Ginseng is a medicinal plant grown for its roots. Cultivated for centuries, this herbaceous perennial once thrived in the wild in its native habitats in North America and Asia; however, ginseng is now considered an endangered species. You are more likely to find ginseng growing in a commercial greenhouse than the wild.
Identification
Ginseng is a member of the Araliaceae family of plants and belongs to the genus Panax. The plant has dark-green, oval-shaped, serrated leaves that sit atop 12- to 24-inch-long stems. Examine the ginseng plant in midsummer and you will see small, greenish-yellow flowers that ripen into small, crimson berries, each containing two wrinkled seeds. Ginseng plants are pollinated by bees and hoverflies, although they can also self-pollinate. Below ground, ginseng plant produces a gnarled, white, carrotlike taproot that grows 3 to 8 inches long and weighs about 1 oz. in weight within three years, at which time it is ready for harvest. The roots of older plants are usually forked.
Types
Eight species of ginseng plants exist in the world, with three used in herbal medicine for the roots. American ginseng, or Panax quinquefolius, is native to North America; Asian ginseng, or Panax ginseng, is from Manchuria and Korea; Siberian ginseng, or Eleutherococcus senticosus, comes from Siberia.
History
Inhabitants of Asia and Siberia have grown and used ginseng for centuries, and the Native American Indians cultivated the crop. In the 1700s, American frontiersman, Daniel Boone, gathered and exported American ginseng. By the late 1800s, ginseng became a domesticated crop in various areas of the U.S., including Wisconsin, which produced 95 percent of the ginseng in the U.S. in 2006, according to the Ginseng Board of Wisconsin.
Facing Extinction
You could once find wild ginseng growing in abundance in forested areas throughout much of the eastern seaboard, but over-harvesting in the mid-1970s and habitat loss through timber cutting pushed the plant to the brink of extinction. In the wild, you will only find ginseng growing in undisturbed woodland habitats on north-facing slopes -- never in open fields or areas used by grazing animals.
Considerations
Ginseng is generally regarded as safe when used for short periods of time, but it does have stimulating effects. If you use the herbal supplement, watch out for unusual symptoms such as high blood pressure, insomnia, headache, confusion, irregular heart rhythm and vomiting. Consult your physician before taking ginseng products if you are using other medications or if you have a health condition.
References
- Michigan State University Board of Trustees; Panax quinquefolius L - Ginseng; 2004
- University of Wisconsin Extension and University of Minnesota - Center for Alternative Plant and Animal Products; Ginseng; Dec. 31, 1969
- University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service; Ginseng; R. Terry Jones, et al.
- University of Illinois Extension; Ginseng - Potential Income for Landowners; Pamela S. Jacobs; Oct. 16, 2009
- Ginseng Board of Wisconsin: About The Ginseng Board of Wisconsin
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