The Three Panax Species · Panax Ginseng

Three plants in the genus Panax account for almost all the ginseng sold in the world: Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng), American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) and notoginseng (Panax notoginseng). They look alike, they all make ginsenosides, and a lab can tell them apart by their saponin markers (Ji 2023). Each one has its own trials and its own long use. This page is the hub from the Korean ginseng side. The pairwise comparisons are Korean vs American ginseng and Korean ginseng vs notoginseng, and our sister sites tell the same story from the American side in the three Panax species and from the notoginseng side in the three Panax species.

Korean Ginseng, the Energising One

Korean ginseng, also called Asian ginseng, grows in Korea and northeast China. It has been cultivated and used in China for more than 2,000 years (Song 2026). It is sold white, which is dried, or red, which is steamed, the two classic ways growers have kept the root (He 2018). Tradition classes it as warming and as a tonic for qi, the traditional word for vital energy. A 2026 study found cultivated Panax ginseng richer in ginsenoside Rg1 than American ginseng (Yuan 2026).

Its trials cover tiredness, sexual function, immune response and mental stamina. A 2013 trial of 90 adults with long running fatigue found 2 grams a day of a Panax ginseng extract for 4 weeks cut the fatigue score from 7.3 to 4.4, against 7.1 to 5.8 on placebo (Kim 2013). A 2008 review of Korean red ginseng pooled six placebo controlled trials in 349 men and found men on red ginseng 2.4 times as likely to see their erectile function respond (Jang 2008).

A 1996 trial of 227 adults found a standardised Panax ginseng extract taken around a flu shot cut flu and colds from 42 cases to 15 and lifted antibody levels from 171 units to 272 (Scaglione 1996). A 2012 trial of 100 healthy adults found 24.5 percent of the Korean red ginseng group caught a respiratory illness, against 44.9 percent on placebo (Lee 2012). A 2005 crossover trial of 30 young adults found a single 200 mg dose eased mental fatigue through an hour of demanding mental work (Reay 2005). The species page at /wiki/ covers it in full, and buyers come to it for stamina, sexual function, fewer colds and a tonic for low energy weeks.

American Ginseng, the Calm One

American ginseng grows wild in the hardwood forests of eastern North America and is farmed in Wisconsin and Ontario. Chinese buyers know it as xi yang shen and class it as cooling. The 2026 comparison found it richer than Korean ginseng in the Rb1, Rc and Rd ginsenosides (Yuan 2026).

Its trials cover blood sugar, working memory, colds and tiredness in cancer. A 2000 trial of 19 people found 3 grams of root 40 minutes before a sugar drink cut the blood sugar rise by about a fifth (Vuksan 2000). A 2010 trial of 32 young adults found 100 to 400 mg of a standardised extract improved working memory within hours, and 100 mg raised calmness (Scholey 2010). A 2005 trial of 323 adults found a root extract over four months cut colds from 0.93 to 0.68 per person (Predy 2005), and a 2013 trial of 364 cancer survivors found 2,000 mg a day for 8 weeks eased tiredness (Barton 2013). Our sister site quinquefolius.com covers it in full, and buyers come to it for steady focus, a gentler blood sugar curve and fewer winter colds.

Notoginseng, the Circulation One

Notoginseng, sanqi or tianqi in Chinese, grows mainly in southwest China. Chinese medicine has used it for heart and circulation problems, pain, trauma and bleeding from injury (Wang 2016). Air dried notoginseng holds two to five times more total ginsenosides than air dried American or Asian ginseng (Sun 2011).

Its trials cover stroke, angina and blood lipids, and most were built on saponin extracts of the root. A 2023 trial at 67 Chinese hospitals randomized 3,072 people with ischemic stroke to notoginseng saponin capsules (Xuesaitong) or placebo for 3 months, and 89.3 percent of the saponin group could live independently at 3 months, against 82.4 percent on placebo (Wu 2023). A 2023 review of 46 trials in 7,957 people pointed the same way (Shi 2023). A 2017 review of 18 trials in 1,828 people with unstable angina found fewer attacks and fewer cardiovascular events (Song 2017). A 2020 review of 24 trials in 1,918 people with diabetic kidney disease found lower total and LDL cholesterol (Tang 2020). Our sister site panaxnotoginseng.com covers it in full, and buyers come to it for healthy circulation and as a trusted home remedy for bruises.

The Chemistry Explains the Split

Notoginseng makes notoginsenoside R1, which a 2023 study of five Panax species named among the top markers that separate the plants (Ji 2023). Korean ginseng leans toward Rg1 and American ginseng toward Rb1, Rc and Rd, and 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, all three species among them, before a sugar drink. The eight types moved blood sugar in different directions, American ginseng tended to lower the 90 minute reading, and the ratio of two ginsenoside families was the one measured factor that predicted the response (Sievenpiper 2004). Steaming adds a second layer, turning native ginsenosides into new, less polar ones in all three roots (Sun 2011). The species name on the label is what points you to the right set of trials.

Which One You Want

Everyday energy 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 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.
Calm focus and after meal blood sugar: American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), on the working memory and blood sugar trials.
Tiredness during cancer treatment: American ginseng, on the 364 person trial.
Circulation and recovery after a stroke: notoginseng (Panax notoginseng). Its trials used saponin extracts, so a saponin product is the form that matches them, and raw root is the traditional form for bruises.

What Users Report

People who use more than one species sort them by job. Korean ginseng gets described as the stamina root for training, travel and low energy weeks, with red ginseng as the warming favourite. American ginseng gets described as the daytime root, calm and steady for desk work. Notoginseng gets described as the medicine cabinet root, kept for bruises and circulation. These reports line up with the trials above, and the Korean ones keep coming back to energy and stamina.

Korean ginseng is the species for energy, stamina, sexual function and a stronger immune response, the record that has kept it in use for more than 2,000 years.

References

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.
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.
Yuan M et al. 2026. Multivariate Statistical Evaluation of Ginseng Quality and Antioxidant Activity. Molecules.
Kim HG et al. 2013. Antifatigue effects of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. PLoS One.
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.
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.
Vuksan V et al. 2000. American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L) reduces postprandial glycemia in nondiabetic subjects and subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Arch Intern Med.
Scholey A et al. 2010. Effects of American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) on neurocognitive function: an acute, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Psychopharmacology (Berl).
Predy GN et al. 2005. Efficacy of an extract of North American ginseng containing poly-furanosyl-pyranosyl-saccharides for preventing upper respiratory tract infections: a randomized controlled trial. CMAJ.
Barton DL et al. 2013. Wisconsin Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) to improve cancer-related fatigue: a randomized, double-blind trial, N07C2. J Natl Cancer Inst.
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.
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.
Shi X et al. 2023. Efficacy and safety of Panax notoginseng saponins (Xuesaitong) for patients with acute ischemic stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Front Pharmacol.
Song H et al. 2017. Panax notoginseng Preparations for Unstable Angina Pectoris: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Phytother Res.
Tang X et al. 2020. Panax notoginseng preparations as adjuvant therapy for diabetic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Pharm Biol.
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.

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.