Ginseng – An Overview *Part 5* -

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.

Missed Part 2 of this series on Ginseng? Check it out here.

Missed Part 3 of this series on Ginseng? Check it out here.

Missed Part 4 of this series on Ginseng? Check it out here.

Part 5: Growing and Cooking Ginseng

There is an idea and tradition in connection with Asian Ginseng that the older it is the more powerful and effective it will be. Usually, it is believed it should ideally be at least 5-7 years old, but roots that are 50 or even 100 years old are possible and are very prized and extremely expensive.

Additionally, naturally wild roots have always been considered more potent. This idea actually makes a lot of sense since cultivated plants are usually weaker and more susceptible to rotting from fungal damage—in fact, the roots that typically are available in these modern times have frequently been grown with fungicides due to this problem. As I mentioned earlier, naturally wild Ginseng is not generally considered to be occurring anymore. But in the past 10 to 50 years, there has been some effort to grow Asian Ginseng in China similarly to how some growers have utilized an interesting method in North America with American Ginseng.

Transplanting the Young Ginseng Plants to Natural Wild Areas

Robert Newman, LAc

The method is to basically start out growing the Ginseng in cultivation for a year or two and then transplanting the young plants to natural wild areas on the north-facing mountainsides of regions where the plant is native to, and trying to find locations on the mountainsides that are where the plants might have naturally come up. This type of Ginseng is called Yi Shan Shen.

Another method has also been utilized which is considered even better, and when it is successful, the roots are considered to be 2^nd in quality only to naturally-wild material. This other method is where the seeds of Ginseng are planted directly into the wild areas, again trying to plant them where the grower feels the plant would have naturally arisen in nature, and hopefully the seeds germinate and the plants start to develop.

With either method, the growers will try to protect the plants over the course of years from damage due to pests or animals and from theft or collection by someone else. Truly, naturally wild Ginseng is known as Ye Shan Shen and this second method I have described can produce roots that are somewhere between the quality of Yi Shan Shen and Ye Shan Shen.

How to Cook Ginseng

When cooking American or Asian Ginseng roots, you want to cook them slowly over the course of several hours, until just small shreds or tiny fragments remain visible. It is usually cooked in a double-boiler for several hours, but it can also be cooked in a soup in something such as a slow-cooker device for a number of hours.

Also, for some patients, a balanced way to use Ginseng would be to take basically equal parts of American Ginseng and the Ji Lin Ren Shen form of Asian Ginseng and cook them together for several hours and then drink that tea 2-3 times a day. This mixture combines the more cooling, more Yin-tonifying American Ginseng with the more warming, Qi/Yang-tonifying red Asian Ginseng, thus getting a more balanced effect, temperature-wise and function-wise.

A Word About Qi Circulation

Speaking about issues of balance, for some patients, when using the Korean or Ji Lin Ginseng, it is wise to use some other herbs or a formula that is useful for regulating/circulating the Qi at the same time as one uses those types of Ginseng. The reason for this is that those two types of Ginseng are fairly or very strong Qi tonics and can, in some patients who already have problems with Qi circulation, cause the Qi stagnation to get worse and lead to discomfort and pain.

Think of it like this. The Qi is supposed to flow through the pathways or channels in your body smoothly and freely without any interference or blockage, rather similar to how you would want the water in your garden hose to be able to flow. If there is stagnation or blockage of the Qi flow in some areas of some pathways in your body, it is like your garden hose having some kinks in it that are not allowing the water to flow fully and smoothly through the hose.

“Kinks” in the Flow of Qi

Depending on the degree of stagnation or “kinks” in the flow of Qi, the problem can be more than just a very minor one. Taking a strong Qi tonic—such as these types of Ginsengs—in that situation is like simply turning the water on stronger at the tap with your kinked up garden hose. It will most likely create more pressure and back-up of the flow just behind wherever any of the kinks are. In your body, that will translate into more pain at the area of the blockage.

What you need to do is make sure that you unravel the kinks so that the flow is restored to a normal state. Taking the Qi-regulating herbs or formula can have that effect. Then, the Qi tonics won’t end up just exacerbating the places in your body where there is Qi stagnation. This is a good example of why it is wisest to go to a trained and experienced practitioner to evaluate you and determine what your specific needs are and how best to fulfill those needs with the appropriate treatment approaches.