By Robert Newman, LAc, Dean of Clinics at Emperor’s College Acupuncture Clinic
Part 1: Ginseng and the History of Herbal Medicine
A Ginseng is a Ginseng is a Ginseng. Or is it? When most folks think of Ginseng, they usually think that is just one herb….it’s just Ginseng, that’s it. They aren’t aware that in fact there are several types of Ginseng and even different forms of one of those types. And they aren’t aware, more importantly for purposes of usage, that they have different—in some cases extremely different—medicinal properties and effects.
Robert Newman, LAc
But before I go into describing these differences, I want to introduce a little information to you about the understanding that has been an important part of Asian medicine’s (“Asian medicine” here refers to the concepts and practices which are a common part of Chinese medicine) grasp of the herbal substances that they use and then I want to give you a little explanation of several terms it will be helpful to know something about in connection with Ginseng.
Chinese Herbal Medicine: Practiced For Over 4000 Years
The differences in the properties and effects of the various types of Ginseng have been understood due to the detailed insights that became conceptualized and clarified about medicinal substances over the history of Asian herbal medicine. In China, herbal medicine is believed to be at least four to five thousand years old. The understanding about medicinal substances started out more simply, but at different stages of development over time, more and more characteristics were recognized as being important to discover about any one substance.
Currently, the information that is potentially understood about a substance can involve which organs, acupuncture meridians and general body regions it can affect, its tastes (which usually relate to certain functions or activities that the substance carries with it), its temperature (e.g., heating or cooling to the body, to varying degrees, or neutral), specific functions that it has (e.g., increasing the circulation of blood, clearing toxic heat, etc.) indications that it can treat (e.g., treats joint swelling and pain, especially in the lower body), its typical range of an effective and safe dosage (e.g., 6 to 12 grams), any contraindications for usage (e.g., use cautiously with weak/deficient patients; not to use with patterns of excessive dampness in patient; etc.), processing specifics (e.g., must be cleaned, cut, and then boiled in vinegar for several hours; this processing is done by the herb company distributors/sellers), preparation specifics (e.g., adding an herb only during the last 5-10 minutes of the boiling of a raw formula), identification of known active ingredients and identifying the pharmacology of those known active ingredients and/or of the whole herb. There can also be information available involving such things as how to cultivate a particular plant medicine and what the best time of year to harvest or collect it is.
Recognizing the Importance of the Holism of All Living Things
All of this detail and specificity about the properties, effects, dosage, etc. of medicinal substances reflects a medicine which recognizes the importance and relevance of the holism of all living things and the world of which they are a part. This allows Asian medicine to potentially treat patients as individuals and to treat them as whole beings rather than just isolated parts, thus increasing the likelihood of obtaining a more effective and deeper treatment and decreasing the likelihood of unwanted effects.
On one hand, this is clearly a great plus for you, the patient. On the other hand, what this also means is that the decision about taking Ginseng (and most herbs) is not usually as simple as whether I want it to boost my immune system or not. And using a single herb (as opposed to a formula that is a mixture of a number of herbs) can frequently be inappropriate for some patients right from the start; and in other patients, a single herb can, over time, with continued and frequent enough use, create an imbalance in someone that was not present initially.
So it is very important to have a qualified practitioner determine what your current state of health is, according to Asian medicine, and then determine the appropriate single herb or formula for you as well as the appropriate frequency of use, dosage and length of use before you should be seen again and re-assessed. This certainly applies to the usage of Ginseng.
More about Ginseng in Part 2: Ginseng and Qi