Ginseng is a very precious traditional Chinese medicinal material. There are many types of ginseng on the market with different qualities. It is necessary to learn some identification knowledge. To identify ginseng well, you must master the following points: you must not only see the "five shapes" but also identify the "six bodies".

The five shapes refer to

beard, reed, skin, pattern and body

beard

long beard, old and tough, It is clear and long, with small millet-like bumps on it, which are called "pearl points". Those that are white and tender and crisp (commonly known as water whiskers) are not pure wild ginseng.

Reeds

Reeds are longer and divided into two-section reed, three-section reed, line reed and wild goose-neck reed. Two-jointed reed - there are horse-tooth reeds and round reeds. Three-section reeds include horse tooth reeds, round reeds and piled flower reeds. The so-called horse tooth reed has obvious stem marks on the rhizome, which are shaped like horse teeth, mostly in the upper part of the rhizome. The so-called round reed refers to the stem marks on the rhizome that have become flat over time and are shaped like a cylinder. The so-called wild goose neck reed has a slender rhizome, slightly curved, like a wild goose neck shape. The so-called thread reed refers to the fact that the reed bowl on the rhizome becomes flat due to its age, and the rhizome is thin and long.

Skin

Old skin, yellowish brown, tight and shiny. If the skin is tender and white, it is not pure wild ginseng.

Strings

On the shoulders at the upper end of the hair roots, there are fine and deep screw-like horizontal lines. Those with rough, superficial and inconsistent horizontal lines are not pure ginseng.

Body

refers to the hair root (see six bodies).

The six bodies refer to

ling, stupid, old, tender, horizontal and smooth

ling

refers to the exquisite body and appearance of ginseng Good-looking, the body and legs are obviously separable, with two legs at most, and the bifurcation angle is large. According to the shape, it is divided into "rhombus body" and "pimple body".

Stupid

It means that the ginseng root shape is straight and the body is clumsy and unsightly. Even if there are two legs, the thickness or length of the two are not symmetrical.

Old

The skin of wild ginseng is old, yellow-brown in color, with fine and strong horizontal stripes. Those with tender skin and white color are not pure wild ginseng.

Tender

If the skin is tender and white, the horizontal lines are rough and shallow, and the fibrous roots are tender and crisp, white and easy to break, it is not pure wild ginseng.

Horizontal

Refers to ginseng with thick and short roots and two legs that extend sideways, mostly wild ginseng.

Shun

It means that the ginseng root is smooth and straight, with one leg or both legs close together. Most of them are not wild ginseng.