「人参葉」の生薬学的研究(第1報): Panax ginseng C. A. MEYERに由来する市場品

The botanical origin of Ginseng Folium (人参葉,Ren-shen-ye), a Chinese crude drug used for diseases of the viscera, is examined. The morphological and anatomical characteristics of the leaf and stem of Panax ginseng C. A. MEYER cultivated in China for 1 to 5 or 6 years are described. It is found that the vessels increase in number and diameter, and also the vascular bundles increase in number, as the plant becomes old. The result shows that the commercial "Ren-shen-ye" samples on the markets of Beijing, Kunming, Guilin, Chong-ging, Changsha and Hongkong have been derived from the leaf and stem of 3- to 5- or 6-year-old P. ginseng plants, most of them being 5- or 6-year-old. The commercial "Ren-shen-ye" derived from other Panax species will be reported in the next paper