AMERICAN GINSENG

Panax quinquefolius, commonly known as American Ginseng and often by its Chinese name Xipaoshen (simplified Chinese: 西洋参; traditional Chinese: 西洋參; pinyin: xīyángshēn), is an herbaceous perennial in the ivy family that is commonly used in medicine. It is native to eastern North America, though it also cultivated beyond its range in places such as China.

The plant's forked root and leaves were traditionally used for medicinal purposes by Native Americans. Since the 1800s, the roots have been collected by "'sang hunters," and sold to Chinese or Hong Kong traders, who often pay very high prices for particularly old wild roots.

American Ginseng was formerly particularly widespread in the Appalachian and Ozark regions (and adjacent forested regions such as Pennsylvania and New York State), but due its popularity the wild plant has been overharvested, and is thus rare in most parts of the United States. It is also grown commercially, under artificial shade, in fields in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and usually harvested after three to four years when ripe.


PHYSICAL STRUCTURE AND HABITAT OF GINSENG

Ginseng is a long live plant that can grow until hundreds years.The herbal plant is short and its whole body is embeded in soil.Usually,the natural habitat of ginseng is at steep valleys and shelters in thick forest.A matured ginseng has five leaves at its stalk.Ginseng will flower in every spring season.Ginseng flower bud is grey in colour and will turn to dark red by the end the of summer season.Ginseng will grow until its size reaches 7-21inches.Ginseng body is 100% root which is light yellow in colour.Ginseng has long and fibrous root.


CONTENTS OF GINSENG

Like Panax ginseng, American ginseng contains dammarane type ginsenosides as the major biologically active constituents. Dammarane type ginsenosides includes 2 classifications: the 20(S)-protopanaxadiol [ppd] and 20(S)-protopanaxatriol [ppt] classifications. American ginseng contains high levels of Rb1, Rd (ppd classification) and Re (ppt classification) ginsenosides higher than that of P. ginseng in one study.


American ginseng is said can cold the body compared to Asiatic ginseng that will warm the body due to Chinese belief about gospel polarity which related to Yin Yang.American ginseng contains higher ginsenosides than Asiatic ginseng thus it is said has higher medication value.However,there is certain types of ginsenosides that contained in Asiatic ginseng are not contained in American ginseng instead.


THE USES AND BENEFITS OF GINSENG

Ginseng is used to higher the human physical and mental endurance,increase energy,stabilise the body physiology,reduce the cholesterol leve and prevent cancer disease.Besides that,the traditional role of ginseng is to improve copulatory performance.Ginseng also strengthen the body physical to fight fatigue.Research shows that the often usage of ginseng will benefit for Alzheimer’s disease,overcome the diabetes disease(lower the sugar content in body),overcome the aging process,improve the immune system and many more.Below is the futher information about the benefits of ginseng :

1)Reduce the life pressure

The past continuous current researches proved that ginseng is effective to help human body to overcome pressure problem in life.In research that are done in the laboratory at korea,Russia,Bulgaria,North America and London which use mouse as experiment,shows that mouse under pressure will become slower if given prescribed dose of ginseng. a book entitled "Ginseng, The Magical Herb of the East" that is writen by Stephen Fulder,states that the intake of ginseng enable someone under pressure back to normal faster.Chinese and Korean researchers discover that ginseng leaves positive effect towards adrenal glands and mind activity.

2)Pressure,Active and Endurance

In 1980s,a group of reserchers from California University discover that ginseng is able to increse the efficiency of the production of energy in our body.Besides that,they found that ginseng stabilise body metabolism rate by enhancing the food digestion,production of energy from digested food and eliminate the toxin in human body.The ginsenosides content in ginseng repair the nervous system in human body by flowing more blood to brain and activate neurotransmitter in the brain.

3)Cardiovascular

Ginseng is proved giving the positive effect towards cardiovascular and spinal cord system.According to Fulder,Chinese people use ginseng as one of the method to stabilise the blood pressure after sudden heart attack.Doctors from Russia and German also think that ginseng is effective to reduce the high blood pressure.The contents of ginseng such as ginserosides, triester, panaxatrial can regulate the human blood pressure by reducing the cholesterol level,stimulating the nervous system and tonic.Moreover,American ginseng that promotes Yin is believed more effective compared to Asian ginseng in lowering the cholesterol level in human body.According to research carried out by researchers from Wisconsin University,they discovered that American ginseng is the most effective substance to lower the cholesterol level in the animal body.

4)Strengthen the immune system

Fulder has carried out an experiment by feeding ginseng to a group of animals.Then,he injects the animals with the bacteria that can cause disease.The result shows that the animals stay healthy.This proved that ginseng can strengthen the immune system.In Japan,researcher discovered that ginseng can strengthen the immune system by firming the endurance of white blood cells that acts as antibody to fight any micro organism that attack our body.Ginseng white blood cells by triggering production process of white blood cells in bone marrow.

5)Cancer

It is discovered that ginseng is able to protect our body from drugs side effects and radioactive teraphy in healing process of cancer disease(radioactive ray used to kill cancer cells).Korean and Russian researchers show that the patients who eat prescribed dose of ginseng are capable to stand the increasing of the usage of anti cancer drugs.Scientists carried out an experiment as below:

Mouse that is given ginseng is succesfully lower the carbohydrate level,and alcohol in its body.The scientists also discovered that the mouse heals faster and when it is emitted by the X-ray,the resistance increases two times.Besides that,the mouse is more inclined to live after being injected with poison,bacteria and anticancer drugs. Studies suggests that regular intake of ginseng may reduce one's chances of getting various types of cancer, especially lung, liver, stomach, pancreatic and ovarian. A laboratory study found that American ginseng may also enhance the effects of medications used to treat breast cancer, potentially allowing the doctor to use less chemotherapy.

6)Diabetes

While both Asian and American ginsengs appear to lower blood sugar (glucose) levels, American ginseng has been the more studied in scientific trials. Several human studies report a blood sugar lowering effect using American ginseng in patients with type 2 diabetes, both on fasting blood sugar and on postprandial (after eating) glucose levels. One study found that people with type 2 diabetes who took American ginseng before or together with a high sugar load experienced less of an increase in blood glucose levels. Several studies using laboratory animals report positive effects of using American ginseng and ginsenosides for high blood sugar levels. One recent study using mice found that the American ginseng berry was more effective at lowering blood sugar levels than the root.

7)Increase the couple harmony

Ginseng is proved succesfully increases the man sexual potential.Researcher discovers that ginseng contains particular substance that enhance the increase of sex hormone activity simultaneously increase the man power in carrying out the responsibility as a husband.In Russia,doctor found that ginseng can cure the patient that suffers from sterility problem.Furthermore,ginseng is also effective for the women by stabilizing their menstrual cycle which are in time.

8)Aging process

Ginseng delays the general aging process by generating the healthy blood circulation.Ginseng prevents cardiovascular diseases and also effective in alleviating fatigue.Therefore,ginseng can be said as the safe enhancer and can be used continuously.In ancient China, as early as Shang dynasty,the society knew how to use ginseng to reduce pain at joints or known as athritis.