Illustrated Investigation of the Names and Realities of Plants, Volume 7

Ginseng

Mountain Herbs, Volume 7

The Emperor uses the secondary grades of ginseng for ceremonial rewards. All civil and military officials of the second rank and above, as well as those serving on palace duty, are eligible to receive them. My father and my elder brother, while serving as high-ranking ministers, were annually blessed with these Imperial gifts. When I served in the South Study The Nanzhai, or South Study, was an elite imperial institution where scholars provided literary assistance to the Emperor., I also repeatedly received these generous grants. Even the ginseng confiscated by the government from illegal smugglers at the border passes was distributed as rewards. I reflect on how my family has been so well-provided with this "immortal medicine," yet I feel ashamed that I have no secret technique for achieving longevity to match such favor. Since the "Great Creator" A respectful metaphor for the Emperor's life-giving grace. has so frequently bestowed this bounty upon us, I respectfully record its details here for future generations.

In examining the Illustrated Classic original: "Tujing," likely the Tujing Bencao or "Illustrated Materia Medica.", it lists several varieties, many of which are actually similar to the Ladybell shashen: Adenophora species, often used as a cheaper substitute for ginseng or the Adenophora jini: Adenophora trachelioides, a plant with a similar root but different medicinal properties. Today, the gardens that once produced the "Purple Cluster" ginseng A famous, high-quality variety from the Shangdang region. have been reclaimed as farmland. The mountain ginseng I have seen from Shucheng and Shinan has never matched the quality of the "Dang-shen" Codonopsis pilosula. mentioned earlier.

While the regions of Yaozhou and Lijiang in Yunnan also produce a type of ginseng, their shapes are distinct and their medicinal nature is mostly "dry" In traditional Chinese medicine, a "dry" nature can cause internal heat, unlike the "balanced" or "cooling" nature of high-quality ginseng.. Currently, only the ginseng from our vassal state of Korea and those produced near the Secondary Capital Shengjing, modern-day Shenyang, the ancestral capital of the Qing dynasty. are of superior quality. Although these are the result of human cultivation, their flavor, aroma, and substance are excellent. They are the most widely consumed varieties among the people; even in foreign regions such as Burma, they also...