Chinese herbal medicine fake ginseng is named because its roots resemble ginseng. In history, its roots were used as medicine. The root is a nourishing and strengthening medicine, which can tonify the middle and benefit qi, moisten the lungs and generate fluid. Let's take a look at the picture of fake ginseng!
Picture of fake ginseng
Fake ginseng is a perennial herbaceous plant; the rhizome is short, bamboo-like, horizontally growing, with 2 to several fleshy roots; the fleshy root is cylindrical, about 2-4 centimeters long, with a diameter of about 1 centimeter, and has longitudinal wrinkles when dried.
The aboveground stem is solitary, about 40 centimeters tall, with longitudinal stripes, without hair, and with persistent scales at the base.
The leaf is palmately compound, with 4 leaves arranged in a whorl at the top of the stem; the petiole is 4-5 centimeters long, with longitudinal stripes, without hair; the stipule is small, lanceolate, about 5-6 millimeters long;
There are 3-4 leaflets, thin and transparent, inversely ovate to inversely ovate elliptic, the central one being about 9-10 centimeters long and 3.5-4 centimeters wide, smaller ones are lateral, with an elongated and pointed apex, a gradually narrowing base, and a downward extension;
The margin has serrated teeth with prickly tips, densely covered with stiff hairs on the upper surface, the hairs are about 1.5-2 millimeters long, hairless on the lower surface, 8-10 pairs of lateral veins, obvious on both surfaces, obvious reticulate veins; the petiolules are 2-10 millimeters long, clustered with stiff hairs at the junction with the petiole.
The umbel inflorescence is solitary at the apex, about 3.5 centimeters in diameter, with 20-50 flowers; the peduncle is about 12 centimeters long, with longitudinal stripes, without hair;
The pedicels are slender, hairless, about 1 centimeter long; bracts are inconspicuous; flowers are yellow-green; calyx is cup-shaped (the calyx of male flowers is top-shaped), with 5 triangular teeth on the edge;
There are 5 petals; 5 stamens; 2-celled ovary; 2 styles (1 in the degenerate pistil of male flowers), exserted, curved. No fruit is observed.
Fake ginseng can be used to make soup or stir-fry, and can also be mixed with chicken, fish, and meat to make soup dishes.
