21-03-2014, 08:24
The specific epithet is derived from the Chinese name for the plant. Literally translated from Chinese, the word "ginseng" means "root man" ( zhen- Human, shen- root). This name was given to him because the ginseng root sometimes very much resembles a human figure.
Ginseng in oriental folk medicine known and used for at least 4-5 millennia. The first written mention of it is in the ancient Chinese work on medicines "Shen-nong-ben cao", dating back to the 1st century BC. BC. A large place is given to the description of ginseng in the consolidated Chinese pharmacopoeia of the 16th century.
The roots of 400-600 years old were considered the largest wild-growing roots. The age of such roots reaches 350 years or more.
The largest known root was discovered in 1905 during the construction of a railway in Manchuria. Its mass was 600 g, and the age of the plant, according to scientists, was about 200 years. This root was sold for 5 thousand dollars, which, according to the Manchu merchants, was not even half of its value.
At the beginning of September 1975, the hunter A. Yurganov handed over a rare-sized ginseng root weighing 365 g to the reception base of the Olginsky state industrial farm (Primorsky Territory). In 1980, a root weighing 419 g was found by a hunter in the Ussuri taiga.
Botanical characteristic. Ginseng is a perennial (over 50 years) herbaceous relict plant that grew back in the Neogene and Paleogene, over a million years ago, but to date has survived only in the remote mountain taiga.
A plant up to 80 cm high with a vertical or slightly inclined thin (no more than 1.5 cm in diameter) and long (up to 10 cm) rhizome (neck) and a thickened, fleshy grayish-yellow, cylindrical-oblong main root (body), up to 2-3 cm in diameter and 20-25 cm long, having 2-6 branches at the end, and in the upper part ring wrinkles (leaf scars), the number of which increases with age. Adventitious roots (processes) depart from the rhizome, which can be quite thick. An overwintering bud develops at the top of the rhizome, and the future above-ground shoot is laid in it. The main root is thickened, taproot, fleshy, aromatic, greyish-yellow with thin skeletal lateral roots bearing seasonal suction roots.
If the apical bud is damaged, the plant is able to hibernate, sometimes lasting several decades.
Stem straight, solitary (rarely 2-5), green, hollow. Young plants develop 1-2, and adults 4-5 (occasionally more) long-petiolate five-fingered leaves arranged in whorls. Leaflets obovate, pointed, with a wedge-shaped base, finely serrate along the edge, glabrous on both sides and only along the veins from above with single hairs; the lower leaves are much smaller than the upper ones. By the time of flowering (in nature at the 10-11th year of life, in culture - at the 3rd year), a flowering stem is ejected from the center of the whorl, emerging from the whorl of leaves, thin, up to 25 cm long, with one apical simple umbrella, below which sometimes form smaller umbrellas. Umbrellas on relatively long pedicels. Flowers are about 2 mm in diameter, with a calyx of 5 short teeth; petals 5, they are pinkish, rarely white; stamens 5, with thin filaments and ovoid milky white anthers; ovary 2-3-nested with one ovule per nest. The fruit is a bright red, flattened two-celled (occasionally three-celled) berry-like drupe with a thin, fleshy outer shell and a cartilaginous inner shell. Seeds are light yellow, wrinkled, flat, disc-shaped, 4-5 mm long and 4-6 mm wide. Reproduction is exclusively by seed. Birds play an important role in the distribution of the species.
Distribution and habitat. Ginseng is an endemic, relict plant. Within Russia, the range lies in the Far East in the Primorsky Territory, from Vladivostok west to the Khor River, a tributary of the Ussuri River (not reaching the city of Khabarovsk). In the 20th century, due to intensive harvesting, as well as deforestation and forest fires the range of this species has noticeably decreased, especially in the northern part.
Abroad, thickets in China and Korea are almost destroyed; only rare specimens are found.
Currently, ginseng is a rare plant. Occurs as single specimens in remote mountain taiga, mainly on northern slopes, in shady cedar-broad-leaved and cedar-spruce-broad-leaved forests of the Manchurian type; on southern slopes found only in deep, shady gorges. It grows on brown, mountain-forest soils, underlain by gruss of crystalline rocks, in conditions that exclude waterlogging of the soil.
Under favorable conditions, self-sowing ginseng seeds can create a whole colony of plants. different ages. Such "families" most often consist of three to five plants. According to the rooters, in the taiga there are "families" and a hundred roots.
Chemical composition. Ginseng root contains triterpene glycosides - panaxosides (ginsinosides) A, B, C, D, E, F, essential and fatty oils, pectins and other carbohydrates, saponins, ascorbic acid, vitamins B1 B2, iron, magnesium, manganese and other substances.
biological features. A characteristic feature of ripening fruits is the underdevelopment of the embryo in them, as a result of which the seeds germinate very slowly. Sown in autumn in the year of collection, they sprout only after 18-22 months, that is, after two winters. The slow development of the embryo is explained by the low activity of enzymes, whose activity is aimed at accelerating chemical transformations in the metabolic process. A similar state of the enzymatic system of ginseng seeds is associated with its biological characteristics as a relict plant. The processes of growth and development of the plant at all subsequent stages also proceed slowly. Leaves characteristic of adult plants are formed after several years. In young plants, one trifoliate leaf is formed, later five-fingered; gradually over the years, a second, third, fourth, sometimes fifth leaf appears; all leaves are first trifoliate, then five-fingered. For the first time, wild ginseng blooms no earlier than 10 years after seed germination, usually having 3 palmate leaves at this time; the average annual growth of the root does not exceed 1.5 g.
Vegetation of ginseng begins in mid-May. In the first 20-25 days there is a rapid growth of the aerial part (stem, leaves), the formation of which consumes a significant amount of reserve substances of the root. The root grows most actively in July - August. The plant blooms in early June. The fruits ripen in the first half of August, and fall off (if not pecked by birds) simultaneously with the death of the above-ground shoot - in early October.
Cultivation.
The plant is introduced into culture. It first happened in Korea about 1000 years ago. In the vicinity of the city of Kaesong, there is a plantation that is more than six centuries old. Ginseng has been cultivated in China since the 17th century, in Japan since the 19th century, and in the USA since the middle of the 19th century. In Russia, the first plantation was established in 1910. Korea is still the main supplier of cultivated ginseng to the world market. Ginseng is one of the main cultivated medicinal plants in Japan and China. In Russia, the culture of ginseng began to be developed in many places. Initially, in the Primorsky Territory (state farm "Ginseng"), and then gradually moved to the West. Experimental plantings are available in a number of regions of the European part. There are ginseng plantations in the North Caucasus (Teberdinsky State Reserve).
The most troublesome thing in wife breeding is getting seedlings from seeds. Sowing is carried out either in autumn with freshly harvested seeds (seedlings appear only after two winters), or in early spring- stratified. Stratification of ginseng seeds is carried out under controlled conditions of temperature and humidity and consists of two stages - "warm" and "cold", each of which lasts about four months. During the thermal phase of stratification at a temperature of 18...20 °C, the embryo develops and grows. By the end of the thermal period, 90% of the seeds have a "bone opening" (a crack along the seed). Cold stratification is carried out in the basement at a temperature of 1 ... 2 ° C, after which the washed seeds are treated with a 0.02% aqueous solution of gibberellin for 24 hours. When seedlings appear, seeds are sown in ridges prepared in the fall of the previous year. Since in the first two years of vegetation the plants develop very slowly and are small in size, the ginseng culture is carried out in seedlings. It is economically more profitable to grow ginseng seedlings for two years in a relatively small area of the nursery than to immediately sow in a permanent place. Sowing seeds in the nursery is carried out in the spring to a depth of 2-4 cm. The distance between seeds in rows is 5 cm with row spacing of 10 cm. Seedlings that have reached the age of two are planted on plantation ridges. best time for planting the plantation is autumn, when the plants completely finish the growing season and the aerial part of the plants begins to die off (first half of October).
The site for planting seedlings should be well prepared: have a slight slope for the flow of rain and melt water. Plants do not tolerate proximity ground water, prefer loose forest soils with an admixture of humus (6-8 kg / m2). Before planting seedlings, 10-12 kg/m2 of organic mixture, superphosphate 40-45 g/m2 and 15 g/m2 of potassium chloride are added to the ridges. Seedlings are planted with a feeding area of 30x40 cm. When planting, the root is laid at an angle of 30 ... 45 °, leaving 4-5 cm of soil above the bud. The surface is mulched with leaf humus or a layer of hardwood sawdust with a layer of 2-3 cm. During autumn (winter) planting, the ridges are covered with spruce branches or plastic wrap. In the spring, these temporary shelters are removed.
Growing ginseng is difficult: the necessary conditions- creation of highly fertile ridges, protection from direct sunlight and careful care of plants. Frames are installed above the ridges, on which dense grass mats or wooden shields are laid.
Very often, ginseng roots damage the wireworm; to protect them, potato tubers are buried in the aisle, fixed wooden sticks. The wireworm prefers potatoes to ginseng and accumulates in its tubers, which are then removed from the soil along with pests by a stick.
A wild-growing root becomes marketable no earlier than 25-30 years, while on plantations ginseng reaches a marketable value at the age of 5 (in the DPRK and in Russia - in the Far East) or at 7 years (in China, USA, Russia). - in the Caucasus).
The average raw root biomass is about 60 g, the maximum is 300 g or more.
At the Far Eastern Zonal Experimental Station BHLAP, a high yield of raw ginseng roots from commercial plantations has been achieved - 35 ... 40 centners / ha, the weight of one root reaches 150 ... 250 g.
Medicinal raw materials.
Among the dried roots in the East, "red" and "white" are distinguished, which depends on the method of their processing. To get the "red" root, it is treated with steam of boiling water for an hour, then dried during the day in the sun, and at night over a light fire. In this case, the root becomes hard, translucent and acquires a red-brown color.
The white root is valued below the red root and is prepared by drying in the sun. In Primorsky Krai, roots are dried without preliminary steaming in well-ventilated hot air dryers at temperatures up to 60 °C. Their moisture content after drying should not exceed 10%. Large roots are cut into plates before drying. Roots dried in this way are called "white".
In Korea, Japan, China, the so-called "sugar ginseng" is sometimes made: the root is kept in boiling water for several minutes, then a series of punctures are made in it, and placed in a porcelain jar with a concentrated sugar solution. After the sugar has been absorbed into the root, the root is removed from the jar and dried in the sun in a wooden box with a glass lid. The roots become white in color.
Wild roots are taken fresh. The standard for fresh roots of cultivated ginseng stipulates that ginseng roots must be harvested in the fall, not earlier than in the 5th year of the plant's life, freed from the aerial part and thoroughly cleaned from the ground (they cannot be washed). They should be healthy, elastic to the touch, dense and sluggish. The body of the root is fleshy, thickened, almost cylindrical, at the top with weakly expressed annular thickenings, with 2-5 processes, less often without them. The rhizome, located in the upper part of the root, is narrowed, transversely wrinkled, short, irregular or rounded, with weakly pronounced annular scars from annually dying stems. One or more adventitious roots sometimes depart from the neck; lateral and adventitious roots branch into thin, numerous thread-like roots - lobes. Healed traces of various injuries in the form of cracks, sores, etc. are often visible on the surface of the body and processes. The color of the root on the outside is yellow-white and light brown, white on the break. The smell is weak, specific, the taste is sweetish-bitter. Root weight not less than 20 g.
Artificial saturation of the root with water to increase its mass and give a fresher look is recognized after a few days; under normal storage conditions, it withers and becomes flabby.
Raw ginseng roots are packed in wooden boxes. The box inside is covered with moss of medium humidity, the bottom is covered with earth. The earth is taken from the places of harvesting ginseng; it should be of normal soil moisture and sifted through a sieve. The boxes are clogged, sheathed around the edges with hoop iron, covered with packing cloth and sealed.
Store raw materials in a dry room at a temperature of 3 ... 8 ° C. Guaranteed shelf life of fresh ginseng roots is 5 days from the date of preparation, subject to the storage conditions established by the standard.
Numerical indicators.
Extractive substances extracted with 70% alcohol, not less than 20%; humidity not more than 13%; total ash no more than 5%; roots, darkened and brownish from the surface, no more than 10%. Red and white roots of Korean ginseng are allowed for medical use. The red root is translucent, has a horn-like texture, very hard and heavy, the surface is longitudinally deeply wrinkled, and finely folded on the transverse section; thin roots are fragile. The “body” of the root is fusiform or almost cylindrical, the “neck” and “head” are usually absent, in some specimens traces of 1-3 stems are visible on the top. There are few branches, in the upper part there are 1-2 processes, in the lower part there are 2-3 processes or more. Root lobes are usually cut off and come separately, connected in small bundles. The color outside and at the break is reddish-brown. The taste is sweetish, then bitter.
The white root differs from the red in color, it is whitish-yellow on the outside, white at the break, powdery.
Application.
In scientific medicine, ginseng is used as a tonic for hypotension, physical and mental fatigue, after severe long-term illnesses, impotence, decreased performance, nutritional decline, functional disorders of the cardiovascular system, sexual dysfunction, especially with hypofunction of the gonads, diabetes, neuromuscular - Mental illnesses of a functional nature.
Taking ginseng preparations contributes to a more rapid recovery of the functional state of the liver in Botkin's disease.
In Korea, ginseng leaves are also used for medicinal purposes to speed up the healing of wounds and ulcers.
In ginseng preparations, the seasonality of action is clearly expressed. They are most effective in autumn and winter, and in the spring-summer period, the effect opposite to the expected one is possible.
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Rice. 6.22. Ginseng - Panax ginseng S.A. Meu.
— radices ginseng
— panax ginseng s.a. meu.
Sem. Araliaceae– araliaceae
Other names: real ginseng, panax ginseng, root of life
perennial herbaceous plant up to 80 cm tall, reaching the age of 50-70 years or more. It has a juicy tap root, which usually gives one above-ground stem, at the top of which there is a whorl of 4-5 leaves.
Leaves long-petiolate, 3-5-fingered, leaflets elliptical, pointed, finely biserrate along the edge. The two lower leaves are much smaller than the others.
A long peduncle emerges from the center of the leaf whorl, ending in a simple umbrella bearing small greenish five-membered inconspicuous flowers.
Fetus- bright red juicy coenocarp drupe with two seeds. The drupes are closely pressed to each other, forming a “red ball”, clearly visible in autumn among the green foliage (Fig. 6.22).
blooms in June - July, the fruits ripen in August. Propagated by seeds.
Spreading
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Spreading. It grows wild in Russia in the Far East, in the Ussuri taiga - in Primorsky and in the south of the Khabarovsk Territory; also grows in China, Korea, Japan. However, wild plants are practically destroyed, and their search does not always give positive results. Ginseng is listed in the Red Book of the RSFSR (1988). Work is underway to cultivate ginseng in the Primorsky Territory, the North Caucasus and other regions of Russia.
Habitat. In deaf mountain cedar and mixed forests, mainly on northern shaded slopes, in thickets of ferns and shrubs. A shade-loving plant, therefore it does not grow in sparse forests with wide access to sunlight. Requires humus, sufficiently moist, but not damp soil. Grows in single specimens.
Medicinal raw materials
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External signs
Whole Raw Material
Rice. 6.23. Ginseng roots.Roots up to 25 cm long, 0.7-2.5 cm thick, with 2-5 large branches, rarely without them. Roots are taproot, longitudinally, rarely spirally wrinkled, brittle, even fracture. The "body" of the root is thickened, almost cylindrical, at the top with clearly defined annular thickenings. In the upper part of the root there is a narrowed transversely wrinkled rhizome - the "neck".
Rhizome short, with several scars from fallen stems, forms a “head” at the top, which is an extended stem remnant and an apical bud (sometimes 2-3). One or more adventitious roots sometimes depart from the "neck" (Fig. 6.23). "Neck" and "head" may be missing.
Root color yellowish-white on the surface and in section, white on a fresh fracture.
Smell specific. The taste is sweet, burning, then bitter.
cut raw materials
The plates are rectangular or triangular in cross section, up to 10 cm long, 0.2-1.8 cm wide, 0.2-0.8 cm thick. There are pieces of thin filamentous roots. The presence of "neck" and "head" is also seen in cut raw materials. Color yellowish white. Smell specific. Taste sweet, burning, then bitter.
Numerical indicators of raw materials
Extractive substances extracted with 70% alcohol, not less than 20%; humidity not more than 13%; total ash no more than 5%; roots, darkened and brownish from the surface, no more than 10%.
Other types of ginseng
Red and white roots of Korean ginseng are allowed for medical use.
red root
The red root is translucent, has a horn-like consistency, very hard and heavy, the surface is longitudinally deeply wrinkled, and on the transverse section - finely folded; thin roots are fragile.
The "body" of the root spindle-shaped or almost cylindrical, the "neck" and "head" are usually absent, in some specimens traces of 1-3 stems are visible on the top. There are few branches, in the upper part there are 1-2 processes, in the lower part there are 2-3 processes or more. Root lobes are usually cut off and come separately, connected in small bundles.
Color reddish-brown outside and at the break.
Taste sweet, then bitter. Obtained by exposure of the roots to hot water vapor for 30 minutes or more and subsequent drying at 30 ºС.
white root
The white root differs from the red in color, it is whitish-yellow on the outside, white at the break, mealy. Obtained as a result of simple drying of the roots in the sun.
Microscopy of ginseng root
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On a cross section of the root visible is a narrow layer of light brown cork, broad bark, a clear cambium line, and wood.
Phloem and xylem elements arranged in narrow radial strands and separated by wide, multi-row medullary rays.
Phloem consists of small thin-walled cells forming triangular strands adjacent to the cambium, over which lie secretory canals with yellow and light yellow contents. The rest of the cortex is represented by a large-celled, rather loose parenchyma, in which 2-3 rows of secretory channels pass with drops of red-brown content.
Xylem consists of narrow vessels located radially in one, less often two rows, and small cells of wood parenchyma. In the center of the root there is a section of primary xylem in the form of an asterisk. In the cells of the core rays, as well as in the parenchyma of the bark and wood, there are small, rounded starch grains, simple and 2-6-complex. Individual cells contain druses of calcium oxalate.
Procurement and storage of raw materials
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blank. Harvesting of wild ginseng roots is carried out under licenses by specialists (“ginseng seekers”) in the autumn, when it is easier to spot among other plants.
Security measures. Collection of young roots weighing less than 10 g is not permitted. Although rare, there are specimens weighing 300-400 g from old, 100-200-year-old plants. Ginseng is a rare and valuable medicinal plant, so it must be carefully protected, otherwise it will be completely destroyed in the coming years. Currently, ginseng is cultivated in China, Japan and more widely in Korea, where this branch of medicinal plant production plays a significant role in the country's economy. In Russia, it is grown in a specialized farm "Ginseng" in the Primorsky Territory. Ginseng culture is very labor intensive. The maximum weight of the roots of 5-6 years of age is 300 g or more. The roots are collected on plantations from plants aged 5-8 years.
An industrial biotechnology of ginseng tissue culture has been developed.
Drying. Depending on the use, the roots are kept fresh (the raw material is exported) or dried in the sun or in dryers at a temperature of about 50 ºС.
Standardization. GF XI, no. 2, Art. 66 (dry raw materials).
Storage. In warehouses, dry raw materials are stored packaged in 1 kg in plastic bags, packed in 10 kg in tightly nailed wooden boxes lined with paper. When unpacking the boxes, the roots are transferred to glass jars with a lid. Shelf life 2 years 6 months.
Composition of ginseng
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The chemical composition of ginseng
The study of the chemical composition of ginseng roots was mainly carried out by scientists from our country and Japan.
- triterpene tetracyclic saponins of the dammarane series - panaxosides (ginsenosides), whose aglycones are protopanaxdiol and protopanaxtriol, which turn into panaxdiol and panaxtriol in an acidic environment.
In addition, ginseng roots contain
- essential oil (0,25-0,5 %),
- fatty oil,
- phytosterols,
- resin,
- pectin substances (up to 23%),
- starch,
- vitamins,
- fatty acids, the mixture of which is called panaxic acid,
- many trace elements - iron, manganese, silver, etc.
Root ash is more than half phosphate.
Properties and uses of ginseng
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Pharmacotherapeutic group. General tonic.
Pharmacological properties and use of ginseng
For many centuries, ginseng roots have been used in all countries of the Far East, at present they are widely used in all countries of the world.
Scientific studies have shown that the plant has
- tonic,
- stimulating and
- adaptogenic effect in case of physical and mental fatigue, disorders of the cardiovascular system, hypofunction of the sex glands, neurasthenia, after suffering debilitating diseases.
- Reduces cholesterol and glucose levels in the blood
- activates the activity of the adrenal glands.
Medicines
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- Ginseng roots, raw materials. Raw material for tincture.
- Ginseng tincture (tincture (1:10) in 70% ethanol). Tonic and adaptogenic agent.
- Ginseng, 1 g capsules (standardized extract from ginseng roots). Tonic and adaptogenic agent.
- Ginsana, 0.1 g capsules (standardized extract from ginseng roots). Tonic and adaptogenic agent.
- Bioginseng tincture (tincture (1:10) in 40% ethanol from dry ginseng biomass). Tonic and adaptogenic agent.
- The extract is part of combined medicines and vitamin preparations (Ginrozin, Vitamax, Gerimaks, Doppelherz Vitalotonic, Doppelgerz Ginseng Active, etc.).
From time immemorial, people have been looking for among medicinal plants those that would give strength and energy, excite. Ginseng is an active herbal stimulant that excites the cerebral cortex, enhances reflex activity and increases the sensitivity of the analyzers.
The root of life, ginseng, has been known to people for more than 400 thousand years, in our country it is common in the Far East and the Amur region, it is called the root man, he appearance it resembles the structure of the body of a man. Many legends are composed in China about this medicinal plant. One of them tells that once there lived a knight Zhen Shen, who fell in love with a girl of unprecedented beauty Louis La, but the brother of this girl was opposed to their marriage. And then the knight had to fight him. Louis La's brother died, the girl wept bitterly, and where her huge tears fell, an amazing plant grew - ginseng.
Ginseng short description.
Ginseng is a healing plant, longevity, grows very slowly and not one or two years, but hundreds of years! A low herbaceous plant, up to 50 centimeters, blooms with small white flowers, forming a red drupe at the end of flowering. Propagated by seeds. And one more feature of the medicinal plant is that it grows in colonies in which the roots of different generations develop. There is a report in the literature about the discovery of the ginseng family in 52 roots, which is extremely rare.
Such a case is known. The researcher V. Arseniev, who studied the taiga of the Far East, had a guide named Dersu Uzala. Back in 1890, in a remote corner of the taiga, he transplanted a ginseng family consisting of 22 roots, marked this plantation on his map and presented this treasure to Arseniev.
The researcher never managed to visit those places. More than 100 years have passed since then, these people are gone, the map and records are lost, but hunters for taiga treasures do not lose hope of finding this colony of the peasant - the root, during this time the unique colony of Arsenyev has grown and turned into a real treasure.
V. Arseniev wrote a book about his guide, taiga hunter, friend and teacher, the book is quite interesting. And later, based on this book, several exciting adventure films came out.
In ancient China, the root of life, ginseng, was valued on a par with gold, and if large roots were found, weighing 400-500 g, they, like diamonds, were assigned proper names: "Ussuri Elder", "Emperor". Ginseng roots gain such weight in 350 years, and the lucky ones manage to find it only once in 30-50 years. In 1905, a 600 gram root of life was found in China and sold for $5,000!
In the Primorsky Territory, similar finds of roots of 250-300 grams are also known, which scientists put up to 300 years old. Read the next article.
Common ginseng - Panax ginseng
Synonyms. Ginseng is real.
Origin of name. Ginseng means "root man" in Chinese. The Latin name of the genus Panax comes from the name of Panacea - the "all-healing" daughter of the doctor-god Asclepius.
Description of the plant. perennial grassy plant with single stem, up to 60 cm high. Plants with 2-5 stems are less common.
A characteristic feature of ginseng is its root. It is rod-shaped, fusiform, branching, root length up to 25 cm, thickness 0.7-2.5 cm, with 2-5 large branches (rarely without them), longitudinally or spirally wrinkled, fragile, even at the break. The "body" of the root is thickened, almost cylindrical, with clearly expressed annular thickenings at the top. At the top it forms a "head", which is an extended stem residue and an apical bud (sometimes 2 or 3 buds). In the upper part there is also a narrowed transversely wrinkled rhizome - the "neck". One or more adventitious roots sometimes depart from the "neck". "Neck" and "head" may be missing. The color of the roots outside and on the cut is yellowish-white, on a fresh fracture it is white.
Leaves palmately complex, on long petioles, form a whorl (rosette) at the top of the stem.
flowers small, white or pink, greenish, vaguely resembling stars, self-pollinating, fragrant, collected 8-10 in a simple umbrella on a flower arrow starting in the center of the leaf whorl.
Description of fruits. The fruits of the plant are bright red, fleshy, with 1-3 seeds. The fruits of common ginseng ripen in August-September. fruit pulp poisonous .
Distribution (range). Common ginseng grows almost exclusively within the Russian Federation, in the Russian Far East - in the south of the Khabarovsk Territory and in the Primorsky Territory. Very rarely, this plant can be found in a small mountainous area in the north of the Korean Peninsula and in three provinces of Northeast China.
Ginseng has become widely cultivated. Cultivated ginseng is called "insam" from the Korean name for ginseng. Korea is the first country to establish mass cultivation of ginseng. Ginseng is also cultivated in Russia (Primorsky Krai), Northern and South Korea, China, Japan, USA, Canada, Vietnam. There are 15 varieties of ginseng in China. The main producer of cultivated ginseng is South Korea, followed by Australia and the United States.
Habitat. Common ginseng is associated with cedar-broad-leaved, rarely broad-leaved forests of the Far East, where it occurs in association with Korean cedar, Manchurian walnut, Amur linden, maakia and other broad-leaved species, sometimes spruce and fir at altitudes up to 700 m above sea level. It occupies mainly the western macroslopes. Can grow in oak and hornbeam complexes. A plant of dense forests, ginseng is extremely shade-tolerant and shade-loving, does not tolerate direct sunlight.
security status. Ginseng is listed in the Red Book of Russia. Another type of ginseng - Panax zingiberensis, which grows in the Chinese province of Yunnan, is listed in the International Red Book. Other species are also protected at regional levels, as uncontrolled use threatens their extinction.
Chemical composition. Ginseng contains triterpene saponins - panaxosides, traces of essential oils, fatty oils, resins, pectin substances, as well as starch, enzymes, B vitamins, microelements, fatty acids, macroelements and other biologically active substances.
Ginseng root contains:
- saponins: ginsenosides (panaxosides) - triterpene glycosides; the genins of these glycosides belong to the tetracyclic triterpenes of the dammarane series - protopanaxtriol and protopanaxadiol;
- xatriols - a group of glycosides, in which oleanolic acid serves as an aglycone;
- biologically active polyacetylenes: falcarinol, falcarintriol, panaxinol (content in red ginseng powder 250 mcg/g), panaxidol (content 297 mcg/g), panaxitriol (content 320 mcg/g), heptadeca-1-en-4,6-din -3,9-diol;
- peptides - low molecular weight N-glutamyl oligopeptides, consisting of several amino acid residues;
- polysaccharides (the content of water-soluble polysaccharides reaches 38.7%, alkali-soluble - about 7.8-10%) and essential oils (up to 80% of essential oils are sesquiterpenes, of which the largest share (up to 5-6%) is farnesol);
- vitamins (C, group B: pantothenic, nicotinic, folic acid), mucus, resins, pectin, amino acids, essential oil;
- macronutrients: potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium;
- trace elements: iron, copper, cobalt, manganese, molybdenum, zinc, chromium, titanium;
The study of the distribution of five trace elements (copper, iron, molybdenum, manganese and zinc) in ginseng roots showed a clear increase in their content by the end of the growing season.
nutritional properties. All organs of ginseng in their unprocessed form are inedible, and its berries (excluding seeds) are poisonous .
medicinal properties. Ginseng is a well-known medicinal plant. It is mainly used as an adaptogen and as a general tonic. In Korea and China, ginseng root is also used in cooking. Traditional Chinese medicine claims that ginseng preparations prolong life and youth. Pharmacological activity is due to the content of saponin glycosides-ginsenosides (panaxosides A and B, panaquilon, panaxin), essential and fatty oils, sterols, peptides, vitamins and minerals.
Ginseng ordinary has cardiotonic, hemostatic and hypoglycemic properties. Common ginseng root is used as a tonic, stimulant and adaptogenic agent that increases the body's overall resistance to disease. Ginseng ordinary stimulates the activity of organs internal secretion, and also increases the body's resistance to infections and ionizing radiation. According to the ATC classification, it belongs to general tonic drugs (group A13A).
For medicinal purposes, common ginseng root (Radix Ginseng) is used. The roots of ginseng five-leaf (Panax quinquefolium) and creeping ginseng (Panax repens) are also used. These are plants collected in the fall, not earlier than in the fifth year of life, freed from above-ground parts and carefully cleaned from the ground, but not washed with water, fresh or dried roots of cultivated ginseng. Wild ginseng is harvested in very limited quantities. Shelf life of raw materials is 5 years.
In the second half of the 20th century, using biotechnological methods, it was possible to obtain in vitro biomass from a cell culture of ginseng root tissues that is similar in composition, organoleptic and pharmacological properties to natural raw materials. This made ginseng more accessible for medicine and cosmetics.
Ginseng roots are produced mainly in the following forms:
- vegetable raw materials - plates of rectangular or triangular shape in cross section, up to 10 cm long, 0.2-1.8 cm wide, 0.2-0.8 cm thick, there are pieces of thin filamentous roots. The color is yellowish-white, the smell is specific, the taste is sweet and burning, then bitter;
- tincture, tea, soft drink;
- capsules, tablets;
- red ginseng - canned, ready-to-eat roots wrapped in paper and placed in a wooden box sealed in a tin. It is called red because of the color and method of preparation;
- red ginseng extract - thick viscous liquid dark color;
- ginseng roots - ready-to-eat ginseng roots, steamed;
- ground root - powder from crushed ginseng roots.
Contraindications, warnings. All organs of ginseng (roots, leaves, flowers, stems) should not be eaten fresh. Ginseng fruit pulp poisonous. Ginseng preparations are contraindicated in the presence of hypersensitivity to their components, with arterial hypertension, irritability, insomnia, bleeding, febrile syndrome against the background of acute infectious diseases. Restriction for use is also children's age, pregnancy, lactation. In these cases, you need to consult a doctor. The exception is ginseng processed using low-temperature technology (28°C) - it has a mild but broad effect on the body, and has virtually no contraindications.
Growing. The conditions of the middle lane are suitable for growing ginseng - it is not very whimsical. In the conditions of the garden, it will be enough for him to timely moisten the soil, good drainage, protection from direct sunlight with the help of special lattice structures. If you have a large plot of land and are looking for a suitable place to grow ginseng, pay attention, maybe wild apple trees, ferns or hoofs grow somewhere on the plot. It is these places that will be ideal for growing ginseng.
A type soil is not critical to the success of ginseng cultivation, although sandy loams with a pH of 5.0 to 6.0 are still preferred. Much more important is soil moisture, which must be constantly monitored. After you have selected a promising site for cultivation, you need to prepare the beds. If you will grow a crop in a backyard, you will need to prepare forest land from a mixed forest. You can mix it a little with wood dust and leaf humus. If you are growing ginseng in the forest, thin out some of the undergrowth and loosen the soil so that air circulates both in the soil and on the surface. The width of the bed should not exceed 130 cm - so it will be more convenient for you to take care of the plants. The depth of suitable soil is at least 20 cm. It is advisable to arrange slightly sloping beds that imitate the northeastern slopes on which ginseng loves to grow so much. The slope will promote natural drainage.
Ginseng is very strong depletes the soil, so it can be re-planted no earlier than ten years later. Since it is a very shade-loving plant, all plantations should be covered with canopies that let in no more than 20-30 percent of the sun's rays. The plant is grown up to the age of four or six, since it is at the age of 6 that the amount of saponins reaches its maximum. Then the ginseng is sorted according to several criteria, including the weight and size of the root, the presence or absence of holes, the view of the light, and even the similarity with a human figure. According to tradition, four levels of ginseng quality are distinguished: “heavenly” (English heaven), “earthly” (English earth), “good” (English good) and “cut” (English cut). The selection into one or another group occurs according to many parameters, for example, the “heavenly” root must weigh at least 68 grams, have no holes, look like a person, be transparent to the light, etc. The cost of the root varies greatly depending on its class: the closer to the "heavenly", the more expensive.
Ginseng can be grown from seeds or roots. Roots ginseng, suitable for planting, should be dense, not soft. Ginseng can be planted in autumn or early spring. We immerse the seeds to a depth of 1.5 cm, the roots to 4 cm. The distance between future plants should be at least 20-25 cm. grow so big. If you have made a bed with a slope, plant the plant in rows not from top to bottom, but across the beds.
Harvesting and stratification seeds ginseng. The seeds are harvested in autumn when the berries are ripe. Plant seeds begin to give only from the third year. A healthy plant produces at least 15 berries in the fifth year, each containing two seeds. You should store the berries in a cool, damp place, out of the sun and away from rodents. You can store berries in open boxes in the barn. A centimeter layer of berries is laid out on a 3-cm layer of fine sand. After about 6 weeks, the berries will open and release seeds. Until then, the berries will keep the seeds moist. As soon as the berries open, the seeds will begin to dry out and lose their viability.
Ginseng seeds germinate in April or early May, about 18 months after planting in early fall. During the first year of life, ginseng looks a bit like strawberries. Most often it has three leaves. After the first frost, the leaves turn yellow and die. Roots hibernate underground. In the second year, the plant produces one cluster of five leaves, or two prongs with three to five leaves each. In subsequent years, two to four more teeth appear on top, with three to five leaves on each branch. At the age of three years, the plant can produce 15 to 40 berries per year.
fertilizers for ginseng. Rotting fallen leaves are, of course, the optimal natural organic fertilizer for ginseng. But manure and chemical fertilizers, on the one hand, spur growth, and on the other hand, increase the susceptibility of ginseng to diseases. Therefore, if you are not sure if the soil needs additional fertilizers other than foliage, do not use them, or use them sparingly and in small quantities.
Soil mulching is a must for growing forest crops like ginseng, as mulch retains moisture in hot, dry weather. Adequate shade and good mulching will free you from additional watering, provided, of course, that you do not live in a dry area. Mulching will also help control weeds and reduce erosion. In the middle lane, it is recommended to cover the ground with 5 cm of mulch or 2 cm of sawdust in autumn. In more northern regions, mulch coverage should be up to 8-10 cm for the winter. This is a necessary measure to protect against frost. This thick layer must be partially removed in the spring so as not to interfere with the emergence of young shoots. Fallen leaves make a great mulch, but oak or poplar bark/sawdust mix is best for healthy ginseng growth. Many gardeners also use hay or straw - but this is not the best option.
Care about growing ginseng. Ginseng requires less maintenance than many other crops. In the first year, the plants are especially vulnerable, so they need to be carefully monitored and carefully weeded. If planted not too densely, mature plants are fairly stable and only need to be weeded from time to time. The worst thing that can happen is the death of several shoots. It happens. Don't worry, the plants will appear in the spring next year because the roots rarely die. If your ginseng is too densely planted, then you will have to check even mature plants every day to quickly remove diseased shoots before the disease spreads to nearby ones. Most often, ginseng suffers from Alternaria and late blight. It is recommended to carry out weekly preventive spraying of ginseng leaves with fungicides.
To avoid diseases without the use of fungicides, you need to: plant plants rarely, ensure good air circulation, remove dead shoots in the fall, remove the old mulch in the fall and replace it with a new one.
Pest control ginseng. Ginseng can be affected by insects and rodents. Another enemy is slugs and snails, which can destroy ginseng leaves very quickly in wet weather. Therefore, if it rains for several days in a row, you should check for slugs on the leaves, and if there are, get rid of them. If you grow ginseng in the forest, then you should not be afraid of such animals as moles, voles, shrews, squirrels, chipmunks, hares. In the diet of these animals, ginseng root is by no means considered a delicacy, unlike berries, which must be picked as soon as they have reached ripeness.
Root can triple in size during the first growing seasons, but growth then slows down. The raw root looks like a small, dirty white, twisted carrot with a hard fate. Ginseng tastes just like it looks. From the ginseng root, you can calculate how many years the plant has grown. When dying, the sprouts leave a scar on the root. These age scars indicate the age of the ginseng.
Usually first harvest ginseng is harvested in the fourth year of plant growth. As a rule, after this time, the root mass increases by a quarter annually. That is, after a while, you will get a 25% increase in yield. When you dig up your crop, be careful not to damage the roots. After digging, wash off the dirt from the roots and dry. The plant can be propagated by roots, planting one root at a time immediately after being dug.
Dry ginseng roots in a well-ventilated area at a temperature of at least 15°C, not exceeding 30°C. Spread the roots on a wire rack and turn once a day. Remove roots as they dry. Small roots need a day to dry out, while large ones take several weeks. Watch out for mold. If this still happens - dry the ginseng under the sun for several hours. The roots are considered sufficiently dried when, when bent, they break with a characteristic crack. The finished crop should be stored in a dry, well-ventilated area, away from rodents.
Cooking methods (recipes). Ginseng should be consumed wisely, avoiding overdose. Food (prophylactic, health-improving) single dose of ginseng - 0.02 g of dry (0.08 g of raw) root (tincture no more than 25 drops, no more than half a pipette with a volume of 1 ml). The therapeutic dose is 0.2 g of dry (0.8 g of raw) root. Therapeutic doses should be used as prescribed by the doctor. For children, the dose must be agreed with the doctor: in oriental medicine, a single dose is one drop per year of the child's age (but not more than 5 drops), drink with milk. 15 grams of dry crushed ginseng root is enough for one adult for a year.
Dry root tincture. Pour whole roots weighing 40-50 g with cold boiled sweet water for 3-4 hours, cut, dip in 500 ml of 40 ° alcohol and leave for 17-20 days in a dark place. Take 10 ml once a day half an hour before meals without drinking water. Top up the drunk amount of alcohol within 2 weeks. The course of treatment is 90 days with two breaks of 10 days. Such a course of treatment can be repeated only after a year.
Fresh root tincture. Fresh root must be used within 5 days. To prepare the tincture, the root is washed with cold water, dried, crushed, poured with vodka at the rate of 100 g of root per 1 liter of 40 ° alcohol, insisted for 3-4 weeks, shaking occasionally. The finished tincture is filtered. For preventive purposes, 15-20 drops of tincture are taken 3 times a day 20-30 minutes before meals.
Raw and dried root tincture. The raw root is finely cut across the fibers, placed in a jar or bottle, preferably made of dark glass and poured with vodka, in a weight ratio of 1:10 (dry root in a ratio of 1:40), tightly closed and stored in a dark cabinet at room temperature, at least daily shaking the contents once. After 21-25 days, the tincture is ready, it is carefully filtered through cheesecloth into another container with a secure stopper. Re-fill the remaining root with vodka only in a ratio of 1:5 (for dry 1:20). After 25 days, a secondary infusion will be ready. Strain, mix the first and second infusion. The remaining roots can be eaten in small pieces. It is recommended to add honey to the tincture in a ratio of 1:10. Do not store a small amount of tincture in a large container, pour the tincture into a container with a small volume. The addition of ginseng tinctures to drinks and food gives them new therapeutic and prophylactic properties. So, for example, in a 0.5 liter bottle of vodka (cognac, wine, beer), you can add one teaspoon of tincture and drink as usual.
Chinese script. This remedy is made on the basis of alcohol tincture of ginseng root. The latter is mixed with sugar and kept in the mouth until the sugar is completely dissolved. The drug is taken 20-30 minutes before meals without drinking water. Reception of the "Chinese recipe" is carried out according to the following scheme: on the first day they take 1 drop, and in the following days their number increases by one per day. When the number of drops reaches the value of a person's age, their number is reduced by one per day. At the end of the course of treatment, a break is taken for 1 month, after which the treatment is continued according to the same scheme. "Chinese recipe" differs from other preparations from the ginseng root in that its absorption occurs in the oral cavity, as a result of which the healing substances do not enter the stomach and are not exposed to the action of gastric acid, but enter directly into the blood.
Honey ginseng jelly. To prepare jelly, crushed dry ginseng root is mixed with honey (50 g of root per 700 g of honey) and infused for 10 days. The drug is taken 0.5 teaspoon 3 times a day 20-30 minutes before meals. Course - 2 months.
Ginseng paste. To prepare a paste, the ginseng root is crushed, poured with hot water (2 tablespoons of crushed root per 2-3 tablespoons of water), left for 2-3 hours, then, stirring, heated in a water bath to 60-70 ° C and cooled to 40 °C ready-made paste is used to treat skin diseases, as well as for cosmetic purposes.
root decoction. To prepare a decoction, pour 2-3 tablespoons of crushed ginseng root into 1-2 cups cold water, boil on low heat for 3-5 minutes, then strain and cool to 37-40°C.
root tea. To prepare tea, dry ginseng root powder is poured with boiling water in a ratio of 1:10, infused for 10 minutes, then filtered. Tea is drunk 1 tablespoon 3 times a day 20 minutes before meals for 30 days. After a 30-day break, the course of prophylactic treatment is repeated.
Black tea with ginseng. Ingredients: long leaf black tea 1 grade 1000 g, dry ginseng root powder 2.2 g. Stir thoroughly before use. Tea is brewed to taste.
Yogurt with ginseng. To prepare this drug, popular in China, 1 teaspoon of ginseng honey extract is diluted in hot boiled milk, the mixture is cooled to 38-40 ° C and fermented milk is added. After obtaining curdled milk, the mixture is shaken. The drug is taken 250 ml 2 times a day 30 minutes before meals.
Ginseng with grape juice. To prepare the preparation, 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh ginseng root is mixed with 2 tablespoons grape juice. The dose of admission depends on the nature of the disease.
Ginseng bee honey. Cut ginseng leaves are well washed and dried. Put in an enamel bowl at the rate of 25 g of dry leaf (or 30 g of crushed dry ginseng root) per 2 liters of water and bring to a boil. The broth is insisted for 24 hours. Then, on low heat, 4 kg of honey is dissolved in this infusion, without raising the temperature above 70 degrees. When the resulting syrup cools down to 20 degrees, it is poured into pre-prepared feeders and given to the bees for processing. Usually the average bee colony processes 3 kg of syrup per night. Such honey is pumped out no later than on the third day, in order to be in time before its crystallization, immediately packaged in glassware and hermetically sealed.
water infusion. Prepared from a powder in a ratio of 1:100, which is brewed with boiling water, insisted and taken one teaspoon 20 minutes before meals 2-3 times a day. Shelf life 1 day.
Other similar and related species. The Panax genus includes 12 species native to Asia and North America. In general, the genus has a broken range, the main part of which is located in the east of Asia (Far East, China, Tibet, Altai), and one species (five-leaf ginseng) grows in the east of North America. The range of Vietnamese ginseng covers the Central Highlands of Vietnam.
Descriptions and illustrations are taken from computer identification of berries and other juicy fruits of Russia(Bogolyubov A.S., Kravchenko M.V., Moscow, Ecosystem, 2017). You can buy it in our non-commercial online store.
On our website you can also get acquainted with information on morphology tree-shrub and herbaceous plants, which will help you navigate the structure of the plants mentioned in this section and teach you how to correctly identify their species names.
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Our author's teaching materials on botany and plants of Russia: Visual field determinants-walkers: , , , , |
Ginseng, recognized as a symbol of oriental medicine, is not only the most valuable "green doctor", but also one of the rarest medicinal plants. In ancient times, Chinese doctors considered ginseng root to be almost miraculous, capable of raising seriously ill patients to their feet, restoring youth and strength.
The plant was recognized by official medicine relatively recently, but the need for roots turned out to be so great that the natural range of ginseng was reduced many times, and wild-growing specimens were legally protected.
What does ginseng look like
When mentioning medicinal plants, one of the first to come to mind is the name "ginseng". The culture gained wide fame due to its healing properties and branched rhizome, outwardly resembling a bizarre human figure. But what ginseng looks like, or rather its aerial part, is known to few.
Common ginseng, recognized as the most valuable in terms of medicine, is a herbaceous perennial, with one or less often several erect stems from 30 to 70 centimeters high. A thin, no more than 6 mm thick shoot in the upper part is crowned with large cut foliage, consisting of five oval or ovoid parts. Dense palmate ginseng leaves are attached to the stem with strong petioles, have finely serrated edges and a maximum length of up to 15 cm.
In the middle of summer, ginseng blooms, forming an umbrella inflorescence, about three centimeters in diameter and consisting of 15–40 small buds. greenish tint. The ginseng flower depicted in the photo can hardly be called bright or decorative. White or pinkish corollas with a green serrated calyx and five petals are pollinated by insects. When flowering ends, ovaries appear in place of flowers, ripening in the last days of summer or in September.
Looking at the photo of what ginseng looks like at this time, you can understand how much the appearance of a generally inconspicuous plant is changing. Rounded bright red berries with juicy pulp and 2-3 seeds inside ripen on a peduncle 10–24 cm high.
In the cold season, the aerial part of the plant dies, but a large rhizome remains underground. It preserves the life of ginseng until the onset of heat and carries all the accumulated beneficial substances. Ginseng is a long-lived plant. The older the root, the greater its mass and the higher the healing power. At the beginning of the last century, a bicentennial root was discovered in Manchuria. Today it is hardly possible to find such a giant.
Due to the high demand for medicinal raw materials, a merciless hunt for ginseng in its natural habitats began in the 19th century. It led to a sharp decrease in the number of population and narrowing of the area of growth .
Where does ginseng grow?
Ginseng is a relic plant. An indirect confirmation of this is the unusual area of culture, torn into two parts by the Pacific Ocean. Most of the 12 types of ginseng are indigenous to the Far East, but not so long ago one of the varieties was discovered on the territory of the American continent. Today, five-leaf ginseng is grown in extensive plantations as an effective medicinal plant.
In addition to the west coast of the United States, the ginseng range covers the Korean Peninsula, Vietnam, and Northeast China. Where does ginseng grow in Russia? Our country has the largest stock of this vegetable raw material. Medicinal ginseng in a wild form is found in the southern part of the Khabarovsk Territory, in Sikhote-Alin, as well as in Primorye. Everywhere the plant is included in the list of specially protected species. There is a mention of ginseng in the Red Book of the Jewish Autonomous Region, however, living specimens have not been found here for a long time.
Wherever ginseng grows, not only the collection of roots is prohibited, but all measures are taken to preserve and increase the population.
Today it is known for sure that the plant prefers to settle in broad-leaved forests, under the protection of hornbeam, fir, birch and maple. Ginseng loves shade, moisture, needs nutritious loose soil. Under favorable conditions, perennials can form continuous clumps. But at present the picture is not so joyful. For example, in Primorsky Krai, ginseng grows in many areas, but an inquisitive nature researcher is unlikely to be lucky enough to see a large group of plants.
Most often, wild-growing ginseng, the number of which in Russia is estimated in tens of thousands, grows singly, in untouched corners on the southwestern or southeastern slopes.
How is ginseng protected?
Of course, poachers still cause serious damage to the number of medicinal plants. However, they are not the only enemies of ginseng. The population of wild plants is declining due to the cutting down of forests suitable for the resettlement of plants, fires, and thinning of the forest litter. Unfortunately, ginseng produces few seeds. Not all of them germinate, and some of the seedlings die in the first years, without having formed a powerful valuable rhizome.
Planting in protected areas protects the Far East from extinction. In which reserve does ginseng grow? There are not just one place like this, but several. Today, programs to restore the abundance of the medicinal relic are working in four reserves in the Russian Far East at once. These are "Kedrovaya Pad", as well as the reserves Lazovsky, Bolshekhekhtsirsky, Ussuriysky.
Not only in Primorsky Krai, but also in other parts of the country, for example, in Sakhalin and Cheboksary, ginseng is grown on specially prepared plantations, where conditions close to natural are created. They also receive raw materials for pharmaceutical and cosmetic products in China, Korea, the USA and Australia. At high humidity, under conditions of 20–30% illumination, the plants stay for 4–6 years. Then the ginseng roots, which managed to accumulate a fair share useful substances, dug, cleaned and dried, sorted and crushed.
While ginseng cultivation helps protect natural resources, and the plants themselves are indistinguishable from wild specimens, they take several years and painstaking, labor-intensive care to mature. So botanists turned to modern science. Today, more and more ginseng is obtained using in vitro cell culture.
Video about the search for ginseng in the Ussuri taiga
