American Botanical Drug Association

English Name

Pseudo‐ginseng

​Family & Genus

Araliaceae, Panax

Latin Name

Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F. H. Chen ex C. Y. Wu et K.m. Feng

Part Used

Medical part: roots. Chinese name: Sanqi.

Description

Perennial herbaceous, 20-60cm tall. Fleshy and stout taproot, cylindrical, spindle shaped or inverted cone-shaped, with verrucose branching. Stem erect solitary, no branching. Palmately compound leaves 3-6 whorled stem end; petiole 4-11.5cm long; fascioled stipules acicular; membranous leaflets usually 5-7, rare 3 or 9, 5-15cm long, 2-5cm wide, obovate-oblong to oblong, apex acuminate, base asymmetric, nearly round, margin densely serrulate, teeth end has fine bristles, sparse bristles along veins on both side. Umbel solitary terminal, 3-4cm in diam; 80-100 flowers per inflorescence, pubescent peduncle 13-30cm long; flowers small, usually bisexual, pedicel base scaly with bracts; dentate calyx 5; yellowish green petals 5, ovate-oblong; stamens 5, filaments long and thin, anthers elliptic; inferior ovary, 2 chambers, upper style separates into 2, flower disk slightly concave or flat. Berry-like drupes nearly reniform, 6-9cm long, red when mature. Flat spherical seeds 1-3, white. Flowering: June to August, fruiting: August to October.

Distribution

Growing under hillside trees. Can be cultivated. Distributed in Hubei, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan or Guangxi and etc. The medicinal materials are mainly produced in Yunnan, Guangxi and etc.

Harvest & Processing

Excavated before blossom in autumn, washed, separated taproots, rootlets and stem base and dried.

Chemistry

Mainly contains saponins (e.g. ginsenoside Rb1, Rg1, Rg2).

Pharmacology

Hemostasis, blood-circulation simulating, anti-heart, brain, liver ischemia, coronary-heart-disease curing, anti-inflammatory, toxin-relieving, blood-glucose and lipid reducing.

Properties & Actions

Sweet, little bitter, warm. Sweet, little bitter, warm. Dissipating stasis and relieving hemorrhage, dispersing swelling and relieving pain.

Indication & Usage

Used for empsyxis, hematemesis, non-traumatic hemorrhage, hemafecia, metrorrhagia and metrostaxis, hemorrhage caused by trauma, thoracic and abdominal prickly pain, swelling pains from falls. Oral administration: decocting, 3-9g; powdered, 1-3g per time; or made as pills. External application: appropriate amount, extracted juice or powdered for application. Use with care in case of pregnancy.

Examples

1. Hematemesis, non-traumatic hemorrhage: Pseudo‐ginseng 3g, chew, and swallow with rice water.
2. Hemostasis: notoginseng, white wax, boswellin, rosewood, Chinese dragon's blood, Chinese gallnut and oyster in equal amounts. Do not burn on fire, grind into a powder, and apply externally.