Herbs & Herbal Remedies @ Green Papaya

Asia’s Ultimate Tonic

Family: Araliaceae; (includes Ivy)

Genus and Species: Panax Ginseng (Chinese/Korean/Japanese); Panax Quinquefolius (American); Eleutherococcus Senticosus (Siberian)

Also known as: Man Root, Life Root, Root of Immortality, Tartar Root, Heal-all, ‘seng, ’sang

Parts used: Roots

Ginseng is as fascinating as it is controversial. The root of an unassuming ivy-like groundcover, it has been the subject of more than 1,200 books and scientific papers, yet its effects are still hotly debated.

Advocates say it’s completely safe and call it the ultimate tonic-a mild aphrodisiac that enhances memory, learning, productivity, physical stamina, and immune function, while reducing blood cholesterol and sugar (glucose) and minimizing the ravages of stress, aging, radiation, alcohol, and narcotics.

Critics say it does little, if anything, except cause a potentially hazardous “abuse syndrome.”

Man Root

Ginseng is not one herb but three: Chinese or Korean or Iapanese (P. ginseng), American (P. quinquefolius), and Siberian (E. senticosus). The Siberian plant is not true ginseng, but it contains similar active chemicals, and studies show it has similar effects. As a result, all three are grouped together as “ginseng,” and used interchangeably in the West.

Ginseng has a fleshy, multi-branched root. If you stretch your imagination, some roots resemble the human form, with limb-like branches suggesting arms and legs. The ancient Chinese called the plant “man root,” jen shen, which became “ginseng.”

Ginseng figured prominently in the first great Chinese herbal, the Pen Tsao Ching (The Classic of Herbs), compiled by the mythological emperor/sage Shen Nung. Shen Nung recommended it for “enlightening the mind and increasing wisdom,” and noted that “continuous use leads to longevity.” In China, ginseng’s fancied resemblance to the human form led to the belief that it was a whole-body tonic, particularly for the elderly. It was widely used to treat infirmities of old age: lethargy, impotence, arthritis, senility, menopausal complaints, and loss of sexual interest. Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese still consider ginseng the best health promoter, though their calling it the “root of immortality” stretches things a bit.

More Prized Than Gold

As the popularity of ginseng spread throughout ancient Asia, demand soared and rapacious collection decimated the supply. Chinese ginseng became increasingly rare and more valuable than gold. Unscrupulous merchants sold other roots as ginseng, and adulteration is still a problem today.

Unlike other Asian herbs that became favorites in the West (for example, ginger and cinnamon), ginseng remained a mystery in Europe until the 18th century, when missionaries informed early European botanists of its reputation as a longevity herb. Europeans scoffed at Asian claims, but those familiar with Asia-particularly the Jesuits who had many missions in China-appreciated the herb’s great value there.

The Jesuits’ Secret

In 1704, a French explorer returned to Paris with a sample of what turned out to be American ginseng from southern Canada. Jesuits in France alerted their brethren in Canada to its enormous value in China, and some years later, Jesuits in Montreal shipped a boatload to Canton, where other Jesuits sold it to the Chinese for what was then a king’s ransom, $5 a pound.

Immediately the Jesuits began shipping to China as much ginseng as their Indian collectors could find. They made a fortune and kept the lucrative trade a secret for many years. But word eventually leaked that the celibate fathers seemed to take an unusual interest in a certain low-growing herb, which was rumored to be an aphrodisiac in far-off Cathay.

Once the word got out, ginseng was discovered growing as far south as Georgia, and it enjoyed a brief burst of popularity among American colonists interested in sexual stimulation. Most were disappointed. Virginia plantation owner William Byrd wrote in the late 17th century that ginseng “frisks the spirits,” but causes none “of those naughty effects that might make men too troublesome and impertinent to their wives.

By the 1740s, few Americans were consuming ginseng, but news of its incredible value in China hit the 13 colonies like word of the California gold strike 100 years later. Shipping agents circulated handbills offering to buy the herb for the then-fabulous sum of $1 a pound. Foragers scoured the countryside, and frontier scouts, surveyors, and fur trappers collected ginseng as a sideline to their other work. Ginseng quickly became the colonies’ most valuable export-more precious pound for pound than even the rarest furs.

Americans Adopt the Herb

The American Indians learned about ginseng from the Jesuits and used it to combat fatigue, stimulate appetite, and aid digestion. Some tribes mixed it into love potions.

America’s 19th-century Eclectics called ginseng a stimulant for “mental exhaustion from overwork” and prescribed it for loss of appetite, indigestion, asthma, laryngitis, bronchitis, and tuberculosis. King’s American Dispensatory added it “invigorates the virile powers.”

Contemporary herbalists echo the Chinese, recommending ginseng as a tonic stimulant that promotes vitality and longevity They also suggest it for fever, inflammations, colds, coughs, respiratory problems, depression, menstrual difficulties, childbirth, and immune stimulation.

Wild American ginseng is no longer plentiful, but in Appalachia, collectors still forage for the herb. Wild ginseng sells to export agents for about $200 per pound. Most collectors never use the herb themselves. In the words of Georgia ginseng trader Jake Plott, “I never found it worth a damn for anything but to get money out of” Plott’s comment aptly sums up how many Western scientists feel about Asia’s most revered herb. Critics dismiss its purported benefits as “folklore of the Far East” and say the studies showing benefit are seriously flawed. They also charge ginseng causes “serious side effects,” including a combination of nervousness, insomnia, diarrhea, high blood pressure, and hormonal disturbances, known as “ginseng abuse syndrome.”

Meanwhile, scientific literature shows ginseng is reasonably safe and beneficial for some ailments.