Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and scientists seek solutions to preserve precious ginseng

At the Forum “President of Vietnam Farmers’ Union – Minister of Agriculture and Environment listens to farmers”, Ms. Pham Thi Ly raised concerns about the interruption of traceability and conservation of Nhat Duong Sinh ginseng. The proposal was accepted by the Ministry’s leaders and she was invited to work directly to discuss solutions.

At the forum, Ms. Pham Thi Ly, Director of the Center for Enterprise Integration and Development, Director of the Vietnam Union of Cooperatives, Organic Agriculture and Medicinal Herbs, frankly expressed her concerns about the interruption in the application of CheckVN traceability technology, affecting supply chain management in the context of increasing transparency requirements.

Ms. Pham Thi Ly raised concerns about preserving Nhat Duong Sinh ginseng.

“We have long since perfected the CheckVN traceability technology and are researching the conservation of Nhat Duong Sinh ginseng. However, the application of this traceability technology is currently being interrupted. In the current context of the agricultural sector, the requirements for traceability and supply chain management are very important, so we hope that the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment will continue to apply it,” Ms. Pham Thi Ly shared.

Immediately after Ms. Ly's presentation, Mr. Nguyen Van Long, Director of the Department of Science , Technology and Environment (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) directly responded and respectfully invited her to work as soon as possible.

“The Minister of Agriculture and Environment has directed the development of an industry-wide traceability system. We have met with leading experts to complete the database and requested a deadline of one month to complete this system. Therefore, we will urgently promote and certainly continue to cooperate to use CheckVN technology,” Mr. Long emphasized.

Regarding the research on the conservation of Nhat Duong Sinh ginseng, Mr. Long affirmed that the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has successfully researched Ngoc Linh ginseng, so there is enough basis to promote research on the ginseng species that Ms. Ly's group is conducting.

Director of Department of Science, Technology and Environment Nguyen Van Long.

Nhat Duong Sinh is a woody medicinal plant that grows in the humid primeval forests of the northern mountainous region of Vietnam. The plant has a straight trunk, straight or ginseng-shaped taproot, and alternately arranged egg-shaped leaves. The lanceolate flowers are arranged in a lantern-shaped manner, covering the calyx and pistil, and the fruits grow in clusters of 8-15 fruits. The parts of the plant such as the stem, leaves, and roots all have the characteristic aroma of ginseng and are used as a tonic.

For many years, Ms. Pham Thi Ly's research team has conducted surveys of natural samples, tissue culture, protected breed copyrights, gene copyrights, and registered patents for the process of extracting anti-cancer active ingredients from this ginseng species.

In 2020, based on the selection of good seedlings that have been cultivated in combination with naturally grown plants, the research team registered for copyright protection of the variety at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, naming and protecting the intellectual property of the brand Nhat Duong Sinh.

The research results have made Nhat Duong Sinh the first plant species in Vietnam to have its entire genome sequenced and the World Gene Bank (GENBANK) has recognized the copyright of the sequence of 10 characteristic genes and the chloroplast sequence.

According to the test results, the active ingredient extracted from Nhat Duong Sinh has the ability to resist many types of cancer, such as: lung cancer, liver cancer, brain cancer, cervical cancer, breast cancer, leukemia, stomach cancer and skin cancer. In particular, this ginseng has almost no impact on normal cells - an important factor in supporting disease treatment.

These results are not only significant in terms of research but also open up the prospect of building a high-value medicinal industry from indigenous genetic resources.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/xa-hoi/bo-nnmt-cung-nha-khoa-hoc-tim-giai-phap-bao-ton-sam-quy-20251103103818308.htm