San Qi 三七: Notoginseng Root Buying & Storage Guide

If you browse Chinese herb shops long enough, you keep bumping into the same name: san qi. It shows up as whole knobby roots, as neat round slices, as a fine beige powder, and even as little green flower buds. Same plant, four very different-looking products. No wonder first-time buyers get confused — and no wonder san qi (三七, Panax notoginseng) is one of the most talked-about herbs in the Chinese materia medica. This guide is about the raw material itself: what it is, what the different forms look like, how grading works, and how to pick good stock.

Quick orientation: san qi is also sold as tian qi (田七, tián qī) — the two names refer to the same root. In English you'll see "notoginseng," "Chinese ginseng," or "sanchi." It's a true Panax species, in the same genus as Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng), but it's its own plant with its own look. Keep that genus connection in mind; it explains the family resemblance in the roots.

Why It's Called "Three-Seven Root"

The nickname "three-seven root" is one of those names that tells a story. The plant grows with three petioles, each carrying seven leaflets — three sevens. Growers also say the root is traditionally harvested between its third and seventh year. Either way, the "three-seven" name stuck, and you'll still see it on old-fashioned packaging and in herb-market slang.

Botanically, it's a perennial with dark green leaves and, in season, a cluster of red berries at the center of the plant. It grows in China, both cultivated and gathered. The part that matters commercially is the root: thick, fleshy, and harvested at maturity, then cleaned and dried.

What the Dried Root Actually Looks Like

Forget the glossy catalog drawings. A real dried san qi root is a humble-looking thing: a gnarled, irregular chunk, grey-brown to dark brown on the outside, roughly the size of a large walnut or a small potato. The surface is wrinkled and warty, with a blunt top where the stem was cut and a tapered tail end.

Break or slice one open and the inside tells you more: a yellowish-green to grey-green cross-section, dense and hard, sometimes with a faint ring pattern. Good dried roots feel heavy and solid for their size — light, hollow-feeling roots are a red flag. The aroma is mild and earthy, a little like dried ginseng but less sweet.

When you're comparing listings, zoom in on the product photos. You want to see natural color variation and an honest, wrinkled surface — not a suspiciously uniform, polished look. Whole dried san qi roots sold by weight let you judge all of this directly, which is why many experienced buyers prefer the whole form.

Four Forms You'll See for Sale

San qi reaches the market in four main forms, all from the same plant. Knowing what each one is helps you buy the right thing instead of the prettiest photo.

Whole roots. The full dried root, as described above. This is the form serious graders want, because you can see everything: size, shape, skin, cut surfaces. Whole radix notoginseng is also how the traditional head-count grading is applied (more on that below).

Slices. The root cut into round or oval chips, showing that yellow-green cross-section on every piece. Slices are popular because the cut face makes quality easy to read at a glance — dense, even color with no hollow centers. Dried san qi root slices should look like the photo below: clean cuts, natural color variation from piece to piece.

Powder. The root ground to a fine, beige-grey powder — in Chinese, 三七粉 (sān qī fěn). Powder is the most convenient form to handle and measure, but it's also the hardest to judge: once ground, you can't see the root it came from. That makes the seller's reputation do the heavy lifting. San qi root powder from a herb specialist who also sells the whole roots is a good sign — it suggests the powder is ground from the same graded stock.

Flowers. The dried flower buds of the plant — small, tight green clusters sold as 田七花 (tián qī huā). They're a completely different product from the root: lighter, greener, and sold by the bud rather than the root grade. Dried notoginseng flowers should be intact green buds, not crushed dust. Don't confuse them with the root products; the names overlap, the material doesn't.

Grades: What the "Head Count" Tells You

San qi has one of the most transparent grading systems in the herb trade: the head count (头, tóu). It simply counts how many dried roots make up 500 grams. Twenty-head san qi means about 20 roots per half kilo; sixty-head means about 60 smaller roots for the same weight.

Fewer heads = bigger individual roots = higher grade = higher price. A 20-head root is a fat, heavy specimen; an 80-head lot is a bag of small ones. The system is refreshingly honest — it's just arithmetic. When a listing says "30头" and shows plump, uniform roots in the photo, the two should agree. If the photo shows small, mixed-size roots under a low head-count label, walk away.

Note that head count applies to whole roots. Powder and slices are usually graded by the root stock they were cut or ground from, so a trustworthy seller will tell you the head count of the source roots. If they can't or won't, that's information too.

A Buyer's Checklist

Use this when you're comparing listings side by side:

• Match the Latin name. Panax notoginseng is the root. Don't confuse it with 景天三七 (stonecrop, a different plant that shares the "san qi" syllables) or 血三七 (yet another species). The Chinese characters should read 三七 or 田七, and the Latin name settles any doubt.
• Read the head count on whole roots. Lower number, bigger roots. Compare the claimed grade against the actual photo.
• Check the cut face on slices. You want dense, yellow-green cross-sections with no hollow or blackened centers.
• Buy powder from root sellers. A shop that sells graded whole roots and grinds its own powder is a safer bet than a powder-only listing with stock photos.
• Look at the packaging. Dried roots and powders keep best sealed. Reputable sellers ship in sealed bags that protect against moisture and light — the two things that degrade dried herbs fastest.
• Smell on arrival. Good san qi smells faintly earthy and clean. Musty, sour, or chemical odors mean bad storage or worse.
• Stick to herb specialists. A store with a real Tonic Herbs collection or Roots Herbs collection handles this material daily and grades it in-house, which beats a general marketplace seller every time.

How to Store It

Dried san qi is low-maintenance, but it does have two enemies: moisture and light. Keep whole roots, slices, and powder in sealed bags or airtight jars, in a cool, dry place away from direct light. Stored this way, dried roots keep well for a year or more; powder, with its larger surface area, is best used within the year. If anything smells musty or shows mold, discard it — no second chances with dried herbs.

Quick Answers

Is san qi the same as ginseng?
Not quite. San qi (Panax notoginseng) and Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) are different species in the same genus. Related, not identical — and the roots look and grade differently.

What's the difference between san qi and tian qi?
Nothing. 三七 (sān qī) and 田七 (tián qī) are two Chinese names for the same root. Listings use them interchangeably.

Why is it called "three-seven root"?
The plant grows three petioles with seven leaflets each, and the root is traditionally harvested between its third and seventh year. The name is a little piece of grower lore that stuck.

Which form should a beginner buy?
Slices. The cut faces make quality easy to judge, the head-count math is already done for you, and you can see exactly what you're getting in the photo.

Are the flowers the same thing as the root?
No. The dried flower buds (田七花) come from the same plant but are a separate product with their own look and grading. Don't buy flowers expecting root material.

Note: This product is a natural herbal material, not a medicine, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional before use, particularly if you take medication or have an existing health condition, and follow the import, labeling, and use requirements applicable in your location.

Sources: botanical background via Wikipedia: Panax notoginseng (Wikipedia).