Either of two species of thick-rooted perennials (Panax pseudoginseng, Panax quinquefolium), native to North America and Asia; rhizomatous; palmate leaves; 5-petalled, yellowish-green flowers; round, red fruits. The powdered roots are said to have aphrodisiac as well as medicinal and rejuvenative properties. It is popular as a tonic and dietary supplement, and has been recommended for the treatment of tiredness, nervous, kidney, and circulatory problems. Chemical analysis has shown that it contains a series of glycosides (ginsenosides) which break down to produce sugars which may have an influence on the immune system, increasing resistance to infection. Other constituents include a range of hormones and vitamins which are said to produce a mild anti-coagulant effect on the blood and to protect tissues against the ageing process. (Family: Araliaceae.)
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Panax ginseng - Chinese Ginseng |
Panax is a genus of about five or six species of slow-growing perennial plants with fleshy roots, in the family Araliaceae.
Siberian Ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) is not considered a true ginseng;
American ginseng, Panax quinquefolius, has been used by native peoples of central and eastern North America for at least 290 years (probably for much longer, but this, again, is speculative).
A wide variety of ginseng is generally available in many Chinese or Korean herbal medicine shops and ethnic Chinese/Korean supermarkets, but details must be studied carefully as several other plants are misleadingly called "ginseng".
Modern science and ginseng
It has been difficult to verify the medicinal benefits of ginseng using modern science. Ironically, one of the better studies involving ginseng actually uses a proprietary formula of ginseng
Ginseng is promoted as an adaptogen (a product that increases the body's resistance to stress), a vague claim, but one which can to a certain extent be supported with reference to its anticarcinogenic and antioxidant properties, although animal experiments to determine whether longevity and health were increased in the presence of stress gave negative results.
Side Effects
Ginseng's most common side effects are nervousness and excitability, which usually decrease after the first few days.
Ginseng has been shown to be a stimulus to the body and has been forbidden in some atheletic competitions
Common classification
Panax ginseng Chinese/Korean ginseng (root) According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Ginseng promotes Yang energy, improves circulation, increases blood supply, revitalizes and aids recovery from weakness after illness, stimulates the body The ginseng root can be double steamed with chicken meat as a soup. (See samgyetang.) Panax quinquefolius American ginseng (root) Ginseng that is produced in the United States and Canada is particularly prized in Chinese societies, and many ginseng packages are prominently colored red, white, and blue. The reason it has been claimed that American ginseng promotes Yin (shadow, cold, negative, female) while East Asian ginseng promotes Yang (sunshine, hot, positive, male) is that, according to traditional Chinese medicine, things living in cold places are strong in Yang and vice versa, so that the two are balanced. Chinese/Korean ginseng grows in northeast China and Korea, the coldest area known to Chinese in the old time, so ginseng from there is supposed to be very Yang. And originally, American ginseng was imported into China via subtropical Canton, the seaport next to Hong Kong, so Chinese doctors believed that American ginseng must be good for Yin, because it came from a hot area.Wild ginseng
Wild ginseng is ginseng that has not been planted and cultivated domestically, rather it is that which grows naturally and is harvested from wherever it is found to be growing. Wild ginseng is relatively rare and even increasingly endangered, due in large part to high demand for the product in recent years, which has lead to the wild plants being sought out and harvested faster than new ones can grow (it requires years for a ginseng root to reach maturity).
Red ginseng
Red ginseng (Korean=홍삼, Simplified Chinese: 红蔘, Traditional Chinese: 紅蔘), is Panax ginseng that has been heated, either through steaming or sun-drying.
A study shows that Red ginseng reduces the relapse of gastric cancer versus control
A study of ginseng's effects on rats show that while both White ginseng and Red ginseng reduce the incidence of cancer, the effects appear to be greater with Red ginseng.
Ginseng alternatives
These plants are sometimes referred to as ginseng, but they are either from a different family or genus.
Eleutherococcus senticosus (Siberian ginseng) Pseudostellaria heterophylla (Prince ginseng) Angelica sinensis (Female ginseng, aka Dong Quai) Withania somnifera (Indian ginseng, aka Ashwagandha) Pfaffia paniculata (Brazilian ginseng) Lepidium meyenii (Peruvian ginseng, aka Maca) Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Southern ginseng, aka Jiaogulan)
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