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GINSENG
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1. WHAT IS GINSENG?
Ginseng is a short, perennial plant of the botanical family Aralianceae. It grows naturally on the slopes of ravines and shady, well drained mountainous hardwood forests. It bears 5 compound leaves on a single stalk at maturity. A single cluster of crimson fruit is sent up each Spring. The plant grows between 7-21 inches when wild. The root is creamy yellow or white resembling a parsnip with rootlets that branch off sometimes resembling the shape of the human body. The root is the part that is used. Ginseng is the most widely used medicinal plant in the Orient.
2. ARE THERE DIFFERENT KINDS OF GINSENG?
Yes. There is the Asiatic type which is known as Panax Ginseng. It grows wild in the mountainous areas of China, Korea and Japan. Ginseng is cultivated quite extensively in Korea and China. Korea leads in the ginseng cultivation world-wide.
The North American type known as Panax Quinquefolium grows throughout the United States particularly in the Northern regions. North American ginseng is also found in Ontario and Quebec in Canada though rather sparsely.
Panax comes from the Greek meaning “all-healing” or “cure-all.”
Finally there is the Russian type known as Eleuthrococus Senticosus or more familiarly as Siberian Ginseng. Siberian ginseng is the botanical cousin to the Asiatic and North American type in the Araliaceae family of plants. It grows in Siberia, China, Korea and Japan.
3. HOW DOES GINSENG GROW AND FOR HOW LONG?
In the wild state, ginseng usually grows in humus-rich, loamy soil near the base of large shade trees such as maple, beech or oak. The trees provide the shade for the ginseng plant which is extremely sensitive to sunlight. Ginseng needs special conditions in order to grow. For example, a temperature not exceeding 750F and good air circulation is needed to provide optimum growth. When in cultivation, thatched shelters are made to provide the necessary shade to keep the temperature at the required level.
The soil needs to be moist but not damp. Ginseng is seldom found where the soil is extremely wet or where the water is stagnant. It takes a full six years for the ginseng root to grow to maturity. There have been records of ginseng growing to be over 100 years old. In Korea one record shows a man finding a root over 400 years old! In cultivation, during the six year growing period, the unique plant is given unceasing attention and care. During this cultivation period, ginseng absorbs almost all of the minerals and nutrients in the soil. Because of this fact. after cultivation the soil cannot be used for ten to forty years.
4. CAN I GROW IT MYSELF?
Yes you can. Of course you must provide all the special conditions for growth, not to mention waiting 6 or 7 years for the precious root. Information on growing ginseng can be found in detail in A.R. Harding’s book, “Ginseng and Other Medicinal Plants” (1908). Otherwise drop into your health food store and buy some.
5. WHAT IS GINSENG GOOD FOR?
In ancient China and Korea, ginseng was used as an aid and/or curative agent for a wide variety of diseases. Here is a partial listing of conditions that were treated with ginseng. They are taken from the herbal pharmacology books of China and Korea, the Pen-Tx’ao and the Pang-yak-kap-pyun. Conditions treated with ginseng are: weakness, bronchitis, asthma, tuberculosis, diseases of kidney and spleen, cold hands and feet, stomach weakness, nausea, diabetes, diarrhea, arthritis, gout, indigestion, rheumatism, high blood pressure, infected sores, fatigue, ulcers, insomnia, leprosy, smallpox, weakness after childbirth, colds and the list continues.
With such an impressive record as a curative agent, western medical researchers have become interested over the past 75 years to determine whether or not the simple looking root had any medicinal value. Their results are coming in with almost all stating that ginseng does have a unique effect on the human body.
Here is a short summary of some of the reports: Dr. Brekhman of the U.S.S.R. reports, “Ginseng stimulates both physical and mental activity.” “Ginseng strengthens and protects the human organism when undergoing severe and1 or prolonged physical strain.” “Preparations of ginseng stimulate and improve the work of brain cells.” “Ginseng stimulates the functions of the endocrine glands.” “No bad effects are observed in taking it.” Researchers Hikohichi Oura and Susumu Iliai state: “Ginseng can stimulate carbohydrate metabolism in the liver. Researcher K. Karzel of the Department of Pharmacology at Bonn University, Germany, states in a report on the Pharmacological Effects of Ginseng that “Ginseng extracts were reported to increase or to decrease blood pressure” according to the need of each subject in the study.
Professor V. Petkov, of the Faculty of Pharmacology at the institute of Medical Training in Sofia, Bulgaria, reports that “Ginseng stimulates the adrenal cortex, improves the ability to remember, accelerates learning and even regulates the brain activity, placing it at a higher level.”
Dr. Finn Sandberg, University professor in Stockholm has reported, “Ginseng benefits insomnia and sleep disturbances.” Also, Dr. Sandberg wrote, “Ginseng has beneficial effect on tissue and cellular growth.” Dr. Brekhman, W. Sterner and Kitagawaetal, in 1969 all showed in test results that ginseng has an anti-fatigue effect, and researcher M. Kimura et al in 1973 showed ginseng’s ability to counteract diabetes. There are several hundred reports on ginseng that are too voluminous to cover here. But the interesting fact is that test results support what the Oriental people have been saying for 5,000 years. We can all watch for the further development in ginseng research.
Ginseng today is used by many people to combat fatigue and to get an energy boost. Many serious advocates use ginseng regularly for a variety of ills caused by stress, tension, overwork, and improper eating habits. In recent years more and more doctors have been prescribing ginseng to their patients.
6. IS GINSENG ONLY FOR MEN?
This is a fallacy. Ginseng is just as beneficial for women as it is for men. Both men and women have been using ginseng for centuries in the Orient. Many herbal formulas for women contain ginseng because of its activating properties. It is widely known that ginseng renders vitamins, minerals, and herbs more effective in the human body.
7. WHAT IS INSIDE GINSENG THAT MAKES IT WORK?
Scientists’ collective reports show that ginseng contains six glycocides called panaxosides, and six sapogenins that are attached to the glycosides.
The Chemical formula of Panax Ginseng is C32H36O49H48O3. The effects of the sapogenins are as follows.
Panaquilon — mildly increases endocrine activity.
Panaxapogenal — mildly increases metabolic activity.
Panaxin — mildly stimulates the circulatory system.
Panacene — mildly stimulates the digestive process.
Panaxtriol and panaxdiol, the other two sapogenins are deemed to be greater in affecting homeostasis and preventing the adverse reactions to stress. These active substances have not been able to be synthesized by researchers. Ginseng contains the minerals: phosphorous, iron, copper, magnesium, calcium, potassium, sulphur, manganese, silica and sodium.
The enzymes amylase and phenolase are present in ginseng. Ginseng is also found to be rich in vitamins B1 and B2.
8. WHERE CAN I GET GINSENG?
You can buy ginseng at any health store or wherever health foods and herbs are sold.
9. HOW MUCH DOES GINSENG COST?
Ginseng is the most expensive herb on the market today. Prices are usually determined by the quality and quantity of the product on sale, Prices range from .05 cents for a stick of ginseng chewing gum up to several hundred dollars for a single root of wild Manchuriari ginseng weighing less than an ounce!
There are basically three price ranges for ginseng products: low medium and high. The low price range of ginseng products is $11 and under. The medium range is $12 to $30, and the high range is from $31 and up.
The quality of ginseng today can be measured by the lay person on the basis of price. In simple terms, what you pay for, is what you’ll get.
Ginseng on the market in Korea, for example, comes in all different grades such as 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade. All ginseng products are made from varying grades of roots, whether they are Chinese, Korean or American. The lesser the grade the less cost involved in production and so on. Good grade ginseng products are expensive. To get the best results from ginseng, it is recommended to use a more expensive ginseng product that is made from good grade roots.
10. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO USE GINSENG?
Ginseng comes in the following forms:
1) Extracts
2) Granular teas
3) Pills, capsules, tablets
4) Powders
5) Dried roots
Each person usually chooses the form which is best suited to individual needs and desires. Some people like the capsule form because of convenience on taking and the avoidance of the bitter sweet taste of ginseng. Others like the granular tea form that makes a good drink, or there are those who prefer to chew the root raw.
Extracts and granular extract teas are the easiest absorbed forms of ginseng available. Scientists use crude and refined ginseng extracts in their experiments to produce results. The one drawback is the biter taste of extracts and granular extract teas. This is usually overcome by using honey or peppermint to add to the taste. Ginseng can be used every day or periodically as needed without harmful side effects. To take ginseng on an empty stomach is recommended.
These are only very brief answers to the 10 most commonly asked questions about ginseng. There is a vast store-house of knowledge available in books written on ginseng which you can find in our bibliography. There are also many herb books available at your health food store that also write about the ginseng plant. Read and find out more about this most remarkable root that scientists are predicting will become the prerequisite for the prevention and treatment of disease in the future.