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Definition

Ginseng is an herbal preparation derived from the aromatic root of a plant of the genus Panax, which is native to East Asia. Ginseng belongs to the Araliaceae family of plants. Siberian ginseng belongs to a different genus, Eleutherococcus senticosus. The English name of the plant is a modification of its Chinese name, ren shen, which means "man" and "herb." The Chinese name comes from the ginseng root's resemblance to the shape of the human body, whence the plant's traditional use as a tonic for male sexual vigor and potency. The Latin name for the species, Panax, is derived from the Greek word panacea, which means "cure-all," or, "all-healer."

There are three species of ginseng in common use in the United States: American ginseng, Korean ginseng, and Siberian ginseng. All are regarded as adaptogens that normalize...