What is ginseng, and how do the types differ?

Ginseng is the root of plants in the genus Panax. The three best-known species are Asian or Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng), American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) and notoginseng (Panax notoginseng). They are different plants, and each has its own pattern of ginsenosides, the saponins that ginseng is known for. White and red ginseng are not different species: they are the same Asian ginseng root, air-dried or steamed. Meanwhile, Thai ginseng (โสมไทย) and Siberian ginseng carry the name but are not Panax at all.

In short:

• What it is: the root of plants in the genus Panax, family Araliaceae
• Three main species: Panax ginseng (Asian/Korean), Panax quinquefolius (American), Panax notoginseng (notoginseng, sanqi)
• Main compounds: ginsenosides; 271 had been reported from Asian ginseng and its steamed products by mid-2024
• White vs red: the same root, air-dried (white) or steamed (red); steaming changes which ginsenosides are present
• Watch out for: pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, regular medication, and surgery within the next week

What is ginseng?

NCCIH, part of the US National Institutes of Health, says Asian ginseng is native to the Far East, including Korea, northeastern China and far-eastern Siberia, and is one of several types of ginseng. The part most often used is the root, and the group of compounds it is best known for is the ginsenosides (or panaxosides).

Family and genus

In NCBI Taxonomy, the three species sit in the genus Panax, family Araliaceae, order Apiales. The same order includes the carrot family (Apiaceae), to which dong quai belongs.

A 2019 study by Osathanunkul and Madesis at Chiang Mai University puts it simply: the root of plants in the genus Panax is what is commonly known as ginseng. Many other herbs are also called ginseng, but they do not contain ginsenosides.

How do Asian, American and notoginseng differ?

Sources: NCCIH; Memorial Sloan Kettering; Li and colleagues 2000; Zhao and colleagues 2014; Wu and colleagues 2026. Thai names are common usage.

Telling Asian and American ginseng apart

A 2000 study by Li and colleagues at the University of Illinois at Chicago used two ginsenosides as markers. American ginseng roots contained pseudoginsenoside F11 at more than 0.1% of dried root weight, while Asian ginseng had it only in trace amounts, below 0.0001%. Asian ginseng contained ginsenoside Rf at more than 0.021%, and in Asian ginseng the ratio of Rf to F11 was more than 700 to 1.

Chen and colleagues (2015) analysed 17 Asian and 21 American ginseng samples bought on the market. Ginsenosides Rf, Rb2 and Rc were more likely to be found in Asian ginseng, and ginsenoside Rb1, pseudoginsenoside F11 and ginsenoside Rd in American ginseng.

What is in notoginseng?

Zhao and colleagues (2014) studied three-year-old notoginseng roots of two kinds, purple and green. Both contained the same five saponins, in this order of amount: ginsenoside Rg1, ginsenoside Rb1, notoginsenoside R1, ginsenoside Rd and ginsenoside Re. The purple roots had about 34% more total saponins than the green ones, although the researchers found this difference was not statistically significant.

Which plants are called ginseng, or look like it, but are not Panax?

Osathanunkul and Madesis note that Thai ginseng is the root of Talinum paniculatum and that, because the roots look so alike, it is almost impossible to tell it from true ginseng by eye. They developed a DNA test that separated Panax ginseng from other Panax species and from these look-alike roots. Memorial Sloan Kettering likewise says Siberian ginseng should not be confused with Asian ginseng, American ginseng or Panax notoginseng.

What are ginsenosides?

Memorial Sloan Kettering describes ginsenosides as saponin glycosides. A 2024 review by Geng and colleagues counted 271 saponins reported from Asian ginseng and its steamed products by June 2024: 243 from different parts of the plant (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, berries and seeds), 103 from red ginseng and 65 from black ginseng. Of the 271, 249 are of the dammarane type, 18 of the oleanane type and 2 of the lanostane type.

Some ginsenosides by formula

Source: PubChem. Ginsenoside Rg1, ginsenoside Rf and pseudoginsenoside F11 share exactly the same formula: they are isomers, built from the same atoms arranged differently. This is why Li and colleagues had to separate Rf and F11 completely before they could use them to tell Asian from American ginseng.

How do white and red ginseng differ?

A 2024 review by Wang and colleagues at the University of Chicago explains that white ginseng is made by air-drying fresh Asian ginseng roots after harvest, while red ginseng is made by steaming the roots under controlled conditions. Black ginseng is a further processed type, made from white or red ginseng by steaming several times. So far, 57 ginsenosides have been isolated and characterised from red ginseng, which also contains compounds formed during steaming, such as Maillard reaction products (the browning reaction also seen in cooking).

What steaming changes

Zhou and colleagues (2024), at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, compared white and red ginseng by mass spectrometry:

Sources: Zhou and colleagues 2024 (comparison); Wang and colleagues 2024 (how each is made). Geng and colleagues add that in a separate count, 103 saponins have been reported from red ginseng and 65 from black ginseng. A 2026 review of notoginseng by Wu and colleagues reports a similar pattern: steaming turns more polar saponins into less polar ones.

Does the ginsenoside pattern change with root age and part?

Studies have compared roots of different ages and different parts of the plant, and found that the ginsenoside content differs between them.

Root age

Wang and colleagues (2006), at Zhejiang University, measured nine ginsenosides in cultivated Asian ginseng aged two to six years. Total ginsenosides in both the main root and the fine root fibres reached their highest level in the fourth year, and the main root contained much more than the fibres.

Xiu and colleagues (2019) measured 14 ginsenosides in 36 cultivated ginseng samples from different areas and ages in China. Three-year-old and five-year-old roots were clearly separated by their ginsenosides, while four-year-old roots looked like one or the other. Seven ginsenosides (Rg1, Rb1, Rb2, Rc, 20(S)-Rf, 20(S)-Rh1 and Rb3) were the best markers of age, and only the five-year-old roots could also be told apart by growing area.

Root part and size (notoginseng)

Cui and colleagues (2009) measured four saponins (notoginsenoside R1 and ginsenosides Rg1, Re and Rb1) in different parts of notoginseng. The content ranked rhizome, then root, then branch root, then flower, then leaf. Notoginseng roots are graded by how many pieces make up 500 g; in this study, the amount of the four saponins did not follow the size grades in a regular order.

The limits of these data: the samples come from China, Korea and the United States, and different studies measured different ginsenosides. No Thai study measuring ginsenosides in ginseng sold in Thailand was found.

Is there a recommended daily amount of ginseng?

No. Ginseng is not a nutrient, so it has no value in the Thai Reference Daily Intakes (Thai RDIs), which cover nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. As shown above, the ginsenoside content also differs by species, processing, age and root part.

Who should be careful with ginseng?

People who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and children

NCCIH says some studies suggest Asian ginseng may be unsafe when taken by mouth during pregnancy, and little is known about whether it is safe while breastfeeding. Questions have been raised about its long-term safety, and some experts recommend against its use for infants, children and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

People taking regular medication or planning surgery

NCCIH says Asian ginseng might interact with certain medicines. Memorial Sloan Kettering says ginseng may increase the risk of bleeding in people taking medicines that make blood clot less easily, and advises stopping ginseng at least 1 week before surgery. The Mahidol University Drug Information Center also lists ginseng among the herbs that may raise the chance of bleeding when used together with ginkgo. Anyone taking regular medication should speak to a doctor or pharmacist.

Effects that can occur

NCCIH says trouble sleeping is the most common side effect of Asian ginseng, and that uncommon effects reported include severe rash, liver damage and severe allergic reactions. Memorial Sloan Kettering lists dry mouth, fast heart rate, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, trouble sleeping and nervousness. For American ginseng, Memorial Sloan Kettering notes possible interactions with some medicines.

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