Hi to Phylla, Gynostemma pentaphyllum contains similar structures to the ginsenosides. They are technically called gypenosides, I believe. We can get a few varieties of herbal teas in bags in our Chinatown here in LA. The one from Japan is the one that tastes best. I think the biological effect is pretty much the same. If I remember correctly, the number of gypenosides identified is fairly high, maybe around 80. Content in leaves is significant, so the leaves are harvested for tea. It is sometimes called seven leaf ginseng. It is reported that Chinese people will drink it before going to work and at the end of work as well. I have tried it many times. I find it to have a gentle lift, not unlike chewing on a ginseng root piece. Of course, the taste is a little better as a tea. Usually priced moderately, you will find it in asian markets. Online, it might be a little higher. I think it is also available in powder or extract form, sometimes for a high price. I am not sure of heavy metal content, but I don't expect it to be high. Also the tea form is pretty cheap, so switching species is not likely. Two papers were published on it last year in Journal of Natural Products. So it is still being investigated. I see quite a few in Chinese as well. I do not know the growing conditions for it, but I think it grows in warmer climates than does the Panax ginseng because it is sometimes called southern ginseng. I also don't know the pattern of gypenoside content in terms of age of the plant. So I don't know if you would need to harvest it from a mature plant or a young one. I do see one paper noting a peak in gypenosides in July. Another paper notes the high Germanium content. This is also noted for Panax ginseng and Ganoderma lucidum. Herbalists usually believe that this has a positive effect on the available oxygen in the tissues. They sometimes report increased mental clarity from Germanium ingestion. Of course, it is important to note that inorganic Germanium is toxic. We must be sure to use only plant based Germanium in supplementation. Richard

Gynostemma pentaphyllum is VERY reliable indoors, it is grown in shade or light shade ( it does NOT like sunlight ) and is a very vigorious grower once it is established. i have a few years of experience growing this one indoors and it never dissapointed, it is also really easy to propagate because every stem that touches the ground roots. if you cannot get a plant from the indoor gardening section use a cutting ( or use a rootpiece ) a give it a good wash and root it with rooting hormone. i took a cutting from a plant growing outside and gave it a good wash, it rooted and i had it in a different room untill i was sure it wouldn't carry pests and moved it to the main room after a while. Kumquat are reliable and portulaca species have edible leaves -P. grandiflora is reliable indoors - others often attract pests ( portulaca oleracea is a pest magnet ). Aloe vera is pretty reliable. Alot of people are having succes with lemon grass but you have to grow them out of seeds - you cannot use plants from the outdoor garden centre section because they usually carry pests.... they must be grown out of seed or bought from the indoor section. the problem is that most fruits and herbs need ALOT of sun. i usually grow medicinal herbs like aloe, kanna, lemon grass and that kind of stuff. most fruit species and herbs are very dissapointing indoors , rosemary needs too much light especially in winter and fruit plants often take a long time and the crop can dissapointing. if you want pest resistent plants go for citrus, succulents and cacti.. stuff with thick glossy leaves. most things that are recommended in mainstream media are pest magnets. some turmeric species, ginger species and pepper ( piper) can be grown indoors also. Cardamom ( ellataria ) is reliable indoors but i don't know if it produces a worthwhile crop. coffee arabica ( pretty pest resistent ) sometimes produces a crop but it is unreliable .Stevia can be grown indoors but the taste is not that good when grown indoors. i read somewhere that certain Mahonia species can be grown indoors but i have no experience with this. certain bamboo species may produce edible shoots. Remember to keep space between plants.. certain species are too prone to mites or aphids and once a weak plant attracted them they may infect strong plants that normally do not attract pests. This post was edited by Lodewijkp on Fri, Aug 22, 14 at 16:24

I bought this plant once and the poor little thing died on me! I was most upset. I'm interested in Chinese natives and wanted to grow it more as an interesting and pretty climber for a shady spots. It's a cucurbitaceae and when you see the plant you'll know it.

It's all a kind of madness, I think. I love my plants, but to others they are, well, just plants. And to spend a fortune on them, crazy. A case in point is the variegated Gollum or the Coral aka Skinny Fingers; people spend a lot on them if they can even access them to buy. Grown well, they can be just as nice as other jades, but in the cold light of day, they can be very ugly - variegated Skinny Fingers in particular always reminds me of a bunch of worms; beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder; obviously if we prefer a plant simply because it is rare and hard to find that's nothing to do with horticulture - it has entered the realms of one-upmanship, and may well develop into mania, e.g. tulip mania in the 1600s.