Hu S Y
Am J Chin Med (Gard City N Y). 1977 Spring;5(1):1-23. doi: 10.1142/s0192415x77000026.
The Chinese people discovered ginseng and used it as a revitalizing agent since time immemorial. They are still the world's major consumers of this plant drug. The commercial product of ginseng comes from two species of the genus Panax in the family Araliaceae. These species are P. ginseng C. A. Meyer which is the source plant of the Chinese, Korean and Japanese brands of ginseng, and P. quinquefolius L., which is the source of American ginseng. Phytogeographically, ginseng demonstrates the classical bicentric pattern of plant distribution, with closely related species in eastern Asia and in eastern North America. Ecologically, ginseng is an undergrowth of hardwood mixed deciduous forest. It prefers the northern or the northeastern slope of a hill. Species of the genus Tilia are good indicators of the proper environmental condition for the growth of ginseng. Morphologically, ginseng is a perennial herb with fleshy root, a single annual stem bearing a whorl of palmately compound leaves, and a terminal simple umbel of small 5-merous flowers. The flowers are soon followed by pea-sized fruits developed from inferior ovaries. The fruits are red when ripe. Ginseng is propagated by seed. The commercial products of ginseng consist primarily of roots 2-20 years old. Within this age range, the older the root the higher the market value, provided they are grown in proper conditions. The methods of curing the roots change the color and shape of the products. Chinese ginseng is prepared from roots bleached, boiled, steamed, or sugared in curing. The cultural background for the uses of ginseng by the Chinese people is explained. Ginseng may be used alone in the form of tea, powder, or as a masticatory. It is also used in combination with other drugs of animal, mineral, or plant origin. Forty-two recipes are selected from Pen-ts'oa kang-mu and translated into English for the first time to show the various ways by which ginseng is used in traditional Chinese medicine. A systematic summary of the companion plant drugs of ginseng is presented in the form of a table, showing the distribution of the species in the plant kingdom. The scientific names of the species are given in full.
中国人自古以来就发现了人参，并将其用作滋补剂。他们至今仍是这种植物药的全球主要消费群体。人参的商业产品来自五加科人参属的两个物种。其中一种是人参（Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer），它是中国、韩国和日本品牌人参的源植物；另一种是西洋参（Panax quinquefolius L.），是美国人参的源植物。从植物地理学角度来看，人参呈现出典型的双中心植物分布模式，在东亚和北美东部有亲缘关系密切的物种。从生态角度而言，人参是阔叶混交落叶林下层的植物。它偏好山坡的北坡或东北坡。椴属植物是人参生长适宜环境条件的良好指示植物。从形态学上看，人参是一种多年生草本植物，具有肉质根，单生的一年生茎上着生一轮掌状复叶，顶端有一个由小型五基数花组成的单歧聚伞花序。花后很快就会结出由下位子房发育而成的豌豆大小的果实。果实成熟时呈红色。人参通过种子繁殖。人参的商业产品主要由2至20年生的根组成。在这个年龄范围内，只要生长条件适宜，根越老市场价值越高。加工根的方法会改变产品的颜色和形状。中国人参是通过漂白、水煮、蒸制或在加工过程中加糖处理的根制成的。文中解释了中国人使用人参的文化背景。人参可以单独以茶、粉末的形式使用，或用作咀嚼物。它也与其他动物、矿物或植物来源的药物联合使用。从《本草纲目》中选取了42个药方并首次翻译成英文，以展示人参在传统中医中的各种使用方式。以表格形式对人参的配伍植物药进行了系统总结，列出了这些物种在植物界的分布情况。给出了物种的完整学名。
