Comparisons
4 guides from Panax Ginseng on comparisons, each with the studies behind it.
Korean Ginseng vs Notoginseng
Korean ginseng and notoginseng (sanqi) are different Panax species with different jobs: energy, stamina and immunity on one side, circulation on the other.
“Natural killer (NK) activity levels at weeks 8 and 12 were nearly twice as high in the G115 group as compared to the placebo group (p < 0.0001).”
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.
The Three Panax Species
Korean ginseng, American ginseng and notoginseng are three Panax plants with three sets of trials. What each one is, who buys it, and which one you want.
“Collectively these RCTs provide suggestive evidence for the effectiveness of red ginseng in the treatment of erectile dysfunction.”
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 vs American Ginseng
Korean ginseng (Panax Ginseng) and American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) are different species with different strengths. How their studied effects compare.
“Collectively, these data suggest that P. ginseng monopreparations are rarely associated with adverse events or drug interactions.”
Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) and American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) are two different plant species, each with its own ratio of ginsenosides, the compounds behind most of ginseng's studied effects. Small trials suggest they behave differently, especially on blood sugar and mental performance, and Korean ginseng carries the energy, stamina, and immune record this site celebrates. Our sister site covers American ginseng in depth at quinquefolius.com, and the three species are laid out together in the three Panax species.
Red vs White Ginseng: What Processing Changes
Red and white Panax Ginseng differ by one step, steaming. What that step changes in the root, and which studies apply to each form.
“The results of this study suggest that both hydroponically cultivated red and wild growing white ginseng have similar beneficial effects on the cognitive functions of elderly subjects”
Red and white ginseng come from the same plant, Panax ginseng. White ginseng is the fresh root simply air dried, while red ginseng is steamed before drying, a step that changes its mix of active compounds called ginsenosides and gives it a reddish brown color, denser texture, and longer shelf life.