Abstract: The study aim is to investigate the feasibility of multi-element analysis in determination of the geographical origin of american ginseng, and to make a choice of determining effective tracers in the origin assessment of american ginseng. The contents of 28 chemical elements of Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Cd, Sn, Hg and Pb were detected by ICP-MS in 20 samples from Canada, the United States, and the Northeast of China, and analysis of variance （ANOVA）, cluster analysis （CA） and discriminant analysis （DA） were applied in the data analysis. The results showed that the element contents were different in american ginseng samples from the other different locals. CA classified the samples into different categories, which was consistent to their geographical origin. Three elements of Y, Fe and Ni were screened by DA and suggested as better tracers for american ginseng origin assessment, a 100.0% correct classification was achieved. Therefore, it is feasible to determine the geographical origin of american ginseng based on multi-element analysis.

Key words: american ginseng（Panax quinquefolius L.）, multi-element, cluster analysis, discriminant analysis, geographical origin identification