home towns for employment, where they play an active part in all segments of the industrial chain. The study highlights how traditional practices are integrated in to the cultivation and use of G. elata.

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: not recorded


Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species

The record recommends improving the management of the symbiotic fungus Armillaria mellea and addressing the ecological impacts of wood-intensive cultivation to protect forest health.


Record source

Information about the record source: scientific_pub

Date of publication/issue/production: 2025-01-01T00:00:00+0000

Source Reference(s):

Fan, Y., Tian, M., Hu, D. and Xiong, Y., 2025. Exploring the Biocultural Nexus of Gastrodia elata in Zhaotong: A Pathway to Ecological Conservation and Economic Growth. Biology, 14(7), p.846.

Date of record entry: 2025-07-28