Saponin (ginsenosides) is an active substance of ginseng.

Korean Ginseng has the richest variety of saponin. Its composition is so exquisite that no other plants in the Panax family come close to it. So far, some 30 different kinds of saponin, named ginsenosides, have been identified. These ginsenosides are further divided into diols, triols and oleananes according to their structural characteristics, and are known to have different medical effects.

The content of saponin in ginsengs grown other countries is higher than Korean Ginseng, but their saponins are limited to about 4 to 15 kinds, resulting in very limited medicinal effects when compared to Korean Ginseng.
Unique to white ginseng are saponins of malonyl-ginsenosides, e.g. MG-Rb1, MG-Rb2, MG-Rc and MG-Rd. Red Ginseng specifically contains such saponins as G-Rh2, G-Rs1, G-Rs2 and H-R4.