A blockchain and IPFS-based system for monitoring the geographical authenticity of Codonopsis pilosula

Abstract

The quality of Geo-authentic herbs is determined by unique growth conditions, such as soil composition and climate, which result in higher concentrations of trace elements, minerals, and secondary metabolites compared to common herbs. However, existing quality monitoring methods for authentic medicinal materials face issues such as limited monitoring dimensions, high data storage pressure, and insufficient traceability efficiency. To address these issues, this study proposes a novel Geo-authentic herbs quality monitoring method based on a “blockchain + InterPlanetary File System (IPFS)” architecture. This approach employs a distributed storage framework where large-scale data, including climate and soil conditions, are stored in IPFS, while blockchain records corresponding hash values, achieving authenticity verification while reducing on-chain storage pressure. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, we constructed a set of quality monitoring systems for Lu Codonopsis pilosula in Lingchuan County, Shanxi Province, China, covering the entire lifecycle from sowing to commercialization. Performance testing demonstrated that compared to traditional blockchain systems, the proposed system reduced node synchronization latency by approximately 37.51%, data growth rates by 50.82%, and storage space requirements by 49.82%. This study represents the first application of the “blockchain + IPFS” approach to Geo-authentic herbs quality monitoring, addressing gaps that traditional methods fail to cover. It provides a scalable solution for quality assurance and traceability in the authentic medicinal materials supply chain, offering a technological framework that supports sustainable development in the food and pharmaceutical industries.