Tiger Milk Mushroom chinese medicine(Li Medicine)
Tiger Milk Mushroom Chinese medicine (Li Medicine) is a rare medicinal fungus that has been passed down for thousands of years by the Li ethnic group in Hainan, China. Its medicinal value has been certified by authoritative literature such as “Fungi of China.” This article is based on research findings from the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences and analyzes the scientific application of this medicinal material in traditional Chinese medicine and modern health care.
Hainan tiger milk mushroom and thousand-year-old Hainan Li medicine
Hainan Island, this sun-drenched land surrounded by tropical rainforests, is home to countless precious natural resources. The Li people are the ancient indigenous inhabitants of Hainan Island, with approximately 95% of the Li population in China residing there. Currently, they primarily settle in the Wuzhishan region of central-southern Hainan. Over more than 3,000 years of history, the Li people have utilized their diligence and wisdom to create a culture uniquely adapted to the tropical island’s natural environment and imbued with distinct local characteristics.
An ancient Li folk song goes: “The mountains have spirits, the grass has souls; all things are interdependent, and herbs are used by humans.” Today, we introduce an important component of China’s medicinal treasure trove—Li Medicine. The Li people believe that every medicinal herb is a gift from nature and should be treated with reverence. When collecting herbs, they adhere to the principle of “preserving the mother plant and only taking the side branches.” They use baskets woven from mountain vines to carry the herbs, avoiding the use of metal containers to prevent affecting their efficacy. This wisdom of harmonious coexistence with nature has enabled Li medicine culture to thrive for thousands of years.
Hainan tiger milk mushroom cultivation
01 Hainan Li Medicine: A Unique Ecological Code
Li Medicine refers to the natural remedies discovered and utilized by the Li people of Hainan through their long-term production and daily life practices. Most of these remedies originate from Hainan’s unique ecological environment and are closely intertwined with the island’s ecological code. Hainan Island is located at the northern edge of the tropics, characterized by a tropical monsoon climate with abundant sunshine, plentiful rainfall, and evergreen vegetation throughout the year, providing optimal conditions for the growth of various plants and animals. It is hailed as the “Tropical Paradise and Southern Pharmaceutical Treasury.”
Hainan currently has over 3,100 recorded medicinal plant species, with over 630 being endemic to Hainan, such as Hainan rough cypress, blood-stopping tree, Hainan dragon’s blood tree, and Hainan yellow rosewood. There are also rare and valuable medicinal herbs like Hainan agarwood, gallnut, earth agarwood, and tiger milk mushroom. Among these, over 800 species are used in traditional Li medicine, including over 500 plant-based medicines, over 200 animal-based medicines, and over 100 mineral-based medicines, which grow and are distributed in areas such as mountain foothills, dense forests, and cliffs.
It is precisely due to the abundant plant and animal resources that the Li people, who have lived deep in the mountains for generations, have discovered the medicinal value of various plants and animals through their daily experiences and observations of their habits. Through generations of accumulation, the variety of Li medicine has become increasingly rich.
According to historical records, as early as the Song and Yuan dynasties, the Li people had already developed a comprehensive understanding of the morphology, efficacy, properties, and methods of collection and processing of herbal medicines. They frequently used herbal medicines to treat common and prevalent conditions such as snake bites, bruises and contusions, rheumatism, malaria, and liver diseases, achieving unique therapeutic effects. In the eyes of the Li people, who are familiar with plant habits, many plants encountered around their homes, in fields, and along roadsides can be readily used as herbal medicines.
Wild tiger milk mushroom plants discovered in the field
After collecting herbs, the Li people first wash them with mountain spring water at the foot of the mountain, then sort, dry, and process them. Traditional processing methods typically include wine-based and honey-based treatments to maximize the freshness and active components of the herbs. The Li people employ a variety of therapeutic methods, including herbal medicine, bone injury therapy, cupping, fire needle therapy, lamp grass therapy, vine moxibustion therapy, and dietary therapy. Li herbal medicines are affordable and effective, and compared to Western medicines, the Li people prefer to use herbal remedies.
For example: Tian Dong, when crushed and applied externally, can treat unknown swellings and toxins; Sancha Ku, whose leaves can treat stomach ailments; Niu Jin Guo, which not only treats stomach pain but also, when its leaves and stems are boiled in water and used to bathe children, can treat chickenpox; Ji Shi Teng, when heated and applied to the abdomen, can treat indigestion, stomach bloating, and other conditions, and also neutralize toad venom; Purslane can clear heat, detoxify, cool the blood, and stop diarrhea; when stir-fried and eaten, it can treat diarrhea; when the entire purslane plant is used as medicine and boiled with betel nut and brown sugar, it can also expel intestinal parasites; Wild ginseng, also known as wild Korean ginseng, when boiled in water and taken long-term, can treat spleen and lung weakness, chronic cough with little phlegm, and chronic illness-induced debility, with effects of tonifying qi and moistening the lungs; Various types of lingzhi mushrooms from the Wuzhishan region are rich in glucosamine, polysaccharides, and mannitol, and have therapeutic effects on many chronic diseases…
These native herbs from Hainan are common components of Li medicine. According to a survey by the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, there are over 300 types of herbs used by Li healers in Baisha County alone, including 13 species unique to Hainan, such as the Hainan tiger milk mushroom.
Li medicine culture centers on the concept of “harmony between humans and nature,” viewing all natural phenomena as part of a shared ecosystem. The plants and microorganisms in this region have evolved remarkable medicinal properties under unique geographical and climatic conditions. The Li people have developed a distinctive “Li medicine” system by observing the habits of plants and animals and summarizing natural laws. The high temperatures and humidity of the tropical rainforest, the mineral-rich volcanic soil, and the abundant sunlight throughout the year collectively form the “ecological code” of Li medicine, and the Hainan tiger milk mushroom is an integral part of this code.
The fruiting body of the tiger milk mushroom has unfolded.
02 Hainan tiger milk mushroom: Deeply rooted in the long history of Li medicine
According to historical records, as early as the 16th century, Portuguese navigators documented in their “Penang Diary” that Malaysian indigenous peoples used the tiger milk mushroom to treat coughs and asthma. The legend among the indigenous people of Malaysia goes like this: A hunter discovered an unusual ground protrusion beneath an injured tiger, from which grew a peculiar mushroom with a rounded cap and slender stem, resembling a tiger’s nipple, and emitting a faint, pleasant aroma. The hunter brought the mushroom back to the village, where the elders identified it as a precious medicinal herb capable of treating various ailments. Thus, the indigenous people of Malaysia named this mushroom the “tiger milk mushroom” to commemorate the tiger and the miraculous reishi mushroom born from its milk.
The first scientific record of the tiger milk mushroom in China was documented in 1963 by Professor Deng Shuqun in his book *Fungi of China*. He provided the first scientific description of the tiger milk mushroom from Hainan, specifically noting its morphological characteristic of “the surface of the sclerotium being covered with tiger-striped cracks,” which is similar to the tiger milk mushroom found in Malaysia.
Tiger milk mushroom sclerotium (underground part)
In 2014, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences discovered a unique species of wild tiger milk mushroom in Hainan’s tropical rainforest. Its distinctive feature is the rare “double ring pattern” at the fork of its stem, and it was named “Lignosus hainanensis.” This discovery revised global fungal taxonomy, and the related paper was published on the cover of the journal *Fungal Diversity*.
Currently, the tiger milk mushroom has not been systematically included in published books such as “An Overview of Li Medicine” and “Hainan Li Medicine.”
Traditional medicine has been passed down through generations, primarily through oral tradition, and has not yet developed into a systematic written theoretical framework. Additionally, Li medicine is typically used within the Li ethnic group, with little external knowledge of it. Another significant reason is that the name “tiger milk mushroom” has been adopted from Malaysia, and there is no corresponding term in the Li language. As a result, for a considerable period, it could only be broadly categorized as a type of “Reishi mushroom.”
However, this has not hindered the practical application of Hainan tiger milk mushroom within the Li community. According to the experience of the Li people in Hainan, tiger milk mushroom possesses multiple therapeutic effects and can assist in treating various difficult-to-cure conditions. For example: grinding the tiger milk mushroom into powder and dissolving it in warm water to relieve coughing, asthma, and other respiratory symptoms; slicing the tiger milk mushroom, boiling it in water, and using the solution for foot soaks to alleviate rheumatic joint pain; and simmering the tiger milk mushroom with chicken, pork ribs, and other ingredients in a soup to promote health and enhance immunity.
Tiger Milk Mushroom Health Soup
03 From Mountain Treasure to Industry Star: The Rise of Hainan’s “New Local Specialty”
In recent years, as people have become increasingly concerned about health and wellness, the medicinal and economic value of Hainan tiger milk mushrooms has gradually gained widespread recognition and attention. With the support of the Hainan Provincial Government and relevant departments, the cultivation and industry of tiger milk mushrooms have developed rapidly, achieving a transformation from “mountain treasure” to “industry star.”
From its discovery in the wild to achieving large-scale cultivation, the development journey of Hainan’s tiger milk mushroom industry has actually been relatively short.
For example, Baisha Li Autonomous County, which began cultivating tiger milk mushrooms in 2022, after three years of exploration, pioneered the “forest-mushroom symbiosis” model, a model case of ecological cultivation—constructing shade structures under rubber tree plantations, utilizing naturally fermented rubber tree leaves as a growth medium, and precisely controlling the mycelium growth cycle to approximately six months. Under this “wild-simulated cultivation” model, the tiger milk mushrooms produced have a polysaccharide content as high as 8%, outperforming other common varieties such as Malaysian tiger milk mushrooms. This has become the core competitive advantage enabling Hainan’s tiger milk mushrooms to command premium prices in the market. Currently, the total cultivation area in Baisha County has exceeded 13,000 acres, benefiting 26,000 farming households with an average annual income increase of 45,000 yuan, truly transforming ecological resources into economic wealth.
Hainan Baisha Rainforest Landscape
In Duowen Town, Lingao County, a project has also been launched to intercrop tiger milk mushrooms in rubber plantations. The project is implemented by Baisha Biotechnology Co., Ltd. and other entities, which effectively utilize the land resources under the rubber trees by planting tiger milk mushrooms, achieving a win-win situation of ecological and economic benefits. The cultivation of tiger milk mushrooms in Hainan has not only opened up new income channels for local farmers but also driven the development of related industries.
Currently, Hainan has seen the emergence of companies like Baisha Lishu, which specialize in the cultivation, processing, and sales of tiger milk mushrooms. By introducing advanced cultivation techniques and processing equipment, they have continuously improved the product quality and added value of tiger milk mushrooms. The product forms of tiger milk mushrooms have evolved from single raw materials to primary agricultural products such as tiger milk mushroom slices, meeting the needs of different consumers.
Tiger milk mushroom slice products
The tiger milk mushroom industry in Hainan is currently adopting ISO-standardized cultivation methods, transforming the traditional wisdom of the Li ethnic group into sustainable and healthy resources. The certification of its unique strains by the international journal *Fungal Diversity* is driving global attention toward this Chinese medicinal fungus.
