The founder of Viridis Genomics Consulting, Thomas Brutnell leverages over 25 years of professional experience to provide advice on genomics and genome engineering to academic and industrial agricultural biotechnology communities. Tom Brutnell is currently developing tools to improve the production of Chinese medicinal plants.

Chinese medicinal plants can come in various forms, including capsule, oil, powder, and tablet. One of the natural Chinese medicinal plants consumed among practitioners is ginseng. The ginseng root itself can be eaten raw or lightly steamed. Some people add sliced ginseng to hot water to make tea.

Ginseng root can be combined with chicken broth to make soup or stew (samgyetang). The roots are typically dried and added after the soup has simmered. The roots must be cooked between 2 to 4 hours until soft. Sometimes, people discard the roots after cooking, since most of the nutrients have already been extracted. However, others leave it in for additional texture. Ginseng can also be used to make beef stir-fry. Fresh ginseng is fried lightly before adding the marinated meat, vegetables, and other seasonings. This integration of medicine and food has a long tradition in Chinese cooking and provides a time-tested paradigm for food as medicine.