The Use And Extinction Of Shangdang Ginseng In Historical Period

Shangdang ginseng is the earliest ginseng used in our country,enjoy the reputation of "king of ginseng".Since ancient times,it has been listed as the top-grade of this sutra,and is a precious tribute to the tribute royal family in successive dynasties.Shangdang ginseng is named for its origin in Shangdang area.Firstly,this paper determines the geographical location and scope of the ancient Shangdang area to be studied.With the change of history,the ancient Shangdang area was divided into different administrative regions.Its geographical location is located in the southeastern Shanxi Province.It is a single highland,surrounded by the Western Taihang Mountains,the Taiyue Mountains and the Wangwu Mountains,forming a plateau basin in the northeast and southwest direction.It has many mountains and rivers,densely covered valleys,and high forest coverage,which is the southernmost widely distributed in China.The region roughly corresponds to the whole territory of Changzhi City,Jincheng City,Linfen City(Anze County,Guxian County),Jinzhong City(Zuoquan County,Yushe County,Heshun County,southwest Xiyang County),and Shixian County,Handan City,Hebei Province.The author divides the medicinal history of Shangdang ginseng into three stages:the initial stage,the prosperous stage and the difficult stage.Before the Sui Dynasty,Shangdang ginseng was used in the initial period.It was put into use before the Han Dynasty.With the development of medicine,according to available data,Shangdang ginseng was first clearly recorded as a member of the Han Dynasty.From the Han Dynasty to the Sui Dynasty,Chinese medical scholars had a deep understanding of Shangdang Ginseng through clinical step by step,and the records were gradually enriched and detailed from its name,origin,medicinal efficacy,plant morphology and preservation methods.During the flourishing period of Shangdang ginseng in Tang and Song Dynasty,the origin of Shangdang ginseng was further elaborated,specifically to Luzhou,Liaozhou,Zezhou and Qinzhou(Tongzhang),and the quantityof Shangdang ginseng was also at its peak.It was not only a tribute to the Royal family,but also a gift to express foreign friendship.During this period,due to the deterioration of the physical geographical environment in Shangdang area and the large number of Shangdang ginseng harvested,the number of Shangdang ginseng became very dangerous.By the difficult period of the Ming and Qing Dynasties,Shangdang ginseng became very rare in the early Ming Dynasty.The Royal imperial edict immediately stopped paying tribute,but still failed to avoid the result of the extinction of Shangdang ginseng.Shangdang ginseng gradually withered from the end of the Song Dynasty.In the Ming Dynasty,only Zituanshan,Huguan County,Lu’an Prefecture,was left.The disappearance of Shangdang ginseng during the Ming and Jiajing years marked the complete extinction of Shangdang ginseng.Through the analysis of the medical history of Shangdang ginseng from discovery to extinction,we know that the extinction of Shangdang ginseng is the result of the interaction of human factors and natural factors.Faced with the situation that ginseng is on the verge of extinction in China,we should be aware of the seriousness of the problem,conduct in-depth research,realize the rational cultivation,introduction,development and utilization of ginseng,and avoid the recurrence of tragedy.