A team of scientists at the Vietnam National Museum of Nature has discovered and identified two rare ginseng species in the wild in Tuyen Quang and Ha Giang.
Since 2021, the research team led by Associate Professor Dr. Phan Ke Long has been tasked with investigating the current status of medicinal plants from the Panax genus (Panax L.) in Tuyen Quang and Ha Giang. Over two years, he and his colleagues have traveled to these two provinces to explore rare ginseng with two main objectives: to investigate and assess the current status and to propose conservation measures for the Panax species.
According to Associate Professor Long, the Panax genus belongs to the Araliaceae family, which includes rare and valuable medicinal plants known worldwide. Previous research data indicated that this ginseng species is found in Tuyen Quang and Ha Giang, but specific species identification was lacking due to insufficient information on morphology and molecular biology.
In Tuyen Quang, the team focused on Lam Binh district, which features a protective forest area of 39,752 hectares across 8 communes, with mountain peaks over 1900 meters high and rugged limestone hills. The elevation and climate in this area are considered very suitable for ginseng growth. The team noted that ginseng species thrive at elevations of 1200 – 1500 meters, where the climate is typically mild and cool year-round with relatively high humidity (over 85%).
They concentrated their search in forest canopies where the soil is loose with rich humus, well-ventilated conditions, and limited regrowth of other plants. There, Associate Professor Long and his colleagues identified three populations of medicinal ginseng, all of which are P. notoginseng (Burk.) Chow & Huang, 1975 (Panax notoginseng).
In Ha Giang, the team focused their search in the three mountain ranges of Chieu Lau Thi, Tay Con Linh, and Ta Phin Ho, within the districts of Hoang Su Phi, Bac Quang, and Vi Xuyen. The highest area reaches up to 2400 meters above sea level.
The results yielded five populations of medicinal ginseng, specifically P. stipuleanatus C.T. Tsai & K.M. Feng (wild Panax notoginseng). Notably, 57 individuals from five sub-populations in Dong Van, Quan Ba, Hoang Su Phi, Bac Quang, and Vi Xuyen were recorded with very few ginseng seeds.
With a decline of over 90%, the wild Panax notoginseng population in Ha Giang is assessed to be in a critical condition. According to the IUCN (2019) assessment criteria, the current status of the wild Panax notoginseng population is extremely critical due to the very low number of regenerating plants and the risk of habitat loss for medicinal plants in the Panax genus.
Wild Panax notoginseng (P. stipuleanatus) in Ha Giang. (Photo: Research Team)
Associate Professor Phan Ke Long indicated that some ginseng species are critically endangered and at high risk of extinction due to habitat degradation and over-exploitation by humans. This is also a factor that complicates researchers’ efforts to find wild ginseng species in Tuyen Quang and Ha Giang.
After two years of searching and assessing rare ginseng species, the research team proposed a conservation and cultivation model in the Lam Binh forest (Tuyen Quang) and Chiêu Lầu Thi area (Ha Giang).
The scientists also suggested strict management of regenerating plants and conservation of genetic resources in five populations in Ha Giang and three populations in Tuyen Quang, while testing cultivation at similar elevations and climatic zones. According to Mr. Long, businesses and local people need to collaborate in conservation, local propagation, and sustainable harvesting of plants from the Panax genus.
The medicinal value of wild Panax notoginseng has also been preliminarily identified to contain many valuable compounds such as aglycone, oleanolic acid, and panaxadiol. These substances have effects like expectorant, pain relief, hemostasis, and health enhancement. They also contain oleanane-triterpenoids with the ability to resist cancer and inflammation through mechanisms that inhibit the activity of the NF-κB signaling pathway, which triggers the expression of certain genes related to inflammation.
Currently, Vietnam has several naturally growing ginseng species from the Panax genus, including Panax japonicus var. bipinnatifidus (Seem.), Wu & Feng (P. bipinnatifidus Seem.), Panax notoginseng, wild Panax notoginseng (P. stipuleanatus), Panax vietnamensis var. fuscidiscus, and Panax vietnamensis var. langbianensis.
Ngoc Linh Ginseng (P. vietnamensis var. vietnamensis) is also part of the Panax genus and has been studied in detail regarding its medicinal value, but it has not yet been found in the wild. Ngoc Linh Ginseng contains a high content of ocotillol saponin, which has calming effects, and majonoside-R2, which has the potential to resist agents causing nasopharyngeal cancer.
