Raw and steamed
4 guides from Panax Notoginseng on raw and steamed, each with the studies behind it.
How to Choose Notoginseng
What a notoginseng label should say: species, Wenshan origin, raw or steamed, head count, three years. Which form the trials used, and how to spot substitutes.
“We conclude that a daily 3g-dose of PNG taken for 3 days, not one acute bout of 30-min cycling exercise at 60% VO2max, lowered postprandial glycemia at 30-min post-OGTT and PG-AUC 0-90 min in non-diabetic men, age 20-45 years.”
Notoginseng is sold as whole root, slices, powder, capsules and saponin extracts, and the trade has its own vocabulary: Wenshan, head count, raw or steamed, three years. This guide explains each term, says which form the trials used, and shows how to spot a substitute.
Notoginseng for Bruises and Bleeding
Raw sanqi is the classic hemostatic root. The tradition, the Yunnan Baiyao link, a 2002 childbirth trial, a 2024 hip fracture review, and why steaming matters.
“XST has definite effect in decreasing postpartum hemorrhage, it also shows effects in promoting involution of uterus, reducing lochia and accelerating recovery of parturients.”
Before notoginseng was a circulation supplement it was a wound herb. In southwest China the raw root, ground to powder, was taken for bleeding and bruising from injury, and that use is still the one most Chinese households know. The modern trials for this job are few, and this guide names each one and what it used.
Notoginseng vs Korean Ginseng
Notoginseng (sanqi) and Korean ginseng are different Panax species: one has the circulation and stroke trials, the other fatigue and erectile function.
“Chemical analysis indicated that white NG possessed the most abundant ginsenosides, i.e., two- and five-fold higher than white AmG and AG.”
Notoginseng (Panax notoginseng), called sanqi or tianqi in China, and Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) are two different plants in the same genus. Buyers pick them for different jobs. Notoginseng is the root people take for circulation, platelets and recovery after a stroke. Korean ginseng is the root people take for tiredness, sexual function and immune support. This page sets the two side by side. The three way picture is in the three Panax species, and our sister site covers Korean ginseng in depth at panaxginseng.com.
Raw vs Steamed Notoginseng
Sheng sanqi and shu sanqi are the same root before and after steaming: the tradition, what steaming does to the saponins, and which form the trials used.
“This chemical shift underlies a functional transition: raw NRR primarily promotes blood activation and stasis dispersion, while processed NRR exhibits enhanced blood-nourishing, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities.”
Notoginseng is sold two ways. Sheng sanqi is the raw root, washed, sun dried and ground. Shu sanqi is the same root steamed before drying, which darkens it and changes its chemistry. Chinese medicine has kept the two apart with one short rule, and two 2026 reviews now describe what the steam does to the compounds inside. This page gives the rule, the chemistry, the form each trial used, and the form buyers pick for each goal.