The effects of the nitrate to ammonium ratio on the cell growth, the production of ginseng saponin (secondary metabolite) and polysaccharide (primary metabolite), as well as consumption of major nutrients by suspension cultures of Panax notoginseng cells were investigated at a total nitrogen (N) of 60 mM in a 250-mL Erlenmeyer flask. The results indicate that the ratio of nitrate to ammonium had a great influence on the cell growth and consumption of carbon and N sources. It was found that biosynthesis of saponin was more susceptible to the ratio of NO3-/NH4+ than that of polysaccharide. Ammonium was unfavorable to saponin formation. The maximum production of ginseng saponin and polysaccharide was attained when nitrate was the sole N source. The effect of total N amount (using nitrate as the sole N source) on the cell cultures was also studied, and the result shows that the dry cell weight was increased from 4.9 to 10.9 g/L with increase of initial nitrate concentration from 0 to 60 mM. The relationship between initial nitrate concentration (including both intracellular and medium nitrate) and specific cell growth rate based on active biomass could be described by Monod equation, in which the kinetic parameters mu(max) and K-s were determined to be 0.066 d(-1) and 4.84 mM, respectively. The maximum production of ginseng saponin and polysaccharide was 0.85 and 1.59 g/L, respectively, with initial nitrate concentration of 60 mM.