Callerya speciosa

Mount Danh ginseng

Callerya speciosa
Order	Fabales
Family	Fabaceae
Genus	Callerya
Scientific name (Species)	Callerya speciosa Champ. ex Benth. 1852

Callerya speciosa, belonging to the genus Callerya in the Fabaceae family, is a medicinal shrub plant native to southern China and northern Vietnam, and is distributed at 200–1700 m above sea level in open places and sparse woodlands. In Vietnam, it is popularly known as sâm nam núi Dành (southern ginseng of Mount Dành) despite its official Vietnamese name of cát sâm. Mount Dành is a mountain in Bắc Giang province, northern Vietnam.

Uses

Callerya speciosa is not a true ginseng (like Panax ginseng or its close relative) but its roots are consumed just like gingseng. The tuberous roots are used to make a tonic wine and as medicinal herbs in traditional medicines. Mount Danh ginseng gained its popularity during the period of King Tự Đức, a king of Vietnam's Nguyen Dynasty. At that time, his mother became ill, which leads to the blindness in both her eyes. She couldn't be cured in many places, but thanks to the consumption of Mount Danh ginseng, her eyesight wass regained. Every year, Mount Danh ginseng is harvested and offered to the King.

In 2012, a scientific project by Vietnam's Institute of Agricultural Genetics was carried out in Bắc Giang province. The research shows that the main group of substances in Mount Danh Ginseng are saponins, flavonoids (anti-aging active ingredients), organic acids, and amino acids... The saponin content of Mount Danh Ginseng is equivalent to Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) and only behind Ngoc Linh ginseng (Panax vietnamensis).

Cultivation

In 1970s, C. speciosa was overexploited and thought to be extinct. But the species is conserved by some local residents near Mt. Danh.

Since 2010, the species has been cultivated, first for conservative then commercial purposes.