How to Tell Real Ginseng from Fake Ginseng? A Few Practical Identification Methods

Ginseng is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Panax in the family Araliaceae, also known as Guidai, Shencao, Tujing, and other names. It has effects such as greatly tonifying original qi, restoring the pulse and stabilizing collapse, tonifying the spleen and benefiting the lungs, promoting fluid production, and calming the mind. There are many types and varying qualities on the market, so it is necessary to learn a little identification knowledge. Below, let us take a look at how to identify real and fake ginseng!

How should real and fake ginseng be identified?

1. Whiskers: Long strip whiskers, old and tough, clear, sparse, and long, with small millet-grain-like nodules attached. Those that are white and tender and brittle are not wild ginseng.

2. Rhizome: The rhizome of wild ginseng is relatively long and is divided into two-segment rhizome, three-segment rhizome, thread rhizome, and wild-goose-neck rhizome.

3. Skin: Old skin, yellow-brown, tightly textured and glossy. Those with tender and white skin are not wild ginseng.

4. Lines: At the shoulder top of the hair root there are fine, dense, and deep screw-like horizontal lines. Those with rough, shallow, and discontinuous horizontal lines are not wild ginseng.

5. Straightness: The roots of wild ginseng are orderly and straight. Those with a single leg or two legs close together are mostly not wild ginseng.

What types of ginseng are there?

1. Sun-dried ginseng: The surface of sun-dried ginseng is earthy yellow, with dark brown horizontal lines and longitudinal wrinkles, brittle in texture, light in weight, flat in cross-section, white, with radial fissures, aromatic in odor, and bitter in taste.

2. White dried ginseng: The epidermis of the main root of white dried ginseng has all been removed. The body surface is light yellow or off-white, the horizontal lines at the upper end are not obvious, but shallow longitudinal wrinkles and branch root marks can be seen. Other traits are similar to sun-dried ginseng.

3. Red ginseng: The surface of red ginseng is brownish red, semi-transparent, the rhizome is earthy yellow, hard and brittle in texture, flat in cross-section, horny, brownish red, with a light-colored center, aromatic in odor, and slightly bitter in taste.

4. Wild mountain ginseng: The main root of wild mountain ginseng is short and thick, equal in length to or shorter than the rhizome, mostly with two main branch roots, shaped like a human body. The fibrous roots are sparse and long, not easy to break, and have obvious wart-like protrusions.

5. Garden ginseng: The rhizome of garden ginseng has reed bowls on one or both sides, with no round rhizome. The upper end of the main root has thick horizontal lines, not spiral-shaped, and sometimes horizontal lines can be seen throughout. The fibrous roots are broom-shaped, relatively short and brittle.

The five forms and six bodies of ginseng

1. Five forms: "Five forms" refers to the rhizome, adventitious roots, body, whiskers, and lines of wild mountain ginseng.

① Rhizome: The rhizome of wild mountain ginseng, also called the rhizome head.

② Adventitious roots: The adventitious roots of wild mountain ginseng.

③ Body: The main root and skin of wild mountain ginseng.

④ Whiskers: The fibrous roots and pearl points of wild mountain ginseng.

⑤ Lines: The horizontal lines on the main root of wild mountain ginseng.

2. Six bodies: "Six bodies" refers to the main root of wild mountain ginseng, namely old, tender, horizontal, straight, lively, and clumsy.

① Old: The skin color of wild mountain ginseng is old, and the age of the ginseng is long.

② Tender: The skin color of wild mountain ginseng is tender and white, and the age of the ginseng is short.

③ Horizontal: The main root form of wild mountain ginseng is thick and short, with two legs extending to the sides.

④ Straight: The main root form of wild mountain ginseng is straight.

⑤ Lively: The main root form of wild mountain ginseng is exquisite and beautiful, and the body and legs are clearly distinguishable.

⑥ Clumsy: The main root form of wild mountain ginseng is clumsy and unattractive, and the two legs are not symmetrical.