Ginseng Plant - History, Facts and Information on the herb

What is ginseng? The ginseng plant is a fleshy root which has been used by several different cultures in Asia for its health promoting benefits for many, many years. This is especially so in the eastern areas - China, Japan, Korea, as well as the far eastern parts of Russia.

Some say that this very famous and popular herb has been used for some 5,000 years. It is said to have been worth more than Gold during the Qing Dynasty in China.

There are three distinct varieties of ginseng that grow wild and are also cultivated that are commonly in use. They are American ginseng, Asian or Korean ginseng, and Siberian ginseng. Among the three, Korean ginseng and American ginseng are said to be the ones with more significant healthful properties.

The Health Benefits of Ginseng in gist

Herbalists have traditionally prescribed a preparation made from the aromatic root of the plant of genus Panax (ginseng), and successfully treated a variety of medical conditions ranging from diabetes to hypertension to congestive heart failure.

The term ginseng is derived from the Chinese name "ren shen" which means "man" and "herb" owing to the shape of the ginseng root, which resembles the shape of the human body. The Latin name of for the species, Panax, finds its origin etymologically in the Greek word "panacea", which means "cure-all" or "all healer".

As is evident from the aforementioned explanation of the etymological origin of the genus and plant name, in Chinese and Greek, it refers to the wide scope of remedial and healing attributes of this multipurpose therapeutic herb.

All parts of the ginseng plant are venerated and used practically for its unique healing powers - including ginseng leaves, ginseng fruit and ginseng root. These parts of ginseng plants all contain ginsenosides, which in layman's terms are the chemical constituents that are attributed with the beneficial health properties of ginseng. However, the ginseng root is most revered and sought after for its commercial demand, and therefore is prized beyond all other parts of this healing plant.

More on ginseng health benefits are discussed in separate articles.

Ginseng Quality and Ginseng Products

Real, top quality ginseng is very costly. The main reason why ginseng is so costly is that the ginseng plant is difficult to cultivate, and also takes many years to reach maturity, said to be up to six years. However, due largely to the high demand for ginseng and its related products, many substandard ginseng products have surfaced in the market.

Two separate studies carried out on the various ginseng products available found that almost 60 percent of the products surveyed were considered 'worthless', while more than 25 percent of them were found to not contain ginseng at all. All in all, more than 50 commercial ginseng products were examined and chemically analyzed in the two studies.

In a different study, conducted in the United States between the years 1999 and 2001, it was found that many ginseng products for sale in the US contain little or no ginseng at all. Also, reports of contaminated ginseng came to light during the course of this study.

Read more about the health benefits of ginseng in the other related articles.

Ginseng Pages | Ginseng Plant - History, Facts and Information on the herb | Ways of Obtaining Ginseng Benefits - Methods of Consumption | Health Benefits of Ginseng - Energy, Stronger Immunity, and More | More about Health Benefits and Effects of Ginseng | Possible Ginseng Side Effects, Caution and Contraindications

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