INTRODUCTION Ginseng, including Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) and American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), are medicinal plants known worldwide. Notoginseng (Panax notoginseng), called Sanqi or Tianqi in China, is also a popular Chinese traditional medicine. Ginseng is believed to improve the health of people recovering from illness, improve both mental and physical performance, decrease blood glucose, control blood pressure, and impart other benefcial effects. Clinical trials in China have demonstrated the effcacy of notoginseng in promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis (including blood clotting), relieving swel領(lǐng), and alleviating pain. 1,2Asian ginseng, American ginseng, and notoginseng all belong to the Araliaceae family, and contain many similar compound classes, such as ginsenosides, amyloses, fatty acids, amino acids, and polypeptides. Ginsenosides are triterpene saponins, steroid-like compounds thought to be the active components that impart the herbs medicinal properties. Ginsenosides are classifed as Ro, Ra, Rb1, Rb2, Rb3, Rc, Rd, Re, Rf, Rg1, Rg2, Rg3, Rh1, Rh2, Rh3, etc., depending on their Rf values (from small to large) by thin-layer chromatography (TLC). They can also be divided into three types based on their structures: Type A, 20(s)-protopanaxadiol (Figure 1A), Type B, 20(s)-protopanaxatriol (Figure 1B), and Type C, oleanolic acid.3