Korean Ginseng vs Notoginseng

Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) and notoginseng (Panax notoginseng) are two different plants in the same genus, and each one carries its own long record. Notoginseng, called sanqi or tianqi in China, is the root people keep for circulation, bruises and recovery after a stroke. Korean ginseng is the root people take for energy, stamina, sexual function and a stronger immune response. This page sets the two side by side from the Korean ginseng side. The three way picture is in the three Panax species, and our sister site tells the same story from the notoginseng side in notoginseng vs Korean ginseng, with the full species guide at panaxnotoginseng.com.

Two Roots with Two Long Histories

Korean ginseng grows in Korea and northeast China. A 2026 review records that Panax ginseng has been cultivated and used in China for more than 2,000 years, with its root, leaf and stem all in use (Song 2026). It is sold white, which is dried, or red, which is steamed before drying, and these are the two classic ways growers have kept the root (He 2018). A 2002 review describes a root used across eastern Asia for thousands of years (Coon and Ernst 2002).

Notoginseng grows mainly in southwest China. Chinese medicine has used it for heart and circulation problems, pain, trauma and bleeding from injury (Wang 2016). Each root has held its own place in the tradition for centuries.

Each Root Makes Its Own Saponins

Both roots make ginsenosides, the saponins behind most ginseng research. A 2011 analysis of nineteen ginsenosides found air dried notoginseng held two to five times the total of air dried American or Asian ginseng (Sun 2011). Notoginseng also makes notoginsenoside R1, one of the top markers a 2023 study of five Panax species used to tell the plants apart (Ji 2023). In a notoginseng saponin extract, ginsenosides Rg1, Rb1, Rd and Re plus R1 make up about 90 percent of the saponins (Zeng 2026).

Korean ginseng carries its own balance. A 2026 study found cultivated Panax ginseng richer in ginsenoside Rg1 than American ginseng, and found that the species shaped the profile far more than the age of the root (Yuan 2026). A 2004 crossover trial gave 12 healthy adults 3 grams each of eight ginseng types, sanchi and Asian red ginseng among them, and the ratio of two ginsenoside families was the one measured factor that predicted each type's blood sugar response (Sievenpiper 2004). The species name on the label is what points you to the right set of trials.

Korean Ginseng Helps You Feel Less Tired

A 2013 trial gave 90 adults with long running, unexplained fatigue a Panax ginseng extract at 1 or 2 grams a day for 4 weeks. In the 2 gram group, the fatigue score fell from 7.3 to 4.4, against 7.1 to 5.8 on placebo, and the mental fatigue score improved at both doses (Kim 2013).

A 2005 crossover trial of 30 young adults found a single 200 mg dose of a standardised Panax ginseng extract improved mental arithmetic and eased mental fatigue through an hour of demanding mental work (Reay 2005). That everyday lift is the benefit most buyers come to Korean ginseng for, and the full record is in ginseng for energy.

Korean Red Ginseng Supports Sexual Function

A 2008 review of seven trials of Korean red ginseng for erectile dysfunction pooled the six placebo controlled trials, 349 men in all. Men on red ginseng were 2.4 times as likely to respond as men on placebo, and the benefit held in the subgroup with psychogenic erectile dysfunction (Jang 2008). Red ginseng is the steamed form of the Korean root, and it is the form behind this record. The details are in ginseng for ED.

Korean Ginseng Strengthens Your Immune Response

A 1996 trial gave 227 adults 100 mg a day of a standardised Panax ginseng extract (G115) for 12 weeks, with a flu shot at week 4. The ginseng group had 15 cases of flu or colds against 42 on placebo, their antibody levels reached 272 units against 171, and their natural killer cell activity was nearly twice as high (Scaglione 1996).

A 2012 trial of 100 healthy adults found that 24.5 percent of the Korean red ginseng group caught at least one respiratory illness over the study, against 44.9 percent on placebo (Lee 2012). Fewer colds and a stronger vaccine response are part of the Korean root's own record.

Notoginseng Supports Circulation and Stroke Recovery

The notoginseng record sits with stroke, platelets and angina, and most of it was built on saponin extracts of the root. A 2023 trial at 67 Chinese hospitals randomized 3,072 people with ischemic stroke to 120 mg of notoginseng saponins (Xuesaitong soft capsules) or placebo twice a day for 3 months. Of the 2,966 people analysed, 89.3 percent of the saponin group could live independently at 3 months, against 82.4 percent on placebo (Wu 2023).

A 2022 review of 20 trials in 2,216 people with coronary disease or stroke found notoginseng preparations plus aspirin held platelet clumping down more than aspirin alone (Dai 2022). A 2013 review of 17 trials in 1,747 people with coronary heart disease found oral notoginseng preparations eased angina symptoms (Shang 2013). That circulation record is notoginseng's own strength, built over centuries of use in Chinese medicine.

Processing Gives Each Root a Second Form

Korean ginseng is sold white or red. Steaming turns the native ginsenosides into new, less polar ones in every species tested, Korean ginseng included (Sun 2011), and red ginseng is the form behind the sexual function trials above. The Korean side of that story is in red vs white ginseng.

Notoginseng is sold raw or steamed, and its tradition follows the rule "raw for dispersing, processed for tonifying". Raw root is taken for bleeding and moving blood, and steamed root for building blood after illness. Steaming lowers dencichine, the clotting compound, and converts the native saponins into rarer ones such as Rg3 and Rk1, so each form keeps its traditional job (Zeng 2026).

Tradition Gives Them Different Jobs

In Chinese medicine, Korean ginseng tonifies qi, the traditional word for vital energy, and is classed as warming. Notoginseng moves blood and stops bleeding (Wang 2016). These traditional roles line up well with the split in the trials above.

Which One You Want

Everyday tiredness and mental stamina: Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng), on the 90 person fatigue trial and the 30 person mental work trial.
Erectile function: Korean red ginseng, on the review of six placebo controlled trials in 349 men.
Fewer colds and a stronger flu shot response: Korean ginseng, on the 227 person vaccine trial and the 100 person red ginseng trial.
Circulation, platelets and recovery after a stroke: notoginseng (Panax notoginseng). Its trials used saponin extract capsules, so a saponin product is the form that matches them.
Bruises and bleeding: raw notoginseng, the traditional form for that job.
Calm focus and after meal blood sugar: American ginseng leads there, covered in Korean vs American ginseng.

What Users Report

Korean ginseng users describe warmth, stamina and a steady lift through low energy weeks, and many keep red ginseng on hand for training and travel. Notoginseng users describe a root they keep for bruises, circulation and recovery. People who keep both use them for separate jobs, and they reach for Korean ginseng on the days they want energy.

For energy, stamina, sexual function and a stronger immune response, Korean ginseng is the species with the trials, and notoginseng is the partner root for circulation.

References

Song XX et al. 2026. Ginseng: a traditional medicine and food homologous plant. J Asian Nat Prod Res.
He M et al. 2018. The Difference between White and Red Ginseng: Variations in Ginsenosides and Immunomodulation. Planta Med.
Coon JT, Ernst E. 2002. Panax ginseng: a systematic review of adverse effects and drug interactions. Drug Saf.
Wang T et al. 2016. Traditional uses, botany, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F.H. Chen: A review. J Ethnopharmacol.
Sun S et al. 2011. Red notoginseng: higher ginsenoside content and stronger anticancer potential than Asian and American ginseng. Food Chem.
Ji R et al. 2023. Untargeted Metabolomic Analysis and Chemometrics to Identify Potential Marker Compounds for the Chemical Differentiation of Panax ginseng, P. quinquefolius, P. notoginseng, P. japonicus, and P. japonicus var. major. Molecules.
Zeng X et al. 2026. Panax notoginseng saponins against ischemic stroke: From molecule to clinic. J Ethnopharmacol.
Yuan M et al. 2026. Multivariate Statistical Evaluation of Ginseng Quality and Antioxidant Activity. Molecules.
Sievenpiper JL et al. 2004. Decreasing, null and increasing effects of eight popular types of ginseng on acute postprandial glycemic indices in healthy humans: the role of ginsenosides. J Am Coll Nutr.
Kim HG et al. 2013. Antifatigue effects of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. PLoS One.
Reay JL et al. 2005. Single doses of Panax ginseng (G115) reduce blood glucose levels and improve cognitive performance during sustained mental activity. J Psychopharmacol.
Jang DJ et al. 2008. Red ginseng for treating erectile dysfunction: a systematic review. Br J Clin Pharmacol.
Scaglione F et al. 1996. Efficacy and safety of the standardised ginseng extract G115 for potentiating vaccination against the influenza syndrome and protection against the common cold. Drugs Exp Clin Res.
Lee CS et al. 2012. Preventive effect of Korean red ginseng for acute respiratory illness: a randomized and double-blind clinical trial. J Korean Med Sci.
Wu L et al. 2023. Efficacy and Safety of Panax notoginseng Saponins in the Treatment of Adults With Ischemic Stroke in China: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open.
Dai L et al. 2022. Panax notoginseng preparation plus aspirin versus aspirin alone on platelet aggregation and coagulation in patients with coronary heart disease or ischemic stroke: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Front Pharmacol.
Shang Q et al. 2013. Oral Panax notoginseng Preparation for Coronary Heart Disease: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med.
Zeng X et al. 2026. Processing-driven chemical transformations and pharmacological shifts in Panax notoginseng. J Ethnopharmacol.

Nothing here is medical advice, and people who take prescription medication can mention ginseng to a doctor while they enjoy a root that has supported vitality for centuries.