American Ginseng American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) is a perennial herb that grows wild in the shady forests of eastern half of North America. Many Native American tribes used American ginseng to increase strength and vigor. The active constituents of American ginseng are ginsenosides. The type and ratio of ginsenosides are different from the ginsenosides in Red Korean ginseng. American ginseng belongs to the Panax genus, this is the same genus as Red Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) "also known as Asian ginseng". Panax derives from Greek, pan meaning "all," and akos, "cure," referring to "cure all" or "panacea". The Panax genus contains six species native to eastern Asia and two native to eastern North America. Ginseng means "essence of the earth in the form of a man". Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus), is not the same plant and does not contain ginsenosides, although Siberian ginseng is part of the same family as American ginseng and Red Korean ginseng, called Araliaceae. All three ginsengs are considered to be an adaptogen, they strengthen the body, helping it return to normal when it has been subjected to stress. American ginseng has stimulanting properties, it is especially good as a tonic for the elderly if not overdone and is not recommended for children because of the stimulanting properties, at this time, there were no known drug interactions. Read more... |