Panax ginseng C.A Meyer is the most widely used and most extensively studied species of ginseng. Native to (and now widely cultivated in) both Korea and China, this herbaceous shrub grows to a height of 60 to 70 cm or 20 to 25 inches from a tap root and produces a cluster of small green yellow flowers. The fully grown tap roots are approximately 2 centimeters in diameter and 8 to 20 centimeters longs. Many ginseng products available in North America are made from Panax ginseng grown in the Orient.
Panax is derived from the Greek roots pan meaning “all” and akos meaning “cure” and refers to the “cure all” and “panacea” quality generally attributed to the herb. The name ginseng means “essence of the earth in the form of a man,” and refers to the resemblance of the roots to a human form.
Ginseng has been an important part of Traditional Chinese Medicine for over five thousand years. It is considered to be a bitter sweet herb with a warming character. Within Traditional Chinese Medicine, ginseng was used to restore ‘yang’ quality and to treat general weakness, deficient qi (chi) patterns, anemia, lack of appetite, nervous agitation, thirst and impotence. It is classified as an adaptogen, which is thought to increase non specific resistance to adverse influences such as stress and infection. Traditionally it was used as a tonic to “increase strength, increase blood volume, promote life and appetite, quite the spirit, and give wisdom.” It was generally thought to improve vitality.
Asian ginseng
