There is a ballad circulating among the old ginseng farmers in Changbai Mountain, which concisely summarizes the main characteristics of ginseng:

The reed bowls are closely intertwined, and the round reed and jujube pit are round;

Tight skin with fine lines and pimples must be as long and clear as a pimp;

pearl dots are dotted with whiskers, which is the characteristic of wild ginseng.

There are some differences in morphological characteristics between wild ginseng and garden ginseng due to different growth environments such as soil, climate, topography and vegetation, and differences in artificial cultivation and management. The main differences between the underground parts of the two are:

reed head: ginseng reed is slender, the lower part is smooth, the reed bowl disappears, the middle reed bowl is dense, inconspicuous and almost disappears, and the upper reed bowl is slightly larger and thinner. There are reed bowls on all sides of the rhizome. The garden ginseng reed bowl is short and thick, not curved, but large and sparse.

Polygonum: Polygonum multiflorum is spindle-shaped or jujube-stone-shaped. The garden ginseng is conical and slender.

skin: the old lines of ginseng skin are deeply threaded, thin and continuous. The tender lines of ginseng skin are thick, shallow and incoherent.

body (taproot): the body of ginseng is short and thick, water chestnut-shaped or pimple-shaped. The ginseng body is thick, long and straight.

Legs (lateral roots): Ginseng has 2-3 legs, which are slightly thinner and have a large bifurcation angle, so it is called cross-sea type. There are 2 ~ 3 or more garden ginseng, which are relatively thick, with small bifurcation angle, growing straight or twisted together.

beard: the ginseng must be slender and sparse, with toughness, not easy to break, with obvious pearl spots on it, and must be naturally spread out in a flat shape. Garden ginseng must be dense and short, crisp and easy to break, and the pearl point is not obvious, so it must naturally spread out in the shape of a brush handle.