Ginseng comes in different varieties and is sold in different forms as well, such as roots, powder, slices, or as liquid extracts. Ginseng medicinal values can be weighed on the basis of how much of ginsenoside (main chemical substance in Ginseng) concentration it has in it and how it was processed and prepared.

For example, after a certain survey was conducted by a pharmacy college in the U.S; it was found that 30% of Ginseng that was randomly bought and tested for its original herb value did not contain what was told when it was sold and in another 29% of Ginseng that was bought the medicinal value was destroyed during preparation. So when you are buying Ginseng make sure to check the levels of Ginsenoside content it in.

The best and economical way of buying Ginseng is in its root form. This way you know for sure you are getting the real value for your money. Also, roots can be consumed through many ways. The best amount of dosage one must take daily is about 2-3 grams. Herbalists suggest either you take it daily or three times in a week, which depends on your experience with Ginseng.

Once you buy the root you can slice it and boil it for about an hour to make a nice Ginseng tea which is very healthy. If you like you can add sugar to the tea for a sweetened taste as Ginseng tastes really bitter but it is always best to leave it bitter as its true value lies in its bitterness.

If tea is not your choice of taste then you can add it to any kind of soup or fluids by grinding a small portion of the Ginseng root using a pestle and mortar. Some people use Ginseng in their food or just chew on it as a candy after soaking it for about five to ten minutes in boiling water to make it easier to chew.  If you can manage it then you can try placing a little Ginseng powder right under your tongue where Ginsenoside can be absorbed easily into your blood stream.

You can experiment with all the above options and see which one suits you the best.

Real Ginsengs belong to a plant type called Panax and there has been a lot of other stuff also being marketed under this plant type like the Siberian Ginseng, the Indian Ginseng etc. which are not real Ginsengs.

Panax has about eleven species in it. Two of these eleven species are found in North America and the remaining nine species are found in Asia (North China, Korea, Siberia, India, and Japan). The Ginseng that people popularly refer to as having real important medicinal values to it is the Asian Ginseng particularly from China which is been used for more than 2000 years now. The Asian Ginseng has a long history to it.

The Siberian Ginseng is not a true Ginseng although it is related to the Ginseng family. The other aspect that differentiates a Siberian Ginseng from a real Ginseng is that it does not have the chemical substance called Ginsenosides in it as real Ginsengs do. However, Siberian Ginsengs have their own chemical called Eleutheroside in it which is also beneficial for human health. Furthermore, Siberian Ginsengs have woody roots unlike real Ginseng’s fleshy roots.

The American Ginseng is as popular as the Asian Ginseng. It is commonly known as Panax Quinquefolius. It is naturally grown in Eastern North America which is from Southern Ontario to Georgia and goes far west up to Wisconsin.  The American Ginseng is now also grown in China. The Ginsengs from North America and China are referred to as Yin and Yang. Yin is the North American Ginseng as it has cooling properties in it and Yang is referred to as Chinese Ginsengs as it has a lot of heating property like maintaining body temperature. The North American Ginseng is most beneficial for Americans due to their busy, fast paced and stressful lifestyles. The location where Ginseng grows does affect its medicinal values.

Ginseng is always been known for its health benefits and non-toxic properties but this herb is not a perfect herb too. There are some possible side effects to it.  Too much and prolonged consumption of Ginseng can cause hypertension and insomnia. Hence Ginseng must not be used continuously for longer than three months.

It is always advised to take a break in between doses. For example, if you are taking Ginseng daily for three or five weeks then give a gap of about one or two weeks before you resume the routine. Pregnant women, nursing mothers, or ill people under medication must consult with their physicians before starting their intake of Ginseng because some prescribed or over the counter medications such as aspirin, warfarin, or medications for blood pressure and heart diseases can be clashed with Ginseng if it is consumed together with other drugs.

Other side effects of Ginseng are restlessness, anxiety, euphoria, breast pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and virginal pain. Although Ginseng is found to lower blood sugar levels which is good for diabetic patients but sometimes over dose of it can lower the blood sugar levels really low which can cause some damage like sweating, speech problems, tremors, loss of control over muscles, and unable to think straight. There have been some cases of people falling unconscious or even dead due to extremely low blood sugar levels. Also, Ginseng should preferably be taken by adults and not young children.

If you have just begun taking Ginseng and noticed any of these symptoms then contact your physician and stop the intake of Ginseng immediately. If you are of those kinds who are prone to fall sick easily then always consult with an herbalist or a licensed health practitioner about the dosage and procedure of taking Ginseng.

Do not think you know it all or assume you are your own doctor because then chances are you are going to blame yourself if anything serious were to happen to you and moreover why do something that will only bring on unwanted illnesses to yourself.

The benefits of ginseng in the raw form which is either by root or powder directly from the farm is extremely beneficial. However, there are five most important benefits of ginseng:

1. Ginseng is known to be an adaptogen, which means whatever stress, trauma, inflammation, sport injury, ailment, low libido, metabolism problems you have in your body it will adapt to it and cure it. Ginseng basically balances out the body that needs healing.
2. Ginseng is known to be a natural aphrodisiac or rather nature’s very own Viagra. In fact many people including myself were not aware that Viagra was basically created and modeled after the American Ginseng.
3. It is good for people who are looking to lose weight as Ginseng is known to balance the body’s metabolism, which means it will speed up the metabolism and give you the same amount of energy.
4. Ginseng is also known to help in preventing and curing common colds and that could be severe or mild.
5. It helps those who have chronic fatigue problems. It basically rejuvenates your body with natural energy. You can use Ginseng in coffee, tea, soups, or even in foods.

Apart from these benefits there are other benefits to Ginseng as well. It helps with problems like mood swings and symptoms during menopause; it also helps lowering blood sugar levels, and it slows down the aging process in humans.

Because of its health beneficial properties Ginseng is sometimes sold or bought paying thousands of dollars, it is that expensive. Furthermore, mostly everything in the Ginseng plant can be used like the root and the berries for health benefits.
Ginseng has a substance called ginsenosides which is a potent property that prevents cancer. So when you are purchasing Ginseng make sure to check if it has a 3-7 percent of ginsenoside extracts.

There is a myth in ancient Chinese herbalism which is believed to be the foundation of today’s Chinese traditional medicine. About 5000 years back there was a ruler and a cultural hero in China called “Shennong” whose name literally meant “Divine Farmer”.  This ruler taught his people how to live on cultivated grain instead of killing animals.

Shennong was known to experiment on herbs and plants, so that he would know which ones are apt for human consumption and well-being. The great thing about Shennong was he conducted all these experiments on himself as legend says that he had a belly that was made up of crystal, so he could see what the effects were when he consumed all kinds of herbs.

Shennong was the person who found the herb Ginseng in the mountains of Manchuria, China. He made his discovery noted down in a book that was simply known as “The medicine book of Shennong”. In china it is better known as “Shennong Ben Cao Jing”. The book records all the medicinal findings of Shennong which even until this day is used as an important reference book for traditional Chinese medicine. Shennong discovered that Ginseng creates a balance in the human body which is still believed today.

There are different varieties of Ginsengs been grown in other parts of the world but the Asian Ginseng which was discovered by Shennong in China is the most popularly consumed Ginseng of all.  After Asian Ginseng the other most popularly consumed Ginseng is grown in Eastern North America. Although all Ginsengs have some kind of medicinal value in them not one replica’s the other as each has its own energetic properties.

Chinese believe in the philosophy of Yin and Yang which is composed of a balance between everything; for example without light life would not be appreciated and without darkness life would not rest its body, without a female a male would not be able to produce and vice versa, without hot and cold climates life forms would find it difficult to survive. So the Chinese believe if humans want to remain in perfect health condition they must take everything in balance.

It is a commonly believed that the American Ginseng has a more cooling (Yin) property in it whereas the Asian Ginseng has a more fire or heating (Yang) property to it.   Younger adults are advised to take the American Ginseng to remain cool and calm and older adults are advised to take the Asian Ginseng as it brings back the fire in their health and spirit because as they get older their energy veins out.

The English word Ginseng is derived from the Chinese word “Renshen” which means “Man Root” as it resembles a man.

The Asian Ginseng was first used in China about 2000 years ago although it was discovered 3000 earlier to that. It was used only by noble and rich people like kings and emperors. They believed that Ginseng could bring back people dying to life.