Due to differences in climate adaptability, the fate of Shangdang ginseng and Codonopsis pilosula (Dangshen) varies significantly.
Some say that Shangdang ginseng is a ginseng of noble lineage, while Dangshen is more common folk; it has grown for generations on this land prone to wars and revolutions.
The Changzhi area was historically called Shangdang, “residing at the peak of the Taihang Mountains, with the highest terrain, regarded as a partner to the heavens.” During the Qin dynasty, this area was designated as Shangdang Commandery, and in the Tang dynasty, Shangdang Commandery was renamed Luzhou. Codonopsis pilosula was named after its place of origin, Shangdang, and became famous nationwide. However, due to differing adaptability, the fate of Shangdang ginseng and Dangshen diverged. The noble lineage ginseng gradually faded away, while the common folk Dangshen was passed down through generations on this land. People are unaware that Shangdang was once also the homeland of ginseng; because it disappeared in the distant past, people assumed that Dangshen was simply an abbreviation of “Shangdang ginseng.” However, these are not the same.
Ginseng as a tribute can be traced back at least to the Tang Xuanzong period. One of the beauty secrets of Yang Guifei, who was showered with love by the emperor, was eating lychee and taking ginseng. Shangdang ginseng appeared as a commercial product in the market starting from the Song dynasty. The herbal medicine market in Baodian Town, Zhangzi County, 15 kilometers west of Changzhi, originated because of ginseng.
So, is Shangdang ginseng the same as Dangshen? The Panax genus consists of perennial herbaceous plants in the Campanulaceae family, characterized by white milky sap, opposite leaves with an ovate shape, and a wide bell-shaped corolla. The root of Dangshen is cylindrical and similar to ginseng but has fewer branches. It can tonify the middle energizer, benefit qi, strengthen the spleen and lungs, and nourish the blood while generating fluids. In terms of medicinal efficacy, the two have similar functions, but ginseng tonifies primordial qi, whereas Dangshen tonifies the middle qi. Thus, it is evident that Shangdang ginseng and Dangshen are truly different things.
Then, if they are not the same, we commonly see Dangshen, but where is Shangdang ginseng? Regrettably, it has become a “peerless beauty.”
Ming dynasty writer Li Yinghong wrote in “Travel Notes of Zituan Mountain” that “There was an ancient ginseng garden, but it has long been reclaimed as farmland.” At least around the year 1500 AD, Shangdang ginseng had already become extinct.
What exactly happened during Emperor Huizong’s Zhenghe era in the Song dynasty? Since ancient times, Huguan has been a battlefield frequently contested, with countless wars both large and small. During the Chongning period before Zhenghe and the late Xuanhe period following it, the Western Xia’s disturbances against the Song and wars between Song and Jin also affected this area. In addition, one phenomenon during the Zhenghe era is noteworthy: Emperor Huizong began to favor Taoism. During this period, the casting industry flourished, temple bells and coins were popular, and official kilns were established to imitate bronze ware. The booming casting industry demanded a large amount of timber, which inevitably led to massive deforestation, possibly one of the reasons for the disappearance of ginseng. Wars and military fires were the primary causes of damage to Shangdang ginseng. Reviewing the inscriptions near Zituan Mountain recorded in the “Huguan County Annals,” the word “military fire” is repeatedly mentioned. Ming scholar Zhou Yiwu, after surveying and investigating the Zituan Mountain area, believed that the reason for the destruction of Ciyun Temple, just a stone’s throw from the ginseng garden, was that “the palace was destroyed by military conflagration.” Fire is indeed the real reason for the extinction of Shangdang ginseng.
How did fire cause the complete extinction of ginseng? This must start from the ginseng’s growth environment. Ginseng prefers shady, moist, cool climates. Previously, Zituan Mountain was covered by dense primeval forests growing large trees such as basswood and lacquer trees. These were deciduous broadleaf plants with thick trunks and lush branches and leaves. The air here had just the right humidity, neither dry nor damp, and the temperature was neither hot nor cold, with a mild climate. Furthermore, the cyclical falling leaves added humus to the soil, conserving water and soil. The great fire completely destroyed the ecological balance of Zituan Mountain, increasing the diurnal temperature difference, reducing humidity, drying low-level air, increasing surface runoff, causing serious soil erosion and desertification, and nutrients in the soil washed away. After the fire, trees turned to ashes and living beings were forced to migrate. The destruction of the tall tree canopy eliminated the shade that ginseng depended on; the favored shady, moist, cool climate was lost; the necessary moisture and nutrients in the soil vanished, and Shangdang ginseng was extinct from then on.
In contrast, Dangshen is more adaptable and prefers mild and cool climates. Literature such as “China Medicinal Herb Resources Essentials” and “Modern Chinese Medicine Research and Practice” record that Dangshen grows best at altitudes of 1600 to 2000 meters, with soil moisture at 13%-17%, an annual average temperature of 6.5℃ to 7℃, 1800 to 1900 hours of sunshine, and annual precipitation between 360 and 390 mm in temperate cool semi-humid to semi-arid climate zones. The climate conditions in mountainous areas such as Huguan, Pingshun, and neighboring Lingchuan in Jin province are similar, allowing Luzhou Dangshen to be passed down generation after generation. The survival of the fittest principle determined the different fates of the two. (Cheng Yubin, Yang Hongfeng)
(Source: China Meteorological News, June 10, 2014, page 3, Editor: Zhang Lin)
This article was transcribed by SimpRead, original article at www.cma.gov.cn