Korean ginseng (Panax schinseng; ginseng)

Japanese: チョウセンニンジン(朝鮮人参) - チョウセンニンジン（英語表記）Panax schinseng; ginseng

A perennial plant of the Araliaceae family. It is found in China and the Korean peninsula, where it grows under forests, but is now cultivated in fields as a medicinal plant. It has been cultivated in Japan since the Kyoho era (1716-36). It has a short rhizome that grows upright or obliquely, and a white fleshy taproot emerges from the lower end. The root often branches at the tip. A single upright stem grows from the rhizome and reaches a height of about 60 cm. The leaves are palmately compound and consist of five leaflets, and three or four of them grow in a whorl at the top of the stem. In summer, a single flower stalk emerges from the top of the stem, and a large number of pale yellow-green five-petaled flowers form an umbel at the top. The fruit is oblate and ripens to a red color. The root contains several glycosides and fatty acids, and is effective in treating neurasthenia, anemia, and decreased libido. The decoction or exudate is usually taken at a daily dose of 1-10 g. The Japanese name is derived from the region of origin, and it is also known as Panax ginseng. A closely related species of the same genus, Tochiba ninjin (Tochiba ninjin), is found in the mountains of Japan, and American ginseng (P. quinquefolium) is found in North America, both of which use the rhizomes as a substitute for this species.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

ウコギ科の多年草。中国，朝鮮半島に分布し，森林下に生えるが現在は薬用植物として畑で栽培される。日本でも享保年間 (1716～36) 頃から栽培されている。短い根茎が直立または斜上し，その下端から白色多肉の直根が出る。根は先端部で分枝することが多い。根茎から1本の直立する茎が伸び高さ 60cmほどになる。葉は5枚の小葉から成る掌状複葉で，茎の頂部に3～4枚が輪生する。夏に，茎の頂部から1本の花軸を出し，頂部に散形花序をなして多数の淡黄緑色5弁の小花をつける。果実は扁球形で赤色に熟する。根に数種の配糖体や脂肪酸が含まれ，神経衰弱，貧血，性欲減退などに薬効がある。普通煎液，滲出液の1～10gを1日量として飲用する。和名は産地による名で，オタネニンジンの別名もある。日本の山地にも同属の近縁種トチバニンジン (栃葉人参)があり，また北アメリカにはアメリカニンジン P. quinquefoliumがあって，どちらも根茎を本種の代用とする。

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