When it comes to ginseng, everyone knows it is a valuable item, making it a great gift and a staple for family health. Today, we will discuss some knowledge related to ginseng, which will surely help everyone in purchasing ginseng in the future.

Ginseng (Ren Shen) is sweet and warm, entering the spleen (Pi), lung (Fei), heart (Xin), and kidney (Shen) meridians. Its primary function is to greatly replenish the vital energy (Yuan Qi), stabilize the pulse, and can also tonify lung qi, spleen qi, heart qi, kidney qi, generate fluids, calm the spirit, and enhance intelligence. Therefore, it can “treat all deficiency syndromes in men and women,” making it the primary medicine for treating deficiency and internal injury. Generally, it is ground into powder and taken orally, with a dosage of 2g at a time, twice a day. Ginseng should not be used with Li Lu (Veratrum) or Wu Ling Zhi (Flying Squirrel Feces). It is contraindicated for those with excess conditions, heat syndromes, and where the righteous qi is not deficient. Due to its effectiveness and rarity, it is quite expensive, leading to many fakes. Below, we will focus on the key points for distinguishing genuine from fake ginseng.

[Genuine Product][Sheng Shai Shen] Pharmacopoeia Product

The medicinal material is the dried root of the plant Panax ginseng (Ren Shen) from the Araliaceae family. This product is available in two types: whole root Sheng Shai and Jiang Sheng Shai. Whole root Sheng Shai has complete roots, including the rhizome and root hairs, which are often wrapped with thread. Jiang Sheng Shai is cylindrical or spindle-shaped, with a rhizome, generally lacking root hairs and fine lateral roots. The ginseng body has distinct longitudinal wrinkles, and the upper part has transverse ring patterns, often with prominent transverse nodes.[Sheng Shai Mountain Ginseng] Pharmacopoeia Product

This product is often shaped like the character “人” or cylindrical, with a slender rhizome (Lu) that has nodes, slightly curved (goose neck rhizome), over 2cm long, with numerous concave stem scars (Lu Wan) on the upper part, gradually disappearing in the lower part to form a cylindrical shape (round Lu). It often has spindle-shaped irregular roots (jujube kernel), with a wider upper part of the main root (broad shoulder), and distinct and tight transverse ring patterns (iron wire patterns). Generally, it has 2-3 lateral roots (legs), with sparse and long root hairs, often 2-3 times the length of the ginseng body, densely covered with dot-like protrusions (pearl dots). It has a fragrant aroma, a bitter taste, and a sweet aftertaste.

[Active Ginseng]

The medicinal material is ginseng that has been freeze-dried at low temperatures.[Sugar Ginseng]

The medicinal material is fresh ginseng that has been blanched and soaked in sugar, then dried. This product is cylindrical, with complete rhizome and root hairs. The ginseng body is 3-15cm long and 0.7-3cm in diameter, with a white or light yellow surface, and numerous needle-like holes visible. The outer skin is relatively loose, with indistinct longitudinal wrinkles, and sugar-like crystals are often seen. The cross-section is yellowish-white, loose, and some may have cracks, with a sweeter taste.[White Ginseng Hairs]

The medicinal material consists of the lateral roots and root hairs cut off during the processing of Jiang Sheng Shai. This product includes white straight hairs and white curved hairs. White straight hairs are often bundled into a conical shape with rope, with thicker and straighter roots arranged neatly. White curved hairs have thin and curved roots, often arranged irregularly, twisted into a bundle.

[Fake Products]

[Sha Shen]

This is the root of the plant Adenophora (Sha Shen) from the Campanulaceae family, which is long spindle-shaped or cylindrical, yellowish-white. The upper part has numerous deep transverse wrinkles, while the lower part has shallow wrinkles and grooves, or fine root scars and brown spots. It is loose and spongy, easy to break, with a yellowish-white cross-section, often with cracks, a faint fragrance, and a sweet and bland taste.[Hua Shan Shen]

Hua Shan Shen is the root of the plant Solanum (Hua Shan Shen) from the Solanaceae family. This product is conical or cylindrical, often with remnants of short rhizomes at the top. The root head has fine transverse ring patterns, and the surface is brown with visible transverse lenticels, with yellow areas where the cork has fallen off. It has a faint aroma, a sweet and slightly bitter taste, and a slight numbing sensation on the tongue.[Yang Ru]

This is the root of the plant Asparagus (Yang Ru) from the Campanulaceae family. This product is conical or spindle-shaped, robust and long, with few root scars, twisted and not straight, with a yellowish-brown surface, and longitudinal wrinkles throughout. It is light, spongy, easy to break, with an uneven cross-section, often with cracks. It has a faint aroma and a slightly sweet taste.[Ye Jiang Dou]

This is the root of the plant Vigna (Ye Jiang Dou) from the Fabaceae family, which is cylindrical or long spindle-shaped, with remnants of grass-like stem scars at the top. The surface is yellow-brown, with longitudinal wrinkles and transverse lenticel-like scars. It has a faint aroma, a bland taste, and a slight bean-like odor.[Shang Lu]

This is the root of the plant Euphorbia (Shang Lu) from the Euphorbiaceae family. This product is conical or cylindrical, with remnants of the stem at the top, and the cross-section has several layers of concentric ring patterns. It is odorless, with a bland taste, and slightly numbing on the tongue.[Lu Lan]

This is the root of the plant Portulaca (Lu Lan) from the Portulacaceae family. This product is conical or long spindle-shaped, with remnants of woody stem scars at the top. It has a faint odor, a bland taste, and a sticky texture.[Shan Wo Cai]

This is the root of the plant Lactuca (Shan Wo Cai) from the Asteraceae family. This product is conical, often branching from the top, with a round bud or bud scar at the top. The surface is gray or brown, with fine longitudinal wrinkles and transverse dot-like root scars. It has a faint aroma, a slightly sweet taste followed by bitterness.[Jia Xian Ren Shen]

This is a processed product made from small ginseng pieces or impurities that have been cut and buried.[Chajie Wei Shan Shen]

This is a grafted product made from cultivated ginseng, often falsely presented as mountain ginseng. This product is cylindrical, with visible carving marks on the rhizome, and the connection between the rhizome and the main root is unnatural.Common types of counterfeit products include these. I hope friends will be vigilant when purchasing ginseng, as the efficacy of artificially cultivated ginseng is generally lower, and sometimes it can be replaced with large amounts of Dang Shen (Codonopsis) or Huang Qi (Astragalus). [The images in this article are sourced from the internet. If there is any infringement, please contact us for removal.] For inheritance, communication, learning, and sharing: feel free to contact us at Email: [email protected], Learning website: www.baiguojiayi.com