Reviving the precious ginseng plant in western Nghe An province.
Seven-leaf one-flower ginseng, Puxailaileng ginseng, and many other precious medicinal herbs are being preserved, propagated, and developed by residents, businesses, and scientists in the border district of Ky Son.
The seven-leaved, one-flowered ginseng belongs to the herbaceous family, is perennial, and grows to a height of 0.5-0.7 cm. The rhizome is thick, segmented, with large horizontal grooves and scars. The stem is upright, up to 1 m tall, unbranched, green or slightly purplish, with a whorl of 6-8 leaves in the middle, usually 7. The leaves are ovate-elliptical or lanceolate, 15-20 cm long and 8-10 cm wide, with a rounded or heart-shaped base and a pointed tip. The leaves are not notched, the underside is light green or slightly purplish-red, with 3 veins, and the petiole is long.
The plant's most distinctive feature is its seven leaves arranged in a whorl on the stem and a single flower growing at the tip of the branch, with a flower stalk 15-30 cm long. Therefore, it is also known as "seven-leaf, one-flower ginseng".
At the Muong Long Medicinal Herb Station in Ky Son district (a station belonging to the TH Group), a nursery for seven-leaf one-flower ginseng is being developed with over 1,000 plants. The ginseng is currently nearly three years old. Engineers there say that cultivating and caring for seven-leaf one-flower ginseng is like "caring for a newborn baby." The plant prefers moist, shady conditions but cannot tolerate waterlogging. The soil must be rich in humus. Every day, technical staff must check and monitor the plant's growth, recording changes, pest and disease status, and nutrient absorption in logbooks.
Ginseng flowers in October, and each flower produces very few seeds. Seven-leaved one-flowered is a particularly shade-loving plant, so it should be grown under the canopy of other trees or in a sheltered garden.
Currently, ginseng is growing well and producing large tubers. The root of the ginseng plant is the most valuable part. The value of the ginseng root is calculated in terms of "khac," which refers to the ginseng's "khac," corresponding to its age.
Seven-leaf one-flower ginseng is commonly used as a medicine to treat many ailments. Besides boosting health and immunity, ginseng also has antibacterial effects against many disease-causing bacteria, and is primarily used to treat fever, detoxify the body, and cure coughs. In Guangxi (China), there is a proverb: "If a house has a seven-leaf one-flower ginseng, poisonous snakes will not enter." In addition to treating fever and snake bites, seven-leaf one-flower ginseng is also used to treat boils, mastitis, malaria, tuberculosis, chronic coughs, asthma, and more.
Besides seven-leaf ginseng, Ky Son also has many other valuable medicinal herbs such as reishi mushrooms, purple orchid, Puxailaileng ginseng, golden flower tea, Gynostemma pentaphyllum, and Codonopsis pilosula…
With the desire to develop, maintain, and preserve the genetic resources of rare medicinal herbs and ginseng plants in the province, the People's Committee of Nghe An province has collaborated with scientific organizations and businesses to implement a series of research projects and trial planting projects of several medicinal plants in the western districts, especially Puxailaileng ginseng, achieving promising initial results. Currently, the Department of Science and Technology of Nghe An is also collaborating with businesses to implement research projects and trial planting projects of several medicinal plants in Ky Son district.
According to the Vietnamese ginseng development program, by 2030, Vietnam aims to achieve a ginseng cultivation area of approximately 21,000 hectares, with 100% of the cultivated area granted cultivation area codes and geographical indications. The annual ginseng production is projected to reach approximately 300 tons (from an area of about 1,000 hectares/year), ensuring traceability and meeting GACP - WHO (Good Agricultural and Collection Practices) standards or equivalent. The goal by 2045 is to develop Vietnamese ginseng into an internationally recognized brand with high export value, generating significant revenue for localities, and striving to make Vietnam a major ginseng producer in the world.
The program's scope covers localities with potential and strengths in natural conditions suitable for cultivating and developing Vietnamese ginseng, including the provinces of Quang Nam, Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Lam Dong, Thua Thien Hue, Nghe An, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, and Dien Bien. Specifically, it focuses on developing commercial-scale Vietnamese ginseng growing areas in the provinces of Quang Nam, Kon Tum, and Lai Chau.
Specifically, according to the program, in addition to developing and commercially processing Ngoc Linh ginseng and Lai Chau ginseng on a commercial scale, Puxailaileng ginseng from the Ky Son mountain region of Nghe An is one of the species to be conserved, cultivated, and developed on a trial scale in areas with suitable natural conditions. This is truly a good opportunity for this rare ginseng species to be propagated, developed, and gradually become a marketable commodity, contributing to creating sustainable livelihoods for local people.
Box: In 2017, the Government issued Decree No. 65/CP on specific policies regarding seeds, capital, and technology in the development of cultivation and exploitation of medicinal plants. Accordingly, it provides a one-time support of 50% of the total investment in infrastructure construction (field improvement, irrigation, internal field transportation, greenhouses, livestock pens, storage facilities, etc.) for concentrated breeding facilities with a scale of 2 hectares or more for medicinal plants, and 0.5 hectares or more for livestock used for medicinal purposes, applying high technology according to criteria issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. The maximum support is no more than 5 billion VND per facility.
A one-time subsidy covers 60% of the cost of producing foundation seeds and 30% of the cost of producing commercial seeds, based on technical standards issued by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. In cases where high technology is applied in production, the corresponding support levels are 80% and 50%... With this program, several medicinal plant projects have been established and have yielded good results.
Mr. Nguyen Trong Canh, Deputy General Director of Muong Long Medicinal Herbs Company, said: Besides ginseng, a valuable medicinal herb is currently being grown quite extensively in Ky Son. That is Dendrobium nobile. This plant is harvested whole, and the entire plant can be used.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dendrobium is considered to have beneficial effects on the stomach, increasing secretion, nourishing yin, dispelling heat, acting as a tonic and increasing overall strength, treating impotence, thirst due to yin deficiency or decreased body fluids, loss of appetite, nausea, physical weakness after serious illness, and impaired vision.
