American ginseng processing steps
1 selection
Those American ginseng with complete reed, body, and beard which has solid pulp and has no disease or scars should be chosen. Red ginseng is prone to grow yellow skin. It should be processed by stacking and processing according to size.
2 retaining parts of the beards
When processing raw and sun-dried ginseng, only the reed and body of the American ginseng and the middle and upper parts of the branch root which has uniform thickness should be retained, and all others are pinched off. The truncation part of the large root should be cut properly, and it should not be left too long. The thin fibrous roots in the middle and upper part and the thick part of the main body should be removed, and the other parts should be retained.
3 scrub
Wash away the dirt and scar residues on the roots. Before washing, soak or wet the roots of fresh ginseng with water, and then rinse it with a washing machine or high-pressure water pump, or manually wash and rinse with water. When washing, avoid breaking the spores and root bark, and prevent the branch roots and reed heads from being broken.
4 drying
The washed fresh ginseng is placed on the drying tray in a single layer according to it size, and then sent them to the drying room for drying.
American ginseng drying process
The temperature requirement for drying is that the initial temperature is 25°C-26°C for 2-3 days, and then gradually rises to 35°C-36°C. After the main body of the ginseng becomes soft, the temperature is raised to 38°C-40°C, after 2-3 days, it should be gradually lowered to 30°C-32°C and keep the temperature until drying. Drying time is about 2 weeks. The relative humidity should be controlled about 60% in the initial stage, about 50% in the middle stage, and below 40% in the later stage.