If you can distinguish between true and false ginseng, how can you distinguish between good ginseng and bad ginseng?

Distinguishing between true and false ginseng ginseng is a commonly used medicine in traditional Chinese medicine, which is warm, bitter and slightly sweet. Treat serious illness, chronic disease or massive hemorrhage collapse, spleen and stomach weakness, sexual dysfunction, etc. Has the effects of strengthening heart, calming nerves, lowering blood sugar, relieving fatigue, and inducing diuresis. Due to the different processing methods and producing areas, the name and efficacy of processed ginseng are also different. Because there are many kinds of ginseng, fake and shoddy ginseng is flooding the market. This paper introduces several methods to distinguish true and false ginseng from different kinds of ginseng.

Ginseng is the dry root of Araliaceae, which is mainly distributed in three northeastern provinces of China. Born in the dense forest, I like cold and damp, and it is suitable to use loose and fertile sandy loam with good drainage, deep soil layer and rich humus.

Ginseng is harvested in autumn after 5-6 years of cultivation, washed and dried, and the surface is pale yellow, which is called raw sun-dried ginseng;

After scalding the needle, it is soaked in sugar solution, and then dried, and the color is yellow and white, which is called white ginseng;

Remove the lateral roots, evaporate to dryness, and those with reddish brown surface are called medicinal ginseng (red ginseng).

At present, Korean red ginseng and American ginseng are imported.

Ginseng grows well, with thick pulp, long reed, dense bowl, full body, fine grains and tenacity.

According to different varieties, they can be classified and identified as follows:

Sun-dried ginseng: the main root is cylindrical or spindle-shaped, and the upper end is connected with a thin rhizome (reed head). 4-6 adventitious roots and sparse bowl-shaped stem marks (reed bowl) are alternately arranged, and the lower part is divided into 2-4 and a few lateral roots, with yellowish surface, irregular longitudinal stripes and fine wrinkles, and the main root is broken into rings. The section is yellow and white, with scattered yellowish-brown spots in radial cracks, with special aroma and slightly sweet and bitter taste.

Ginseng Rubra: Most of the lateral roots have been removed, the surface is reddish brown, translucent or slightly shiny, hard, with reddish brown cross section, relatively flat, horny, sweet and slightly bitter.

White ginseng: loose body surface, light yellow or yellow-white, sweet. Wild ginseng: the reed head is long, and there are reed bowls on all sides. There is a thin and deep spiral at the upper end of the main root, and the middle and lower parts are generally wireless. There are two main branches, ginseng must be sparse and slender, and there are obvious verrucous processes on it.

Korean red ginseng: produced in North Korea, its original plant is the same as domestic ginseng, but the processing method is slightly different. Its thick-necked reed lacks many links; The surface is reddish brown, the upper part is "yellow", there are obvious longitudinal ridges around the body, the quality is tight and heavy, and the keratin in the cross section has chrysanthemum patterns, which is sweet and slightly bitter.

American ginseng: produced in the northern United States and Canada, different from domestic ginseng, its characteristics and utility are also different. Its main root is cylindrical or long spindle-shaped, without reed head, branched root and fibrous root, and its surface is light brown or white with dense fine stripes. Easy quality, flat section, light yellow. Sweet, slightly bitter, cool. In some areas, in order to make huge profits, a few people introduce and sell varieties similar in appearance to ginseng, and pass them off as "red ginseng" or "dried ginseng" after processing, thus harming consumers.

Common forgeries are:

The root of Solanaceae plant Panax japonicus: produced in Huashan, Shaanxi and other places. Brown after processing, with one or more roots at the top, hard and brittle, with fine radial texture on the cross section, slightly bitter, slightly hemp and toxic. It often causes poisoning after taking it.

The root of cowpea, a leguminous plant, is conical or spindle-shaped, with few branches, slightly flat bending and no reed bowl. The surface is reddish-brown, with light lenticels and grooves on the side, and no transverse stripes peculiar to ginseng. When peeled off, the surface is fibrous. The cross section is slightly 1-2 layers of brown ring. Pale and fishy.

The root of Phytolacca acinosa is cylindrical, with few branches, plump and reddish brown. There is a cylindrical stem at the upper end, which is hollow (which can be distinguished from the reed head, one of the characteristics of ginseng). There are many layers of obvious light brown concentric rings on the cross section. The taste is slightly sweet and bitter, and the tongue is numb after chewing for a long time. Eating raw is poisonous.

In addition to the above-mentioned common counterfeit products, there are some inferior products. As long as people identify ginseng according to its basic characteristics (such as whether there are reed heads, reed bowls, thin horizontal stripes, chrysanthemum patterns, etc.), it is not difficult to identify them. ).

Common sense of purchasing ginseng

There are many kinds of ginseng processed products, each with its own characteristics, and the quality varies greatly, but as long as the following points are well grasped, consumers can buy products with confidence and satisfaction:

(1) Don't choose ginseng products with serious drainage, firmness and falsehood.

There are two possibilities for this phenomenon, whether it is red ginseng or sun-dried ginseng: first, ginseng has a short life; Second, improper management during processing leads to desizing, drainage and shrinkage. This kind of product is not only greatly reduced in nutritional value, but also easy to absorb moisture and become soft, moldy and deteriorated in humid environment.

(2) Don't choose ginseng with cracked roots and small dull roots.

Ginseng root fracture leads to slurry overflow and nutrient loss; Exogenous and endogenous, it is easy to absorb moisture and soften in humid environment, which is not conducive to preservation. For red ginseng, the nutritional value depends on the shape and color of ginseng root. Therefore, when buying, you must choose products with large roots, complete shapes and luster.

(3) Pay attention to the product packaging and complete label identification.

Sealed or vacuum-packed products can avoid moth, mildew and deterioration because they are well isolated from the outside world. Generally speaking, the product labels of formal enterprises are relatively complete and can be purchased with confidence.

(four) choose the products of larger enterprises.

Due to strict quality control of raw materials, advanced production technology and equipment, high management level of enterprises and guaranteed product quality.

In addition, whether it is red ginseng or dried ginseng, you should eat it step by step, and you should not rush and eat too much. In addition, we must pay attention to seasonal changes. Generally speaking, the weather is cool in autumn and winter, and the food is better; Summer, when the weather is hot, is not suitable for eating. In short, as long as we master the above eating methods and precautions, ginseng can make us keep fit and prolong life.

How do I know the date of ginseng?

At present, the "wild ginseng" on the market can be roughly divided into three categories: the first category, which grew around 10, is artificially cultivated, commonly known as "lying goods"; The second growth period is about 20 years, and it grows naturally through artificial sowing, commonly known as "planting goods"; The third kind is spread by birds and animals and grows under completely natural conditions, commonly known as "pure products". Only "pure goods" are the real wild ginseng. In addition, even the real wild ginseng has a great difference in quality and price.

Years, the old is rare.

A good ginseng needs at least 50 years of growth. During this period, it may be affected by foreign pests, droughts and floods at any time, so the wild ginseng that can really survive is very rare.

Ginseng attaches importance to old age.

Experienced pharmacists can judge the age of ginseng from its reed, Polygonum, body, whiskers and beads.

There are long reed bowls on the reeds of ginseng, which are usually annual. The higher the density of reed bowls, the longer the age of ginseng trees. The reed head of wild ginseng is roughly divided into three sections, and the round reed at the bottom is a typical feature of wild ginseng, which takes more than 30 years to show its shape. So round reed ginseng is also good.

There are generally no ring lines on the roots of ginseng, and only ginseng with a very long age will have long lines. So if there are rings on it, you can judge that the age of ginseng is not short.

Ginseng has grown in harsh natural environment for decades or even hundreds of years, and it will certainly show up on the skin. Therefore, the older the skin and the darker the color, the older the ginseng is.

In addition, the iron grain on ginseng is one of the characteristics of wild ginseng. It looks like an iron wire, thin, dense and deep, and the circles are opposite and not connected with each other. The denser the wire, the older the ginseng.

Ginseng whisker is used by ginseng to absorb nutrients. The older ginseng is, the rarer its whiskers are. Therefore, the beard of the old ginseng is simple and refreshing.

Ginseng has been growing underground for decades, and many ginseng whiskers will rot and grow out. Rotten ginseng whiskers will leave scars, that is, pearl spots. Therefore, the more pearl spots, the older ginseng.