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Ginseng | | Name : | Ginseng | | Botanical : | Panax quinquefolium | | Latin : | Panax ginseng C. A. Mey., P. schinseng Nees, and P. quinquefolius L. | | Synonyms : | Panax quinquefolius L.:
American ginseng
Five-fingers
Five fingers root
Five-leafed ginseng
Garantogen
Jen-shen (Chinese name)
Ninsin
Panax
Pannag
Redberry
Sang
Panax schin-seng L.:
Asiatic ginseng
Chinese ginseng
Jen-shen (Chinese name)
Len seng (Mandarin name)
Ren-shen (Sanskrit name)
Wonder-of-the-world
| | Family : | Araliaceae | | Parts Used : | Panax quinquefolius L.:
Roots
Panax schin-seng L.:
Roots
Panax trifolius L.:
Leaves and roots
Eleutherococcus senticosus L.: (Otherwise known as Siberian ginseng)
Root | | Habitat : | Panax quinquefolius L.:
Rich woods.Maine to Georgia; Oklahoma to Minnesota.Now an endangered species in much of this area.Wisconsin-grown ginseng is highly valued throughout the Orient.
Panax schin-seng L.:
Found in damp woods of Manchuria and is cultivated primarily in Korea.
Panax trifolius L.:
Rich woods.Nova Scotia to Pennsylvania, Georgia mountains; Indiana, Iowa to Minnesota.
Eleutherococcus senticosus L.: (Otherwise known as Siberian ginseng)
Grown in Siberia. | | Picture : |  | | Description : | The plant grows in rich woods throughout eastern and central North America, especially along the mountains from Quebec and Ontario, south to Georgia. It was used by the North American Indians. It is a smooth perennial herb, with a large, fleshy, very slow-growing root, 2 to 3 inches in length (occasionally twice this size) and from 1/2 to 1 inch in thickness. Its main portion is spindle-shaped and heavily annulated (ringed growth), with a roundish summit, often with a slight terminal, projecting point. At the lower end of this straight portion, there is a narrower continuation, turned obliquely outward in the opposite direction and a very small branch is occasionally borne in the fork between the two. Some small rootlets exist upon the lower portion. The colour ranges from a pale yellow to a brownish colour. It has a mucilaginous sweetness, approaching that of liquorice, accompanied with some degree of bitterness and a slight aromatic warmth, with little or no smell. The stem is simple and erect, about a foot high, bearing three leaves, each divided into five finely-toothed leaflets, and a single, terminal umbel, with a few small, yellowish flowers. The fruit is a cluster of bright red berrles.
The plant was first introduced into England in 1740 by the botanist Collinson.
Chinese Ginseng is a larger plant, but presents practically the same appearance and habits of growth. Its culture in the United States has never been attempted, though it would appear to be a promising field for experiment.
Father Jartoux, who had special privileges accorded him in the study of this plant, says that it is held in such esteem by the natives of China, that the physicians deem it a necessity in all their best prescriptions, and regard it as a remediable agency in fatigue and the infirmities of old age. Only the Emperor has the right to collect the roots. The prepared root is chewed by the sick to recover health, and by the healthy to increase their vitality; it is said to remove both mental and bodily fatigue, to cure pulmonary complaints, dissolves tumours and prolongs life to a ripe old age.
Father Jartoux was satisfied that its praise was justified, and he adds his own testimony to its efficacy in relieving fatigue and increasing vitality. The roots are called, by the natives of China, Jin-chen, meaning 'like a man,' in reference to their resemblance to the human form. The American Indian name for the plant, garantoquen, has the same meaning.
Owing to the enormous demand for the root in China recourse was had to the American species, Panax quinquefolium (Linn.), and in 1718 the Jesuits of Canada began shipping the roots to China, and the first shipment from North America to Canton yielded enormous profits. In 1748 the roots sold at a dollar a pound in America and nearly five in China. Afterwards, the price fluctuated, but the root is still eagerly purchased by Chinese traders for export to China, and at the present time commands a yet higher price in the American markets, though it is not an official medicine and has only a place in the eclectic Materia Medica. The American Consul at Amoy stated a few years ago that it is possible to market twenty million dollars worth of American Ginseng annually to China, if it could be produced; but since its collection for exportation, it has been so eagerly sought that it has become exterminated in many districts where it was formerly abundant.
This has led to its cultivation and to various devices for preserving the natural supply. In Canada a fine is imposed for collecting between January and the 1st of September. Among the Indians, it is customary to collect the root only after the maturity of the fruit and to bend down the stem before digging the root, thus providing for its propagation. Indian collectors assert that a large number of such seeds will germinate, and that they have been able to increase their area of collection by this method.
In 1876, 550,624 lb. were exported at an average price of 1 dollar 17 cents; the amount available for export since then has steadily decreased and the price has gone up in proportion, till in 1912 the export was only 155,308 lb., at an average price of 7 dollars 20 cents per pound. | | Constituents : | A large amount of starch and gum, some resin, a very small amount of volatile oil and the peculiar sweetish body, Panaquilon. This occurs as a yellow powder, precipitating with water a white, amorphous substance, which has been called Panacon. | | Uses : | Panax is not official in the British Pharmacopoeia, and it was dismissed from the United States Pharmacopceia at a late revision. It is cultivated almost entirely for export to China.
In China, both varieties are used particularly for dyspepsia, vomiting and nervous disorders. A decoction of 1/2 oz. of the root, boiled in tea or soup and taken every morning, is commonly held a remedy for consumption and other diseases.
In Western medicine, it is considered a mild stomachic tonic and stimulant, useful in loss of appetite and in digestive affections that arise from mental and nervous exhaustion.
A tincture has been prepared from the genuine Chinese or American root, dried and coarsely powdered, covered with five times its weight of alcohol and allowed to stand, well-stoppered, in a dark, cool place, being shaken twice a day. The tincture, poured off and filtered, has a clear, light-lemon colour, an odour like the root and a taste at first bitter, then dulcamarous and an acid reaction. | | Dosage : | Panax schin-seng L.:
The root of both ginseng species listed here, is collected after flowering.Use only thoroughly dried root.Make it into a tea according to your taste and use as needed.(Normally 1 cup daily) | | Safety : | Panax quinquefolius L.:
Some caution required, large doses are said to raise blood pressure.Do not use if you have high blood pressure.
Because it grows slowly, is rare over much of its former range and because it has been overcollected, wild plants should be left alone.
Avoid P. notoginseng in pregnancy; it may adversely affect the fetus.Although ginseng is generally safe, side effects have been reported; avoid other stimulants such as tea, coffee, and cola drinks when taking ginseng.
Panax schin-seng L.:
Some may find Chinese ginseng too stimulating, especially at bedtime.Use early in the day.High doses may cause jittery feelings.Do not exceed 5 to 10 grams daily.In rare cases, some develop high blood pressure, menopausal bleeding, or headaches.Check with the doctor if Hypertensive (high blood pressure condition), vaginal bleeding, or headaches occur.(This aid for vaginal bleeding during menopause can be mistaken for uterine cancer, so be up front with the doctor about taking ginseng)Ginseng is usually taken an hour before or an hour after eating.
Vitamin C can interfere with absorption of ginseng.If taking vitamin C, wait 2 hours after or 2 hours before taking ginseng.
Avoid use or use with care if you have high blood pressure, high fever, inflammatory conditions, or obesity. | | Myths : | Used in China for over 5,000 years, ginseng was known to 9th century Arab physicians.Over 400 million people have been using this herb for centuries.Marco Polo wrote of this prized wonder drug and when a delegation from the King of Siam visited Louis XIV, they presented the king with a root of gintz-aen.From then on, ginseng was widely used by wealthy Europeans for exhaustion and debility.By the 18th century, it was also popular in America, especially when P. quinquefolius was found to be indigenous.
The name 'panax' in the botanical name means 'all-healing.'The Mandarin name for ginseng, len seng, literally means 'root of man,' so named because the root resembles the shape of the human body.
It is said that the botanical name of ginseng is derived from the Greek word for panacea, because of the great reverence in which the herb is held.
Ginseng was known to Judah in the market place of Israel (Ezekiel 27:17).Trading was done in wheat, oil balm, honey, and 'Pannag,'or all-healing ginseng.
Panax quinquefolius L.:
No medicinal herb is more famous than Ginseng.For over 200 years wild American Ginseng has been harvested and shipped to the Orient.Today, over 95% of the American Ginseng crop (wild-harvested and cultivated) is shipped to eastern Asia.Interstate commerce of the root is regulated by the federal government.It is unethical and illegal to harvest the roots before the red berries ripen and set seed in late summer or early autumn.
In China for centuries, Ginseng was considered an almost magical drug, a cure for bodily woes.Among the Chinese healers Ginseng is regarded primarily as a 'man's herb' although it may be taken by both men and women.The female equivalent of Ginseng is a root called Dong Kwei.
The name Ginseng is derived from the Chinese word for 'likeness of man' because its roots sometimes resemble a human figure.Ginseng's genus name Panax, like the word panacea, comes from the Greek word panakeia, meaning 'all-healing'.This refers to the plant's reputation as a Chinese cure-all.Quinquefolium means five-fingered leaf.
Native Americans have used the root of this plant to relieve vomiting and nausea.Some tribes used it in their love potions.American colonists began using ginseng in the early 1700s.The Eclectics, 19th century physicians who rejected synthetic drugs in favor of plant medicines, recommended American ginseng as a stimulant and aphrodisiac. | | Sold : | Capsules: take 1 capsule, up to 3 times daily.
Tablets,Extracts
Powder:mix 1 to 2 tsp. in warm liquid daily.
Instant granules,Ginseng liquid
Ginseng tea:drink 1 cup daily. |
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