The ''Panax'' (

ginseng Ginseng () is the root of plants in the genus ''Panax'', such as South China ginseng (''Panax notoginseng, P. notoginseng''), Korean ginseng (''Panax ginseng, P. ginseng''), and American ginseng (''American ginseng, P. quinquefol ...

)

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

belongs to the

Araliaceae The Araliaceae are a family of flowering plants composed of about 43 genera and around 1500 species consisting of primarily woody plants and some herbaceous plants commonly called the ginseng family. The morphology of Araliaceae varies widely ...

(ivy)

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

. ''Panax'' species are characterized by the presence of

ginsenoside Ginsenosides or panaxosides are a class of natural product steroid glycosides and triterpene saponins. Compounds in this family are found almost exclusively in the plant genus ''Panax'' (ginseng), which has a long history of use in traditional med ...

s and

gintonin Gintonin is a glycolipoprotein fraction isolated from ''Panax ginseng''. The non-saponin ingredient was designated as gintonin, where ''gin'' was derived from ginseng, ''ton'' from the tonic effects of ginseng, and ''in'' from protein. The main ...

. ''Panax'' is one of approximately 60 plant genera with a classical disjunct east Asian and east North American distribution. Furthermore, this disjunct distribution is asymmetric as only two of the ~18 species in genus are native to North America.

Etymology

The name ''Panax'', meaning "all-healing" in Greek, shares the same origin as "

panacea In Greek mythology and religion, Panacea (Greek ''Πανάκεια'', Panakeia), a goddess of universal remedy, was the daughter of Asclepius and Epione. Mythology Panacea and her four sisters each performed a facet of Apollo's art: * Panac ...

" and was used for this genus because

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

was aware of its wide use in

Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence of effectiveness or ...

''Panax'' species

Genus ''Panax'' :Subgenus ''Panax'' ::Section ''Panax'' :::Series ''Notoginseng'' ::::''

Panax notoginseng ''Panax notoginseng'' is a species of the genus '' Panax'', and it is commonly referred to in English as Chinese ginseng * or notoginseng. In Chinese it is called ''tiánqī'' (), tienchi ginseng, ''sānqī'' () or ''sanchi'', three-seven root, ...

'' (Burkill) F.H.Chen (known as ''san qi'', ''tian qi'' or ''tien chi'') :::Series ''Panax'' ::::''

Panax arunachalensis The ''Panax'' (ginseng) genus belongs to the Araliaceae (ivy) family. ''Panax'' species are characterized by the presence of ginsenosides and gintonin. ''Panax'' is one of approximately 60 plant genera with a classical disjunct east Asian and ea ...

'' Taram, A.P.Das & Tag ::::''

Panax assamicus The ''Panax'' (ginseng) genus belongs to the Araliaceae (ivy) family. ''Panax'' species are characterized by the presence of ginsenosides and gintonin. ''Panax'' is one of approximately 60 plant genera with a classical disjunct east Asian and ea ...

'' (Assam Ginseng) ::::''

Panax bipinnatifidus The ''Panax'' (ginseng) genus belongs to the Araliaceae (ivy) family. ''Panax'' species are characterized by the presence of ginsenosides and gintonin. ''Panax'' is one of approximately 60 plant genera with a classical disjunct east Asian and ea ...

'' Seem. :::::var. ''angustifolius'' (Burkill) J.Wen ::::''

Panax ginseng ''Panax ginseng'', ginseng, also known as Asian ginseng, Chinese ginseng or Korean ginseng, is a species of plant whose root is the original source of ginseng. It is a perennial plant that grows in the mountains of East Asia. It is mainly cultiv ...

'' C.A.Mey. (Asian ginseng, Chinese ginseng, Korean ginseng, Asiatic ginseng, Oriental ginseng) ::::''

Panax japonicus ''Panax japonicus'' is a species of ginseng known for its bamboo-shaped, uneven-sized roots. It is found throughout Japan and Korea, and is also said to be endangered in China. ''Panax japonicus'' sees some use in Japanese Kampo medicine and tra ...

'' (T.Nees) C.A.Mey. (

Japanese ginseng Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

) ::::''

Panax quinquefolius American ginseng (''Panax quinquefolius'') is a species of flowering plant in the ivy family (biology), family Araliaceae. It is native to eastern North America and has been introduced into China. The specific epithet ''quinquefolius'' means "fiv ...

'' L. (

American ginseng American ginseng (''Panax quinquefolius'') is a species of flowering plant in the ivy family (biology), family Araliaceae. It is native to eastern North America and has been introduced into China. The specific epithet ''quinquefolius'' means "fiv ...

) ::::''

Panax sokpayensis The ''Panax'' (ginseng) genus belongs to the Araliaceae (ivy) family. ''Panax'' species are characterized by the presence of ginsenosides and gintonin. ''Panax'' is one of approximately 60 plant genera with a classical disjunct east Asian and ea ...

'' Shiva K.Sharma & Pandit ::::''

Panax siamensis The ''Panax'' (ginseng) genus belongs to the Araliaceae (ivy) family. ''Panax'' species are characterized by the presence of ginsenosides and gintonin. ''Panax'' is one of approximately 60 plant genera with a classical disjunct east Asian and ea ...

'' J. Wen, 2023 ::::''

Panax vietnamensis ''Panax vietnamensis'' or Vietnamese ginseng () is a species of the ginseng genus ''Panax''. In Vietnam the species, prized in herbal medicine, is commercially very valuable and now considered threatened. Description ''Panax vietnamensis'' is a ...

'' Ha & Grushv. ::::''

Panax wangianus The ''Panax'' (ginseng) genus belongs to the Araliaceae (ivy) family. ''Panax'' species are characterized by the presence of ginsenosides and gintonin. ''Panax'' is one of approximately 60 plant genera with a classical disjunct east Asian and ea ...

'' S.C.Sun ::::''

Panax zingiberensis ''Panax zingiberensis'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Araliaceae The Araliaceae are a family of flowering plants composed of about 43 genera and around 1500 species consisting of primarily woody plants and some herbaceous p ...

'' C.Y.Wu & Feng ::Section ''Pseudoginseng'' ::::''

Panax pseudoginseng ''Panax pseudoginseng'' is a species of plant in the family Araliaceae, native to Nepal and Tibet. Common names include pseudoginseng, Nepal ginseng and Himalayan ginseng. Pseudoginseng belongs to the same scientific genus as ginseng. In local ...

'' Wall. ::::''

Panax stipuleanatus The ''Panax'' (ginseng) genus belongs to the Araliaceae (ivy) family. ''Panax'' species are characterized by the presence of ginsenosides and gintonin. ''Panax'' is one of approximately 60 plant genera with a classical disjunct east Asian and ea ...

'' H.T.Tsai & K.M.Feng :Subgenus ''Trifolius'' ::::''

Panax trifolius ''Panax trifolius'', commonly called dwarf ginseng, is a plant native to the Northeastern and Appalachian regions of North America. It is found in low mesic woods with acidic soils. It produces an umbel of white flowers in late spring. This s ...

'' L. Hybrids: * ''Panax ginseng'' × ''Panax quinquifolius'' (F1 male sterile, roots bigger than parents) * ''Panax japonicus'' f. ''typicum'' × ''Panax quinquifolius''

Phylogeny

Based on

chloroplast genome Chloroplast DNA (cpDNA), also known as plastid DNA (ptDNA) is the DNA located in chloroplasts, which are photosynthetic organelles located within the cells of some eukaryotic organisms. Chloroplasts, like other types of plastid, contain a genome s ...

s (Manzanilla ''et al.'' 2018 and Xia ''et al.'' 2025): Note: Plants of the World Online treats ''P. major'' as a junior synonym of ''P. bipinnatifidus''. ''Flora of China'' treats it as ''P. japonicus'' var. ''major'' .

References

Apiales genera Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine {{Araliaceae-stub