It consists of dried roots of Panax ginseng C.A. Mey and other species of Panax like Panax japonicus (Japanese Ginseng), Panax pseudoginseng (Himalayan Ginseng), Panax quinque-folius (American Ginseng), Panax trifolius (Dwarf Ginseng) and Panax vietnamensis (Vietnamese Ginseng), belonging to family Araliaceae.
GINSENG
Synonyms
Panax, Asiatic Ginseng, Chinese Ginseng, Ginseng Root,
Pannag, Ninjin.
Biological Source
It consists of dried roots of Panax ginseng C.A. Mey and other species of Panax like Panax japonicus (Japanese Ginseng), Panax pseudoginseng (Himalayan Ginseng), Panax quinque-folius (American
Ginseng), Panax trifolius (Dwarf
Ginseng) and Panax vietnamensis (Vietnamese Ginseng), belonging to family
Araliaceae.
Geographical Source
It is mainly found in China, Russia, Korea, Japan, Canada
and India.
History
Ancient healers in India, Russia, China and Japan all
revered ginseng for its medicinal and health-enhancing properties. In
traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), ginseng is used for many purposes,
including normalizing blood pressure and blood sugar, as a sexual tonic for
both men and women and to strengthen overall health when the body is
debilitated.
The botanical name Panax
comes from the Greek word panacea, meaning ‘cure all.’ The Chinese name for
ginseng, ren shen, means ‘man root’
for its characteristic shape that resembles
the trunk, arms and legs of a human being.
Chemical Constituents
Several saponin glycosides belonging to triterpenoid group,
ginsenoside, chikusetsusaponin, panxoside. More than 13 ginsenosides have been
identified. Ginsenosides consists of aglycone dammarol where as panaxosides
have oleanolic acid as aglycone. It also contains large amount of starch, gum,
some resin and a very small amount of volatile oil.
Uses
The root is adaptogen, alterative, carminative, demulcent,
emetic, expectorant, stimulant and tonic. The saponin glycosides, also known as
ginsenosides or Panaxosides, are thought responsible for Panax ginseng’s
effects. Gin-senosides have both stimulatory and inhibitory effects on the CNS,
alter cardiovascular tone, increase humoral and cellular-dependent immunity,
and may inhibit the growth of cancer in vitro. It encourages the secretion of
hormones, improves stamina, lowers blood sugar and cholesterol levels. It is
used internally in the treatment of debility associated with old age or
illness, lack of appetite, insomnia, stress, shock and chronic illness. Ginseng
is not normally prescribed for pregnant women, or for patients under the age of
40, or those with depression, acute anxiety or acute inflammatory disease. It
is normally only taken for a period of 3 weeks. Excess can cause headaches,
restlessness, raised blood pressure and other side effects, especially if it is
taken with caffeine, alcohol, turnips and bitter or spicy foods.
Substitutes
Codonopsis tangshen, a bell-flowered plant, used by the
poor people in China as a substitute
for the costly Ginseng.
Ginseng is sometimes accidentally collected with Senega Root
(Polygala senega, Linn.) and with
Virginian Snake Root (Aristolochia
serpentaria, Linn.), but it is easily detected, being less wrinkled and
twisted and yellower in colour.
Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum
thalictroides, Linn.) is often called locally in the United States ‘Blue’
or ‘Yellow Ginseng,’ and Fever Root (Triosteum
perfoliatum, Linn.) also is sometimes given the name of Ginseng.
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