The "Tochiba-ninjin" (Panax japonicus) belongs to Araliaceae (the Ginseng family). It is a perennial herb that is native throughout Japan. This herb grows in montane forests and can reach 50-80 cm in height. The stem is erect. The leaves are palmate compound, resemble the Japanese horse chestnut, and arranged in whorl on the stem apices. The globose umbels are borne bloom small yellowish-green flowers from June to August. The rootstocks are used as a herbal medicine for a stomachic agent or an expectorant drug.