By Robert Newman, LAc, Dean of Clinics at Emperor’s College Acupuncture Clinic
Missed Part 1 of this series on Ginseng? Check it out here.
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Part 4: Asian Ginsengs Explained
There are various forms of Asian Ginsengs and different processing methods that may be used in preparing the roots for sale, resulting in differences in the strengths of certain functions. This is a plant that is native to northeastern China and possibly some areas of Russia. Like its American counterpart, it typically has grown in the wild on the northern slopes of forested mountainsides. However, naturally wild Asian Ginseng has been believed to be extinct for many years due to over-collecting. Its Latin name is Panax ginseng and its Chinese name is Ren Shen.
Asian Ginseng: A Warming Herb
Robert Newman, LAc
Generally speaking, Asian Ginseng is known for primarily being a warming herb that is a strong Qi and Yang tonic. The overall functions of Ren Shen generally involve tonifying the Qi, strengthening the Lungs, “Spleen” (Chinese medicine idea of the “Spleen”) and Kidneys, generating fluids and stopping sweating from deficiency, calming the spirit, strengthening the intellect, and helping to clear out acute colds and flus when the the Qi is too deficient to do its normal function of helping the immune system to fight the “pathogenic external evils” (bacteria and viruses).
The Kidney deficiency symptoms that Asian Ginseng can help to treat include: shock (in fact, in China they have manufactured a form of Ren Shen that can be directly administered into the blood stream to help treat someone who has gone into shock) asthma, and impotence. The “Spleen” symptoms it can address include low energy and poor stamina, poor appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea. The Lung symptoms involve shortness of breath, asthma, cough, dyspnea, and spontaneous sweats. The fluid deficiency symptoms include thirst and dry mouth. In calming the spirit, it helps with agitation, insomnia, palpitations, poor memory (which can also be linked with the Kidney and “Spleen” weaknesses), and excessive dreaming. It also can help strengthen the Blood through tonifying the Qi.
Korean Ginseng: Tonifying the Qi and Yang
Of the types of Ren Shen, the red forms (known as “Hong Shen”) are more warming and tonifying to the Qi and Yang aspects of the body. They are red in color due to the processing that is done to the roots (they are steamed and then dried in the sun or dried in some man-made heating device). And of the red Ginsengs, the warmest and the strongest in tonifying the Qi and Yang is Korean Ginseng, also known as Gao Li Shen or Chao Xian Ren Shen.
This is a very warming herb and is only appropriate for patients with clear symptoms of strong cold and Yang deficiency, and it should generally not be used for too long if not combined with other herbs in a formula to help balance out its strong heating and Yang-tonifying properties. Also, it can be very poorly tolerated if the patient is someone who is having issues with feeling over-revved, hyper, or jittery. The Gao Li Shen is not only the strongest in tonifying the Qi and Yang, but that is basically the only functions it has. A couple of the other general functions listed just above in connection with Ren Shen—generating fluids and calming the spirit—would not be present with this form of Asian Ginseng. And it would also usually be too strong to be appropriate for clearing out colds and flus when the Qi is deficient.
Ji Lin Shen: A Form of Red Asian Ginseng
Ji Lin Shen, or Ji Lin Ren Shen, is another form of red Asian Ginseng. This form is from northeastern China and is named after the region it comes from, Ji Lin Province. This form is actually a fairly good mixture of the various general functions of Asian Ginseng. It is a moderately warming form, and as such is moderate in its strength of tonifying the Qi and the Yang. Consequently, it still has to be used cautiously if a patient shows moderate or stronger signs of heat inside or if a patient has some mild or moderate tendencies for feeling hyper or wound up. But this form does contain some mild functionality with generating fluids and calming the spirit.
There is also a form of Asian Ginseng from Japan. This is known as Dong Yang Shen. It is a mild to moderate Qi-tonifying herb. It is only slightly warm. It has a little of the functions of generating fluids and calming the spirit and can be used to help clear out colds and flus in Qi-deficient patients.
White Ginseng: Neutral or Mildly Warming
White Ginseng, or Bai Ren Shen, is either basically just dried without the steaming process or it may be lightly cooked and soaked in sugar sometimes before going to market. If it is just dried without any cooking and it is dried in the sun only, it may be called Sheng Shai Shen—ideally it would be from wild material if wild material were available. Bai Ren Shen is neutral or mildly warming and can therefore be used more effectively and appropriately in patients who have too much heat present. But is not a Yang tonic and only mildly to moderately tonifies the Qi. So it is not useful in patients who are very cold and need strong Qi and Yang tonification. Bai Ren Shen is better at strengthening fluids and the Yin aspect of the system, somewhat more similarly to American Ginseng. However, it is stronger at tonifying the Qi than American Ginseng.
Missed Part 1 of this series on Ginseng? Check it out here.
Missed Part 2 of this series on Ginseng? Check it out here.
Missed Part 3 of this series on Ginseng? Check it out here.
Stay tuned for Part 5 of this series: “Growing and Cooking Ginseng”
Featured image adapted from the photograph “Ginseng” by World to Table, available under a Creative Commons license.