WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants - travolekar.ru

Radix Panacis Quinquefolii
carnose, cupuliform, at anthesis about 2 mm long and 2 mm in diameter,
the lobes deltoid, acute, about 0.5 mm long; petals greenish-white, membranous,
slightly granular-papillose distally, oblong, about 1.5 mm long
and 1 mm broad, subacute and slightly incurved at the apex; filaments
carnose, narrowed distally, 1–1.5 mm long, the anthers oblong, about
1 mm long, obtuse at both ends; summit of the ovary flattened or concave,
styles 2, carnose, slightly curved, 1–1.5 mm long; locules 2; fruit laterally
flattened, transversely oblong, up to 7 mm long and 10 mm broad, longitudinally
sulcate, the wall at length dry, seeds 2, oblong, 4–5 mm long,
3–4 mm broad (4).
Plant material of interest: dried roots
General appearance
Fusiform, cylindrical or conical, 1–12 cm, sometimes up to 20 cm in length,
and up to 2.5 cm in diameter at the crown, with one or more stem scars.
Externally pale yellow to golden, exhibiting transverse striations and linear
lenticels, and showing fine and dense longitudinal wrinkles, and rootlet
scars. If stem base is present, then scales thin and perishing (differs from
P. ginseng, in which scales at base of stem are fleshy and persistent). The
middle and lower part of the main root with 1 or more lateral roots, mostly
broken off. Sometimes, the upper part with rhizome showing distinct
annulations, rounded or semi-rounded stem scars, and bearing adventitious
roots, or broken off. Texture heavy and hard, not easily broken, fracture
short, fractured surface is white to ivory, with distinct aromatic odour
and rings of secretory canals present in secondary phloem, slightly starchy,
bark exhibiting yellowish brown dotted resin canals, cambium ring brownish
yellow, wood exhibiting less distinct radiate striations (1, 2).
Organoleptic properties
Odour: slight and characteristic; taste: slightly bitter and sweet (1, 2).
Microscopic characteristics
In contrast to Panax ginseng, transverse sections of P. quinquefolius show
abundant large, thin-walled cork parenchyma cells. Secondary phloem is
characterized by conspicuous air lacunae; abundant starch-containing
storage parenchyma; few sieve elements, found in small groupings; and
rings of schizogenous secretory canal lined with 6–8 epithelial cells that
lack starch. Xylem is characterized by abundant starch-containing storage
parenchyma and a few tracheary elements, composed of non-lignified
tracheids and slightly lignified spiral or reticulated vessels lacking secretory
canals and found in isolation or in small groupings. Druse crystals
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