Ginseng and Ginseng Products 101

The following sections are included:

• Authors and Contributors
• Disclaimer
• Dedication
• Foreword
• Preface
• Guide to Using This Book
• Acknowledgements
• Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables

“Ginseng is good for you.” Many of us have heard or seen this statement at one time or another. What is “ginseng”? What does it do? Do you know that there are many products that are known as “ginseng”? Do you know what you are buying or have bought? The most commonly encountered herb known as “ginseng” is likely to be the Chinese ginseng (Ren Shen). That's the humanoid shape root in your herbal soup. It is the root of a herb known as Panax ginseng. In the world of plant taxonomy, the word “Panax” is the genus, while the word “ginseng” indicates the species. Some of us may have travelled to Korea and been brought to the specialty shops selling Korean ginseng and may have bought some. The Korean ginseng orginates from the same plant as the Chinese ginseng. Both the Chinese and Korean ginseng are available as the white or red (processed) form. Both forms have slightly different constituents and hence slightly different properties. Another commonly encountered “ginseng” is the American ginseng. It is also known as Xi Yang Shen, Hua Qi Shen and Pao Shen. It is also in the genus Panax, but is of another species known as Panax quinquefolius. Another Panax species is Panax notoginseng. It is also known as San Qi or Tian Qi. It looks different from Chinese ginseng or American ginseng roots as it appears like a hard rock which is beige in colour when uncoated, or is dark and smooth when it is coated with insect wax. Other herbs which do not belong to the genus Panax may also have the word “ginseng” in their common names. This book is a useful and quick reference to these herbs…

The term “ginseng” has been loosely used to refer to Panax ginseng (Chinese ginseng and Korean ginseng), Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng, Pao Shen, Hua Qi Shen), Panax notoginseng (San Qi, Tian Qi) and Eleutherococcus senticosus (Siberian ginseng). While the first three species belong to the Panax genus, each is distinct in its pharmacological activities, indications/traditional uses and chemical compositions. Some may be grown in the wild (very rare, e.g. wild ginseng), while others may be semi-wild (i.e. cultivated beneath natural forest canopy needing limited tending), woods-cultivated (i.e. more densely planted in the forest with more human interventions than semi-wild type, e.g. cultivated ginseng) and some are artificial shade-cultivated (i.e. grown in open field plantations beneath wooden or plastic shading materials) (Hankins A, 2009; Viana VM et al., 1996). The price variations among the different types are great and in decreasing order of price: wild, followed by semi-wild, woods-cultivated and finally artificial shade-cultivated…

This chapter discusses two plants, namely the Siberian ginseng or Ci Wu Jia (Eleutherococcus senticosus, also known as Acanthopanax senticosus) and the five-leaf ginseng or Jiao Gu Lan (Gynostemma pentaphyllum). Unlike the herbs introduced in Chapter 2, these two herbs are not from the genus Panax.

The following sections are included:

• Introduction
• Survey of Products
  • Information on product label: name, brand and manufacturer
  • Products composition
    • Four Panax species, E. senticosus & G. pentaphyllum
    • Listed ingredients
  • Dosage forms
  • Indications
  • Side effects, contraindications, caution and interactions
  • Price
• Conclusion
• References

Many people have been involved in the production of this book. From an undergraduate student doing her final year project, to graduate students working on their projects, to research staff and academics, to the editorial team at World Scientific and the marketing team. We thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts!…

The following sections are included:

• Appendix 1: Glossary
• Appendix 2: Explanations of TCM Terminologies Mentioned in the Main Text
• Appendix 3: Pharmacological Activities and Herb–Drug Interactions
• Appendix 4: Major Chemical Components and Their Pharmacological Activities
• Appendix 5: Decoction and Dosage
• Appendix 6: Product Information

The following sections is included:

• Index