Ginseng cultivated artificially can mature within 6 ~ 10 years. Wild ginseng usually takes more than 30 years to mature. It will take 50 or 60 years to grow to one or two. It is not uncommon for ginseng to grow for more than a hundred years in Changbai Mountain forest area of Jilin Province. A ginseng displayed in Jilin Hall of the Great Hall of the People, which is more than 2 feet long and weighs more than 9 taels, is a longevity "ginseng king" and a treasure among ginseng.
In ancient China, ginseng was produced in Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Hebei, Shandong and Henan. Later, due to geological evolution, especially man-made destruction of forests, ginseng resources in these areas gradually decreased or even became extinct. At present, the main producing areas of ginseng are Changbai Mountain, Wandashan Mountain and Daxinganling Forest Region in Northeast China, especially Changbai Mountain Forest Region, which has the largest output and the best quality and enjoys a good reputation at home and abroad. Wild ginseng can't meet the demand of domestic and foreign markets because of its few resources and slow growth, so the cultivated garden ginseng has made great development. There are more than 20,000 mu of state-owned forest areas in Northeast China alone, with an annual output of ginseng10.5 million kg or more. In addition to Northeast China, ginseng is planted in Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu, Hebei and Hubei provinces.
Abroad, there are also countries such as North Korea and the United States that produce ginseng. But the output and quality are not as good as our country.
The growth of ginseng needs a special environment. Wild ginseng generally grows in deep mountains and forests with low temperature, long light, fertile land and few people. It's hard to dig wild ginseng. Four farmers spent six hours digging up wild ginseng in Jilin Hall of the Great Hall of the People. Speaking of digging ginseng, there is also an interesting saying circulating in the Changbai Mountain forest area in Northeast China, saying that before digging ginseng, people used steamed bread and cooked chicken to sacrifice the mountain. After seeing ginseng, tie it up with red cloth strips to prevent it from falling off the ground. Then dig it bit by bit with a bone drill. After digging it out, it will be wrapped in Korean pine bark to prevent damage.
There is no doubt about the magical effect of ginseng. Although it can't make people "live forever", it is unique in restoring and regulating human physiological functions. Ginseng contains a variety of soaps and nutrients such as ligand sugar, ginseng acid, sterols, amino acids, vitamins, volatile oil, flavonoids and so on. It has a good effect on enhancing the vitality of brain nerve center, medulla oblongata, heart and blood vessels, stimulating endocrine function, stimulating appetite, promoting metabolism and eliminating fatigue. In recent years, Japanese scientists have found that ginseng has anti-cancer effect.
Ginseng is good, but it should not be abused. Clinical experiments have proved that taking it in large quantities for a long time will cause excessive excitement, insomnia, nervous disorder and loss of appetite, leading to high blood pressure.
Ginseng can be divided into red ginseng, sugar ginseng and dried ginseng according to different processing methods. Red ginseng is brownish red or brownish yellow translucent horny, hard and brittle, and tastes bitter. Ginseng has a loose surface, light yellow or yellowish white, and tastes bitter first and then sweet. The biggest feature of sun-dried ginseng is that there are obvious ring lines and longitudinal lines on the body surface, and the cross section is chrysanthemum-shaped, which tastes bitter. Ginseng can be made into ginseng tea, ginseng wine, ginseng cream, ginseng cigarette, skin cream, shampoo, bath lotion, soap, toothpaste, etc., which are well received by consumers.