Herb. No. 108 · Araliaceae
Korean and Chinese woodland. Farmed under shade cloth; wild stands are conservation-locked.
Native · East Asia
Native Also grown
LegalCautionplant
Asian ginseng
Panax ginseng
The man-shaped root of East Asian tonic medicine — stamina folklore in a slow, expensive crop.
Panax means ‘all-healing,’ which is already a warning. Cultivated Asian ginseng is a shade crop whose root is sliced, steamed red, or taken as a labeled extract. Traditional use is as an adaptogen for fatigue and recovery, not a stimulant coffee. American ginseng (P. quinquefolius) is a sister species with a cooler reputation. Wild digging has gutted stands; this plate is the farmed root.
Flavor
Bitter-sweet, earth, a little licorice and metal.
Parts used
Root
Helpful
- Long written record in Chinese and Korean medicine
- Farmed root exists
Cautions
- Can raise blood pressure and interfere with warfarin and MAOIs
- Insomnia if taken late
- Wild plants are not a harvest