During the Han Dynasty, Shennon (considered to be the father of Chinese medicine)
noted the use of ginseng in his medical journal approx. 5000 years ago.
Since then Ginseng has been central
to Chinese medicine and western herbalists alike, who claim that
it increases blood flow, improves memory, wards off infection and
restores general vitality.
The active ingredients in ginseng (called ginsengosides) accelerate the degradation of alcohol
in the blood stream.*
*At the 4th International
Ginseng Symposium in 1984, Dr. J. Y. Lee of the Korea Ginseng & Tobacco Research Institute found that
the alcohol level in the blood of those who took Korean red ginseng with alcohol was significantly lower
than those who were given alcohol alone.
The word ginseng comes from the Chinese ‘ren shen’ (man root) due to the harvested roots looking like the arms and legs of a human. The name white ‘panax’ ginseng comes from the Greek word ‘panacea’ (cure all.)
Ginseng is considered a mild stomachic tonic and stimulant, useful in loss of appetite and to aid digestion.
Ginseng is a slow-growing perennial plant, it can take up to 6 years to mature and it thrives in the cooler climates of Northern China, Korea and Siberia.The roots are either dried or steamed, this concentrates the active ingredient known as Ginsengoside. Herbalists claim that adaptogens increase the body's resistance to stress, trauma, anxiety and fatigue.
