Vietnamese ginseng is considered a ‘national treasure’. The government has also launched a program and orientation for the development of Vietnamese ginseng with many expectations. But there is still a lot to do to make that expectation come true.
Most Vietnamese people currently assume that the best Vietnamese ginseng is Ngoc Linh ginseng (SNL). However, some scientists claim that there is a species of ginseng that is considered a “twin” of SNL because of its similar morphology, genes and “qualities”. That is Lai Chau ginseng (SLC).
Lai Chau ginseng garden
The issue of a Vietnamese ginseng species having the same quality as SNL is quite sensitive, even though the government has classified that ginseng as a “national treasure” like SNL. In fact, SNL is being “favored” more by the media and consumers. SNL is considered a treasure, an indisputable precious medicinal herb because many domestic and international scientific studies have confirmed that. But if we only “favor” SNL over SLC, a precious ginseng species that has had scientific studies (although less than SNL) proving that it is like a “twin brother”, with precious qualities similar to SNL, is that fair?
Lai Chau ginseng
What is the ‘twin brother’ of Ngoc Linh ginseng like?
SNL was discovered by scientists very early. In 1973, pharmacist Dao Kim Long burst into tears of joy when he discovered SNL in the Ngoc Linh mountain range, in Kon Tum and Quang Nam, and gave the ginseng species the scientific name Panax articulatus KL Dao. Later, in 1985, this ginseng species had the official scientific name Panax vietnamensis Ha et Grushv.
Ngoc Linh ginseng garden
But it took nearly 30 years for the variety of ginseng considered to be the “twin brother” of SNL to be announced, which is SLC. Surprisingly, this announcement was made by foreign researchers including China and Japan. The articles of this research group were published in the prestigious Journal of Natural Products (of the American Chemical Society) in 2002 with the ginseng species studied as Yesanchi with the scientific name Panax japonicus. However, just one year later, scientists “corrected” this species as Panax vietnamensis var. fuscidiscus, a new variety of Vietnamese ginseng in the domestic journal of the land of the rising sun, Journal of Japanese Botany. Foreign authors described it as a new variety of SNL (Panax vietnamensis Ha et Grushv). A few years later, Vietnamese scientists announced that this ginseng also grows naturally in Lai Chau, so it is called SLC.
Ngoc Linh ginseng
“Based on research on genes and saponin chemical composition, SLC is not inferior to SNL, considered a twin brother of SNL”, said Dr. Pham Quang Tuyen (Institute of Forestry Research), who has devoted much time to researching SLC.
The results of the study “Conservation and development of SLC, wild Panax pseudoginseng in highland communes of Muong Te district” conducted by Dr. Pham Quang Tuyen and colleagues in 2018, also showed that SLC is a particularly rare genetic resource for Vietnam and the world. Regarding the medicinal properties in SLC, all parts of the plant can be used as medicine. The rhizome is often used as a tonic, hemostatic, vitality-enhancing, and anti-stress medicine. The leaves and flower buds are used to make tea to stimulate digestion and calm the mind. Quantitative study of total saponin by weighing method showed that the total saponin content in SLC and SNL samples was similar (about 20%), while the wild Panax samples were much lower (about 3%)…
In particular, the results of the comparative study on the quality assessment of medicinal herbs for species of the same genus Panax (Panax L.) in Vietnam at the same age, conducted by Associate Professor, Dr. Do Thi Ha (Institute of Medicinal Materials) and Dr. Pham Quang Tuyen in 2018, showed that the total saponin content in the samples was: SNL (22.29%); SLC (21.95%), Vu Diep ginseng (7.5%), and wild Panax (7.13%). This result shows that the total saponin content of SLC is equivalent to SNL and much higher than that of Vu Diep ginseng and wild Panax.
We met Dr. Le Thi Hong Van (Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City), a scientist passionate about researching Vietnamese ginseng such as SNL, SLC and Langbiang ginseng (SLBA), to ask more about why some scientists call SLC the “twin” of SNL. Dr. Van said: Currently, there are 3 types of Vietnamese ginseng that have been published, including SNL (Panax vietnamensis var. vietnamensis), SLC (P. vietnamensis var. fuscidiscus), SLBA (P. vietnamensis var. langbianensis). However, SLBA has not been grown commercially, only exists in the wild and is on the verge of extinction due to overexploitation. Comparing the morphology of the remaining 2 types of ginseng, Dr. Van said “it is very difficult to distinguish”. Chemically, SNL and SLC are quite similar in saponin content and composition.
The status of Ngoc Linh ginseng’s “twin”
In terms of national vision, SLC and SNL are both considered “national treasures”. Most recently, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 611/QD-TTg on June 1, 2023 with the content “Approving the program for developing Vietnamese ginseng until 2023, with a vision to 2045”. This decision focuses on developing Vietnamese ginseng material areas on a commodity scale in the provinces of Quang Nam, Kon Tum and Lai Chau. The decision also clearly states the formation of modern Vietnamese ginseng seed production facilities in localities on the basis of specifically determining the appropriate scale of Vietnamese ginseng growing areas, ensuring efficiency, with priority given to the provinces of Quang Nam, Kon Tum and Lai Chau.
Korean Ginseng Association delegation visits Lai Chau ginseng garden in Tam Duong district, Lai Chau
In 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development granted the Plant Variety Protection Certificate for SLC to Lai Chau province. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Science and Technology has decided to accept the validity of the SLC certification mark for Lai Chau province.
Currently, scientists have agreed to use the common name of Vietnamese ginseng (Panax vietnamensis) as in the Vietnamese Pharmacopoeia for the three domestic ginsengs that have been announced, including SNL, SLC and SLBA. However, in reality, localities with SLC and SNL still seem to refuse to call them together as Vietnamese ginseng but still call them by the separate names SNL or SLC.
According to our observations in the SNL growing area, growers and even some managers still believe that when talking about Vietnamese ginseng, the most valuable is talking about SNL. Comparing prices also shows a very clear difference. SLC grown in the same year and size has a price of only 1/2 – 2/3 of SNL.
“The name SNL or SLC should only be used for Vietnamese ginseng with geographical indications in the Ngoc Linh or Lai Chau regions. It is not appropriate to call the SNL variety grown in Son La or Tam Dao SNL. Furthermore, SLC is also a precious ginseng that is considered a national treasure, so calling both SLC and SNL Vietnamese ginseng is correct,” said a scientist with many years of research on Vietnamese ginseng.
With an objective spirit and respect for science, we met with professors and doctors who have conducted many research projects on Vietnamese ginseng to listen to their views on SLC from a more scientific and multi-dimensional perspective.
SLC is an endemic tree species with a narrow distribution on the Pu Si Lung mountain range and bordering Muong Te district (Pa Ve Su, Ka Lang, Thu Lum, Ta Ba) bordering China and the Pu Sam Cap mountain range located between Sin Ho district (Nam Tam, Pu Sam Cap) and Tam Duong district (Khun Ha, Ban Giang, Ho Thau), Lai Chau province. SLC is concentrated at an altitude of 1,400 – 2,000 m above sea level, is a moisture-loving tree, cool climate all year round and cold in winter.
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