Bamboo-like Ginseng (bamboo-like rhizome, with round, deeply sunken stem scars on the nodes)

Bamboo-like Ginseng Slices

【Name】

Bamboo-like Ginseng

 【Source】

Bencao Shiyi (Supplement to the Materia Medica)

 【Common Use Degree】

F

 【Botanical Origin】

The bamboo-like rhizome of Panax pseudoginseng Wall. var. japonicus (C.A.Mey.) Hoo&Tseng, belonging to the Araliaceae family.

 【Characteristics】

The rhizome is bamboo-like, flattened cylindrical, slightly curved, 5-22cm long, and 0.8-2.5cm in diameter. The nodes are dense, with internodes 0.8-2cm long. Each node has a round, deeply sunken stem scar at the top. The surface is grayish-brown or yellowish-brown, rough, with dense longitudinal wrinkles and rootlet scars. It is hard and brittle, easily broken, with a relatively flat fracture surface, yellowish-white to light yellow, with multiple light yellow vascular bundle dot scars arranged in a circle. It has a slightly fragrant odor, and a bitter, slightly sweet taste.

 【Identification】

The best quality is thick, hard, and has a yellowish-white fracture surface.

 【Category】

Rhizomes