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Ginseng

Ginseng is a herb that was first discovered by the ancient Chinese. The botanical name for it is Panax quinquefolium. Ginseng is one of seven hundred species of the Araliaceous family of herbs. This family includes parsnips, celery and carrots. Out of the five species of Ginseng, two are native to North America and three to Asia. Out of these five species of Ginseng, only two have any medicinal value or curative properties. These are the Panax quinquefolium, the American variety and the Panax Ginseng, or the Oriental variety. Both the species of Ginseng look very much alike and have similar chemical properties as well.

History of Ginseng: medicinal value in earlier times

Panax ginseng is believed to have been discovered more than five thousand years ago in ancient China in the Manchuria Mountains. The Chinese perhaps used it as food in the beginning but soon its medicinal value was recognized: its power to strengthen and rejuvenate the user and soon it became apart of world trade as its demand increased in the third century AD. Korea started this trade by exchanging ginseng for Chinese silk as the demand in China for Ginseng could not be met from the natural resources and they needed to import the herb from Korea- demand led to commercial cultivation of Ginseng and its popularity grew manifold; even Jesuit priests heard of the root and its healing properties. They searched for the root in the Canadian forests, based on the argument that the environments of Canada and the original habitat of the herb were very similar-and struck lucky for three months later, the Canadian species of Ginseng growing near Montreal were found. Soon after the first discovery, the herb was found in New England, New York, Massachusetts and Vermont and as word of its remedial properties spread all over Europe and America, so did its users.

Medicinal Use of Ginseng today: Remedies for the modern world

Ginseng is a powerful herbal tonic that can be taken to improve energy, increase stamina and to build up resistance to combat the psychological and physical stresses of life. The active ingredients in ginseng are complex carbohydrates called saponins or ginsenosides. Individual ginsenosides appear to have separate effects, so while one ginsenoside stimulates the central nervous system, another may sedate it; still others may help in balancing metabolic processes, decreasing blood sugar, improving muscle tone, stimulating the endocrine system and maintaining proper hormone levels.

Herbalists claim that ginseng can:

Storage

If Ginseng has to be stored for two months or less, the fridge is ideal but for longer storage periods, it needs to be covered with layers of moist sand, in a cardboard container and placed where the temperature is constant, taking care not to shake it for the duration of the storage.