Differentiation and authentication of Panax ginseng (Korea and China), Panax quinquefolius, and development of genetic marker by AFLP analysis.

Panax ginseng is one of the most important medicinal plant in the Orient. The international trade of ginseng is increasing yearly. The disguise of Chinese and American ginseng into Korean ginseng became a problem in recent years in Korea and an abroad. Obviously, an effective method of authentication of Korean ginseng from others at a DNA level, is necessary for the healthy development of the ginseng market. In order to develop convenient and reproducible methods for the identification of Korean ginseng, amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis was applied within Panax species (Korean cultivatied and wild ginseng, Chinese wild ginseng, American cultivatied and wild ginseng). (omitted)