Nga said when she was a fourth-year student, her teacher introduced medicinal herbs listed in Vietnam’s Red Book for scientific research. Nga then chose dang sam.

“This is a very interesting plant. It has high sapugin content like ginseng in its roots, while its leaves and bulbs can also be used for food. I later found that the strong extract from its root bulb can be used to drive mosquitoes away,” she said.

“In other words, nearly all the parts of the plant are useful. It is really very wonderful,” she said.

Cao Thi Viet Nga from the Vietnam Forestry University and her classmate Vui Van Kien have used an in vitro technique to propagate dang sam (Codonopsis Javania).

Many scientists have conducted research about dang sam before Nga and Kien did. However, the publicized scientific research only shows the solutions of propagating with stems and shoots, while Nga and Kien found solutions to propagate seeds.

With the method, genetic sources will have a conservative value. The chemicals used by Nga and Kien in propagation are safe to users, while the technique is not too complicated.

There is another outstanding advantage in Nga’s and Kien’s method. If applying their method, only one month is needed to see sample material budding, while it takes 90 days applying other methods.

With natural method, one can sow seeds twice a year, in February-April and September-October. Meanwhile, Nga said her method allows sowing of seeds year round, while the germination rate is much higher.

Nga said that if their technique is applied on a large scale, it will bring high benefits. With high herbal value, Dang sam is now in high demand in Vietnam.

A report released in 2015 showed that Vietnamese consumed 1,000 tons of dang sam a year, or 2 percent of total demand for herbal medicine. More than a half of this amount is imported from China.

Dang sam is not the only medicinal herb Nga is working on. She dreams of propagating many other plants listed in the Red Book.

She said she nurtured the dream of learning about medicinal herbs in the childhood and she intended to register to study at medical school to fulfill the dream. However, as she fears blood, she changed her mind and became a student of the biotechnology faculty of the Vietnam Forestry University.

When Nga was a third year student, she once made research on hoang dan (Cupressaceae). The girl, who is now a postgraduate, also plans to conduct research on the plants on the Red Book for her master thesis.

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