Abstract

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) is a threatened perennial understory plant endemic to eastern deciduous forests. The plant is harvested and sold on the Asian markets for its secondary metabolites, ginsenosides, which give it it’s medicinal qualities. Information on phytochemical profiles of populations would give more insight on creating cultivars labeled for specific medicinal properties, ideally reducing the demand for wild harvested ginseng. Genetic diversity of ginseng is thought to be more widespread in the Appalachian region, due to the glacial refugia created during the Pleistocene epoch. Ginsenoside profile diversity may also be more widespread in the Appalachian region and may be linked to genetic diversity. We analyzed the ginsenoside profiles in 157 roots from 17 NC populations. Six ginsenosides (Rb1, Rb2, Rg1, Re, Rd, and Rc) were characterized and quantified using methanol-reflux extraction and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). We found that most populations exhibited the RG chemotype (Re/Rg1<1), with populations HG, LS, and MC showing small variation in chemotypes. Ginsenoside Rg1 and Rb1 had the highest overall concentrations while Re had the lowest. Lack of chemotypic diversity suggests that if chemotypes are correlated to genetic factors, overharvesting has affected the presence of certain ginsenosides within these populations, or the Pleistocene refugia was non-operative for ginseng.

How to Cite