Which species is “Ginseng”?
Only Panax species are ginseng in the botanical sense — yet commerce attaches the word to unrelated plants on three continents: “Siberian ginseng” (eleuthero), “Brazilian ginseng” (suma), and “Indian ginseng” (ashwagandha).
The species behind the name
- Korean Ginseng
Panax ginseng
Panax ginseng — Asian/Korean ginseng; ginsenosides are the genus marker.
- American Ginseng
Panax quinquefolius
Panax quinquefolius — American ginseng; a distinct pharmacopoeial article with its own ginsenoside ratio.
- Panax notoginseng
Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F.H. Chen
Panax notoginseng (san qi / tienchi) — the Chinese hemostatic-tradition Panax; its own article and research record.
- Vietnamese Ginseng
Panax vietnamensis Ha & Grushv.
Panax vietnamensis (Ngoc Linh ginseng) — premium regional Panax with majonoside-R2 marker chemistry and a documented counterfeit problem.
- Eleuthero / Siberian Ginseng
Eleutherococcus senticosus
Eleutherococcus senticosus (“Siberian ginseng”) — not a Panax; eleutherosides, not ginsenosides; also the species with the documented Periploca (silk vine) adulteration history.
- Brazilian Ginseng (Pfaffia glomerata)
Pfaffia glomerata (Spreng.) Pedersen
Pfaffia/Hebanthe (“Brazilian ginseng” / suma) — unrelated to Panax; the name is pure marketing convention.
- Ashwagandha
Withania somnifera
Withania somnifera (“Indian ginseng”) — a nightshade, botanically nowhere near Panax; withanolide chemistry.
How to tell what a product actually is
- “Ginseng” + a geographic adjective is a marketing pattern, not taxonomy — only a Panax binomial makes something ginseng.
- Ginsenoside standardization applies only to Panax species; eleutherosides, withanolides, and ecdysteroids are different molecules from different plants.
Educational use only. This page explains species identity — it makes no claim that any species works for anything, and it is never a place to decide what to take. It is not a substitute for medical advice. If you take medication, talk to your clinician or pharmacist before adding any botanical, whichever species it turns out to be.