Abstract: Wild American ginseng(WAG) is the most famous wild medicinal plant in the United States.After the late 18th century,WAG resource was in a sharp declined with the predatory excavation by North Americans under the influence of interests.As the WAG has some particular pharmacological activities that the cultivated American ginseng does not have,it cannot be replaced by cultivated American ginseng.The cultivation method under forest in mountain with “wild simulation” for American ginseng has come into being.Similar to mountain-cultivated ginseng,the mountain-cultivated American ginseng(MCAG)would be the substitute of wild American ginseng.Based on the WAG research resulting from domestic and foreign scholars,lots of the articles focus on the most appropriate conditions for the simulation environment.This paper make a review focus on the origin,the influence of external factors on the growth,the chemical composition,the identification betweenWAG and cultivated American ginseng,pharmacological activities,etc.The aim is to provide the reference for the development of mountain-cultivated American ginseng.It lays a foundation for the further study of MCAG.

Key words: wild American ginseng, origin, external factors, identification, chemical compositions, pharmacological activity