Planting the Future

AMERICAN GINSENG

Panax quinquefolius

KATHI KEVILLE

A twenty-five-hundred-year-old Chinese myth from Sheni Province tells of villagers hearing a loud voice calling to them from underneath a plant. When they dug up the root, it was shaped like a man, so they named it jen-shen or “man root.” (Westerners who later heard the name pronounced it JIN-seng.) Said to be a manifestation of tu ching, or “spirit of the ground,” this root became the object of spiritual quests by Chinese people, who would recite an ancient chant before digging it.

Likewise, Native Americans considered North American ginseng to possess magical, as well as healing, properties. The Iroquois know it as garent-oquen, or “man’s thighs and legs separated.” Warriors carried it as a talisman and used it for rejuvenation. The Cherokee named ginseng “little man” and used it to increase the potency of herbal formulas.

The Chinese consider their ginseng (Panax ginseng) more warming and stimulating than American ginseng, but they do prefer the American species for certain conditions. Many Western herbalists use the two interchangeably. There are several other species, including Japanese ginseng (P. japonicus) and a small dwarf American ginseng (P. trifolius). Red ginseng is Chinese ginseng soaked in other herbs and steamed and pressed to produce a translucent red root. The popular Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus sentiocosus) is in the Ginseng family—Araliaceae—and shares many of Panax’s attributes, so it’s often confused with true ginseng.

I must admit that I have been captivated by ginseng’s presence. I always feel reluctant to pull it from the ground, even in my own garden. But then I become excited as the pudgy, human-shaped root emerges. This white taproot, which can measure up to several inches in width in older roots, twists into the shape of elongated, dancing legs, with side roots providing arms.

However, don’t be surprised to find roots with more than two “legs” or “arms.” If you count the number of little bulges along the “neck” or the stem, rising from the root crown, you can determine the age of that particular root.

The plant itself is a foot or two tall, with the largest specimens spanning about a foot across. However, they are very sparse, with a main stem supporting a few side stems, each bearing a cluster of paper-thin leaves. In fact, when you encounter a ginseng plant, it may not stop you in your tracks unless it is bearing the vivid, bright red berries that appear in late summer or fall. These berries are about ½ inch in diameter and contain two hard seeds inside. Eat one and the warm, bitter taste of ginseng root fills your mouth. The berries are preceded by small yellowish green flowers in May or June.

Wars have been fought over ginseng, and emperors have monopolized the right to harvest it. Although I often hear claims that Chinese ginseng is superior, the Chinese themselves have imported large amounts of American ginseng since 1718, when the Jesuits of Canada first initiated trade with China. ‘Seng hunting in the United States started out as a lucrative business run by fur traders, who frequented the same areas where it grew. By the 1770s an average of 140,000 tons of ginseng roots were exported from North America every year. The year 1824 set a new record, with more than 600,000 tons of roots exported. The first successful U.S. ginseng crop, reported in an 1895 New York paper, sparked interest in cultivating ginseng; the U.S. Department of Agriculture printed a bulletin on its cultivation. In 1902 a Special Crops publication began networking growers. Six years later A. R. Harding discussed its cultivation in Ginseng and Other Medicinal Plants.

Sadly, you’re not likely to stumble upon wild ginseng. At one time it grew abundantly in the shade of North America’s eastern hardwood forests from Québec to Georgia and west to Oklahoma and Minnesota, but no more. I imagine that few, if any, of the early ’Seng traders considered the impact that collecting millions of tons of wild roots from the American wilderness made. Unfortunately, they did not adopt careful harvesting practices like those of the Ojibwa Indians, who lived on Lake Superior. These Natives harvested ginseng only after the berries turned red so they could replant the seeds and help replace the plants they took. To the ’seng hunters, thoguh, ginseng must have seemed an infinite resource, so they filled their bags with roots and their pockets with money as they depleted the woods of ginseng.

The impact was severe. Today ginseng is considered threatened or endangered in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and Illinois. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture regulate its trade in every state. A permit is required to dig roots, and even then the practice is restricted to the months of August through November in many states. A federal permit is needed to export either cultivated or wild ginseng. However, with prices topping $600 a pound for wild roots, there is a large black market for ginseng. More than 14,500 pounds of supposed wild roots found their way to Asia in 1992.

Ginseng has long been considered a panacea, as implied by its botanical name Panax: the word pan is Latin for “all,” and akos means “remedy.” The plant is used to treat many different disorders because it regulates many physiological functions. For this reason Russian researcher I. I. Brekhman dubbed it an “adaptogen.” Ginseng does indeed help the body adapt, producing different effects depending on what an individual needs. For example, it can either sedate or stimulate the central nervous system.

Hundreds of studies have been done on ginseng, although relatively few used human volunteers. Still, they do show ginseng’s ability to increase mental and physical efficiency and general resistance to stress and disease. For example, nurses on the night shift in a London hospital experienced better endurance and concentration when they took ginseng. Rorschach tests show that ginseng improves psychological function as well. It is no surprise that the Chinese Academy of Medical Science in Beijing found that the compounds in ginseng called ginsenosides increase protein synthesis and neurotransmitter activity in the brain. Ginseng also helps regulate the heart, to keep it pumping at a healthy rate, and it increases the amount of oxygen reaching the lungs, brain, and muscles as well as its utilization. Many menopausal women report that ginseng helps reduce the number of their hot flashes. Ginseng also encourages better functioning in people who have liver problems, and seems to help protect the liver from damage in the first place. When volunteers took 3 grams of ginseng with alcohol, their resulting blood alcohol level was one-third to one-half lower than that of a control group. Studies also show that ginseng improves the tolerance of carbohydrate in diabetics. In addition to all of the above, it increases natural immunity, specifically increasing the number of infection-fighting natural killer cells and white blood cells, and possibly even fending off some types of cancer.

Few problems result from using ginseng, although large doses—more than what is suggested for medicine—have been reported to cause depression, insomnia, nervousness, and high blood pressure. Also, be cautious combining this herb with pharmaceutical drugs, especially antipsychotics, stimulants, antidepressants, and narcotic relaxants; it’s possible that ginseng makes them more or less potent. Problems may even result from drinking lots of coffee. Although ginseng is used to maximize energy, it works best to stabilize and regulate the system and offer a boost when you’re feeling worn out. It won’t turn you into Superman or Wonder Woman. The Chinese generally combine it with other herbs. It is best to not take ginseng in the evening unless you want to stay awake at night.

Ginseng is available as a tea, as a tincture, or in capsules (generally 300 to 5,000 mg). Most of ginseng’s medicinal properties are attributed to compounds called ginsenosides. Some products are standardized to assure that they contain at least 2 percent ginsenosides. Your general health, your constitution, and the condition you are treating all influence the recommended dose. However, a generic amount to take daily is 1 to 3 capsules, a few cups of tea, or 1 to 4 dropperfuls. A wide spectrum of products in varying strengths is available, so read the recommendations on the label. There are also elixirs, syrups, candies, soft drinks, toffee—even ginseng ice cream and chewing gum! Ginseng is expensive, so most of these products contain relatively little of the root. The Chinese add small amounts of chopped ginseng root to soups and stews.

To make tea, add 1 teaspoon of sliced or powdered root for every cup of water and gently simmer for twenty to thirty minutes. Then take it off the heat and steep for another fifteen minutes. When it’s cool enough, strain and drink. To use a whole root to make tea, first soak it overnight in water to make it soft enough to slice. The taste does not appeal to everyone, but it is very good cooked with a thin slice of ginger.

Ginseng doesn’t grow wild in the western United States where I live, so my first experience with the plant was in my garden. I was encouraged because old-timers told me that the mountain town in which I then resided, Camptonville, was home to a ginseng farm for the Eli Lilly drug company around the turn of the twentieth century. Indeed, ginseng likes mountain weather, especially the solid winter freezes that give it a needed rest during the cold season. Ginseng plants that I gave to herbalists in warmer climates—even herb growers with green thumbs—never fared well.

As with other plants in my garden that hale from other climates, I look to ginseng’s natural habitat to learn what growing conditions it prefers. I alter my soil to mimic the rich, well-drained, humusy, and more alkaline soil of the Midwest. (The best pH is 5 to 6.) An automatic mister provides some resemblance to the humid air and summer rain where it grows wild.

My first fifty ginseng rootlets grew very well—that is, until I took a two-week trip. I came home to find all but six plants eaten by gophers. (And yes, that summer the farm had some of the healthiest gophers ever seen.) I planted the next crop in a wooden box with a chicken-wire bottom (the heavy wire type with small holes), and that did the trick. Some sunlight encourages root growth, but too much can kill it. Since ginseng likes about 70 percent shade, I choose the diffused light in the forest; shade cloth will also prevent the sun from frying the leaves.

If you’re going to grow ginseng from seeds rather than rootlets, you must first carefully score the tough, outer shells of the seeds with a razor. Then stratify the seeds in wet sand in a freezer for eight months to mimic winter. Although they cost less than rootlets, seeds require patience; they can take more than a year to germinate. Most people like to get a head start on ginseng by planting two-year-old rootlets. Plant them about 2 feet apart.

I should warn you that ginseng is susceptible not only to gophers, but also to snails, insects such as pill bugs, various diseases, and even a careless foot. Since ginseng relies on a thin main stalk, it is easily damaged. Other predators are poachers—people who make their living collecting medicinal roots from the wild, and, in some cases, from other people’s land! Most commercial growers unfortunately turn to pesticides and herbicides to protect their investment.

However, it is relatively simple to organically grow your own small plot of ginseng—certainly enough for your family and friends—almost anywhere. It is amazing what can be done with compost and an automatic sprinkler system. I’ve seen one small commercial operation that cultivated ginseng under the shade of the piñon pine and sagebrush in Nevada’s high desert! You can even cultivate it in a gallon pot. Give ginseng growing a try and experience its magic for yourself.

It takes five to six years before a ginseng root is mature enough to harvest, but it is not considered fully grown until it’s twenty or so years old. Generally, the older and larger the root, the more valuable it is. When you are ready to harvest your ginseng roots, carefully dig and wash them. The best-quality roots are usually sold whole. Store ginseng in a dry, airtight container. The ginsenosides in it have been shown to be fairly stable, but they do break down after a couple of years. You can also preserve fresh roots by completely submerging them in a 40 percent alcohol such as vodka.

UpS RECOMMENDATIONS

• No wild harvest is recommended.

• Purchase cultivated roots only. Even woods-grown plants are suspect.

• Use Chinese ginseng (Panax ginseng), Siberian ginseng, astragalus, and ashwagandha as possible substitutes.

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