Wenshan Notoginseng

Wenshan Notoginseng

Wenshan Notoginseng is a geographical indication protected product.

Wenshan Notoginseng is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　Sanqi has long been a traditional and precious medicinal herb produced in Yunnan Province. It has significant therapeutic effects on lowering blood lipids and blood sugar. Wenshan County in Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan Province, is the origin of Sanqi, with over 400 years of cultivation history. Wenshan County has been designated as the “Hometown of Chinese Sanqi Specialties” by the China Specialties Hometown Evaluation Committee.

　　　　Wenshan has a long and fascinating history. Its unique climate, ranging from subtropical to temperate, has nurtured abundant natural resources and a rich cultural environment. The region is home to more than ten ethnic groups, including Han, Zhuang, Miao, Yi, and Yao. The Miao ancestors, who preferred living in mountainous areas, were skilled hunters. Occasionally, injuries during hunting caused bleeding, and they would chew a wild herb and apply it to the wound. The bleeding would stop as if sealed with lacquer. The Miao ancestors thus called this wild herb “mountain lacquer.” This miraculous medicinal herb was passed down through generations, and because the pronunciation of “mountain lacquer” is similar to that of “sanqi,” it eventually became known as “sanqi.” Wenshan is rich in sanqi production and is the origin of this herb, leading the nation in both yield and quality. It has long been honored as the “Hometown of Sanqi.”

　　　　Sanqi is an advantageous biological resource in the Wenshan region of Yunnan Province, with over 400 years of cultivation history. The area boasts abundant natural resources, as well as convenient transportation and communication infrastructure. Wenshan is the renowned origin of the precious Yunnan medicinal herb—sanqi, also known as ginseng sanqi. Sanqi is a traditional and valuable medicinal herb from Yunnan, praised by famous doctors and classic texts throughout history. In the Ming Dynasty, Li Shizhen described sanqi in his Compendium of Materia Medica as having “a slightly sweet and bitter taste, quite similar to that of ginseng” and being “a medicine for the blood aspect of the Yangming and Jueyin meridians, thus capable of treating all blood disorders.” He even hailed it as “more precious than gold.” The Qing Dynasty pharmacological work Supplement to the Compendium of Materia Medica noted: “Ginseng is first in replenishing qi, while sanqi is first in replenishing blood, making them the most precious among Chinese herbs.” Modern medical pharmacological experiments have found that the total saponins in sanqi (PNS) possess both coagulation and anticoagulation functions, can lower blood lipids and blood pressure, and have significant effects on the cardiovascular system, such as anti-arrhythmia, myocardial and brain injury protection, reduced myocardial oxygen consumption, anti-thrombosis, and anti-shock.

　　　　Since the 1990s, the cultivation and production of sanqi in Wenshan have developed healthily and steadily, with rapid growth in the processing industry. By the end of 1999, the county’s sanqi cultivation area had exceeded 30,000 mu, with a yield of 1.006 million kilograms, accounting for about 80% of the entire Wenshan region and 75% of the national total. The county's sanqi cultivation has shown trends toward scale and regionalization. Wenshan County was awarded the title of “Hometown of Chinese Sanqi Specialties” by the Organizing Committee of the China Specialties Hometown Promotion and Publicity Campaign.

　　Aliases for Sanqi: Kaihua Sanqi, Ginseng Sanqi, Tianqi, Golden Treasure, Panlong Sanqi.

　　Origin: Provinces such as Yunnan, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Sichuan, but sanqi from Wenshan Prefecture in Yunnan and Jingxi County and Napo County in Guangxi are of higher quality and considered authentic medicinal materials.

　　Source: The root of the plant Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F.H. Chen from the Araliaceae family.

　　Plant morphology: A perennial herb reaching up to 60 cm. The rhizome is short, with erect stems that are smooth and hairless. The palmately compound leaves have long petioles and are arranged in 3–4 whorls at the top of the stem; there are 3–7 leaflets, which are oval or oblong-ovate, with fine serrated edges. The umbellate inflorescence grows at the top of the stem, with the peduncle emerging from the center of the stem top, measuring 20–30 cm in length. The flowers are small and yellow-green; the calyx has five lobes; the petals and stamens are also five. The drupe is berry-like, nearly kidney-shaped, turning red when ripe. There are 1–3 seeds, which are flattened and spherical. Flowering period is from June to August, fruiting period from August to October. For medicinal use, the dried, large, heavy, firm roots with smooth skin and gray-green or gray-black cross-sections are considered superior. It grows under mountain forests on slopes. Nowadays, it is mostly cultivated on slopes at the foot of mountains or gentle earthen mounds at altitudes of 800–1000 m. Yunnan Sanqi harvesting: harvested in winter of the third year after planting and in late summer to early autumn. Remove fibrous roots, sun-dry until half-dry, rub with hands, then sun-dry again, repeating several times, then place in sacks and polish with wax.

　　Characteristics: The roots are conical, spindle-shaped, or irregular lumps, 1.5–5 cm long and 1.2–2 cm in diameter. The surface is grayish-yellow or dark brown, with a waxy luster, irregular fine lines, and a few transverse long pores; the upper part has several tumor-like protuberances where lateral roots were broken off, and the top retains the base of the rhizome. The texture is firm, and the outer and inner parts often separate upon breaking; the cross-section is grayish-white or yellowish-brown, with brownish dots (resin ducts) in the cortex. It tastes bitter with a slight sweetness.

　　Chemical components: Contains saponins, mainly ginsenosides Rb1, Rg1, Rg2, and small amounts of ginsenosides Ra, Rb2, Rb, and Re. In addition, it also contains flavonoid glycosides, starch, proteins, fats, and oils.

　　Properties and taste: Warm in nature, sweet and slightly bitter in taste.

　　Functions and indications: Dispels blood stasis and stops bleeding, reduces swelling and alleviates pain. Used for various internal and external bleeding, stabbing pain in the chest and abdomen, and bruises and swelling from falls. (Activates blood circulation to dispel stasis, stops bleeding, and relieves pain.)