Notoginseng root is a frequently prescribed herb in Chinese medicine. 

scientific names:

Panax notoginseng

Panax pseudoginseng.

The herb is also referred to as pseudoginseng, and in Chinese it is called Tien qi ginseng, San qi, three-seven root, and Mountain paint. Notoginseng belongs to the same scientific genus, Panax, as Asian ginseng. In Latin, the word panax means /'cure-all,/' and the family of ginseng plants is one of the most famous and frequently used of all families of herbs.

Notoginseng root has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years. One of China/'s most famous herbalists said that the root was /'more valuable than gold./' The herb is used as a general tonic, or a medicine to tone and strengthen the entire system. In particular, notoginseng is considered a blood and heart tonic. Chinese herbalists consider it to have a neutral energy, meaning it is neither heating nor cooling in the system. In traditional Chinese medicine , notoginseng is believed to act on the Heart and Kidney meridians, which are the channels that contain the flow of qi (life energy) in the body. The herb was given the name /'mountain paint/' because a liquid solution of it is prescribed to reduce swelling and boils on the body.