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The Wonders of Ginseng

Written by Asinus Asinum Fricat on May 22, 2008 – 9:13 am -

In the old days, in spring, on the mountain, the medicine men had meetings in the forest. They shared information about new medicines to heal people from sicknesses. Yellow root heals colds. Cherry bark aids sore throats. Touch-me-not helps poison ivy sores. Bloodroot helps diarrhea. Tobacco and sassafras leaf help bee stings. And ginseng? It cured all.

Perhaps no herb known to the Eastern or Western world is shrouded in as much mystery and promise as ginseng. The herb exists throughout both China and North America in two major species. The Asian form, Panax ginseng, has been harvested for medicinal use for over 7,000 years in China, and wars were waged in China over control of the forests where it flourished.

American ginseng, Panax quinquefolium, has enjoyed a relatively short popularity of only 300 years. American ginseng began to be harvested in the wild in the 1700’s by Jesuit priests in Canada for export to China (btw, they almost cornered the world market!), who was suffering from ginseng shortages due to over harvesting. Settlers often described that Native American villages were found empty as the entire population was out collecting ginseng! Daniel Boone was said to have traded ginseng.

Both the Asian and American forms of ginseng are highly revered by traditional healers throughout the world. The word ginseng is said to mean “the wonder of the world”. Due to the fact that the harvested roots often take a surprisingly human form, complete with offshoots that resemble arms and legs, it has also been named “the man root”, and is considered to be the “king of herbs” (a little known fact is that C.A. Meyer, a Russian botanist, named it panax ginseng in 1843, panax meaning cure all in Greek pan does all, Axos medicine)

According to the old medicine men there are some alternative ways to use ginseng: you can compress the juice from the berries into your eyes and see better for 3 hours. You can use the root and leaves for tea. It gives you energy. It makes you a little bit stronger. makes you feel better. It keeps you from getting sick. It helps sore throats. It aids fever. Some people use ginseng for gum. They chew the root. Whatever medicine you use, when you add ginseng to it, the medicine is stronger.

The old adage that women should not take ginseng is mostly untrue. However it not recommended throughout pregnancies.

Tags: Canada, China, Ginseng, Jesuits, Medicinal Herbs
Posted in Diaries |