How many types of ginseng are there?

Ginseng is actually not unfamiliar to everyone. Ginseng is used in many traditional Chinese medicine formulas. Even in our daily health care and wellness, we can see ginseng. Now, ginseng can be artificially cultivated in Northeast my country. Although the nutritional value of artificially cultivated ginseng cannot be compared with that of wild ginseng, it has brought ginseng into the lives of more people. Well, let me ask you a little piece of knowledge. Do you know how many types of ginseng there are?

The types of ginseng vary depending on the classification method.

1. From a botanical point of view, ginseng can be divided into two types:

One is the root of Panax ginseng, a plant of the Araliaceae family; the other is the root of American ginseng, a plant of the Araliaceae family.

2. In terms of Chinese medicine processing and efficacy, ginseng can be divided into:

Raw sun-dried ginseng: It is made from the roots of Panax ginseng of the Araliaceae family, which are dried, moistened, and cut into thin slices. Nowadays, it is mostly made from artificially cultivated ginseng.

Red ginseng: It is made from the root of Panax ginseng of the Araliaceae family, which is steamed, moistened, and sliced. It is called red ginseng because of its red color. Modern ginseng is also made from artificially cultivated ginseng.

Wild ginseng: It is the root of wild ginseng of the Araliaceae family.

American ginseng: It is the root of the American ginseng plant of the Araliaceae family, mainly produced in the United States, Canada, France, etc., also known as American ginseng.

3. According to the origin of ginseng, ginseng can be divided into: Jilin ginseng, Korean ginseng (also known as: Korean ginseng, Beizhi ginseng), and American ginseng.

Various classification methods are currently in use, which has caused considerable trouble for the general public, but the most commonly used classification method is still based on Chinese medicine processing and efficacy. That is: raw sun-dried ginseng, red ginseng, wild ginseng and American ginseng.

Ginseng (Panax ginseng CA Mey) is a perennial herb that likes shade. Its leaves have no stomata and palisade tissue and cannot retain water. The leaves will be burned when the temperature is higher than 32 degrees. The density is 0.7-0.8. It usually blooms in 3 years and bears fruit in 5-6 years. The flowering period is May to June, and the fruiting period is June to September. It grows in mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests or deciduous broad-leaved forests dominated by red pine at an altitude of hundreds of meters between 33 degrees and 48 degrees north latitude. It is produced in Northeast China, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, and eastern Russia. Ginseng is also known as yellow ginseng, goblin, magic grass, and king of herbs. It is one of the world-famous "Three Treasures of Northeast China".

Because ginseng contains more sugars, mucus and volatile oils, it is prone to deterioration due to moisture, oiliness, mold, color change, and insect damage. There are several ways to store ginseng:

1. Conventional storage method: For ginseng that is truly dried, seal it in a plastic bag to isolate it from the air and store it in a cool place.

2. Desiccant drying method: Place an appropriate amount of desiccant, such as quicklime, charcoal, etc., at the bottom of a sealable cylinder, tube, or box, then wrap the ginseng in paper and put it in, then seal it with a lid.

3. Low temperature preservation method: This is the more ideal method. Ginseng must be dried before storage. The best time to expose it to the sun is between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., but ginseng should not be exposed to the sun for a long time. At the same time, ginseng for medicinal use has reached a certain degree of dryness. Generally, you only need to turn the ginseng over and dry it for 1-2 hours in the afternoon. After it cools down, wrap it in a plastic bag, tie the bag tightly, and place it in the freezer of the refrigerator. It can be stored for a long time.