In general, Ginseng is a plant (mainly native to Eastern Asian) grown for its roots or “tubers,” which many folk-medical practitioners, herbalists, naturopaths, and traditional healers believe are imbued with assorted “restorative” powers. I have so far had three opportunities to mention the herb Ginseng. (If interested, see HERE, HERE, and HERE.) In one of those posts, I casually mentioned the fact that there seems to be not a little bit of “naming confusion” when it comes to this plant.
In that place I actually gave six (6) different botanicals that (at least sometimes) go by the name Ginseng. Well, it turns out that I understated the situation. Subsequent investigations have suggested to me that it’s approximately 3 times worse! No kidding. By my current count, there are no fewer than nineteen (19) plants that are referred to as “Ginsengs.”
These need to be broken up into a few different subcategories, however.
Preliminaries
What Are Ginsengs Used For?
In general, Panax Ginsengs are touted as energy-boosters and fertility herbs. But they are also sometimes claimed to be able to regulate blood-sugar (like Cinnamon, Cinnamomum verum) and cholesterol (like Hawthorn, usually as Crataegus laevigata, Crataegus monogyna and Crataegus pinnatifida) levels.
Additionally, Ginseng is purported to function as a relaxation and sleep aid, a topic that I covered more thoroughly in a previous article. (See HERE. For further information on Alzheimer’s Disease and sleep, see HERE.)
Where Are Ginsengs Grown?
The answer to this question depends on the variety of Ginseng that you have in mind.
Chinese Ginseng grows in — you guessed it! — China. But there is also an American Ginseng that is aptly named because it can be found in North-American forests (mainly, the United States and Canada). Other types of Asian Ginseng are unique to Japan and Korea. However, other sorts of Ginsengs are grown in India, Nepal, and Russia.
True Ginsengs
The so-called “True Ginsengs” are those that are in Panax genus. These include the plant, also known as the Chinese Ginseng (Panax ginseng), that is arguably most often thought of when the word “Ginseng” is uttered. But this genus also includes several other sub-varieties, such as the American Ginseng and the Dwarf Ginseng.
To make matters worse, the Panax ginseng plant is sometimes referred to as the either “Asian Ginseng” or “Korean Ginseng,” while another subtype — what I have listed (below) as the Tienchi — is called “Chinese Ginseng.”
Wikipedia, that handy-dandy resource for sometimes obscure information additionally lists Panax sokpayensis, Panax stipuleanatus, and Panax wangianus in this category. But I excluded these from my list of nineteen because I was unable to track down common names for these plants.
‘Other’ Ginsengs
Place-Name Ginsengs
Juxtaposed with the “True Ginsengs” would be those that are, well… not true!
Some of these, including the very popular Siberian Ginseng, are indexed to particular regions of the world. Perusing my list at the bottom of the page, you can see that there are less familiar Brazilian, Indian, and Peruvian Ginsengs.
Again, to add to the lexical complexity, one plants within the Panax genus actually has pseudoginseng as its species name. Of course, the prefix “pseudo-” means false. Therefore, the Panax pseudoginseng, which I have listed as the Himalayan Ginseng, is also designated Pseudo-Ginseng (i.e., “False Ginseng). But, again, the confusion ramifies, since Codonopsis pilosula, which is also called Codonopsis, and which I have enumerated as “Poor-Man’s Ginseng,” is sometimes labeled “False Ginseng.”
Miscellaneous Ginsengs
Another wrinkle is that certain herbs that are better known under other names — such as the aforementioned Codonopsis — are occasionally called some kind of Ginseng.
Dong Quai (Angelica sinensis), also known as “Chinese Angelica,” is one of these; it is sometimes designated “Female Ginseng.” (Presumably, this is in contrast to Panax ginseng, which is often included in male-oriented virility concoctions.)
Or again, False Starwort (Pseudostellaria heterophylla) is sometimes marketed as “Prince Ginseng” or “Lung Ginseng.”
Another big one in this category is Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides). Also called “Papoose Root” today, and called “Squaw Root” in by-gone times, the herb is sometimes labeled “Blue Ginseng.”
Whew! Got all that?
Ginsengs as Mandrakes?
As an interesting aside, the word “ginseng” reportedly translates a Chinese phrase meaning, roughly “man-root.” The idea is that the root system of Panax plants has a decidedly human-like form. This intrigues me in part because this observation suggests that Ginseng is almost a kind of Mandrake — at least in the sense that Mandrake is another plant whose roots are regarded as growing in the shape of a little person.
This latter idea was popularized by the British novelist J. K. Rowling in her Harry Potter book series, which was later adapted into a wildly successful film franchise featuring three young actors — Daniel Radcliffe (playing the titular wizard), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) — and numerous seasoned performers such as Richard Harris, Alan Rickman, and Maggie Smith.
In any case, the word “Mandrake” is just about as confusing a name as is Ginseng. It seems to apply to eight (8) different plants — if we include one endangered cactus.
8 Different ‘Mandrake’ Plants
- American Mandrake (Podophyllum peltatum; a.k.a. the Mayapple)
- Autumn Mandrake (Mandragora autumnalis)
- Common Mandrake (Mandragora officinarum)
- False Mandrake (Bryonia alba; a.k.a. White Bryony)
- English Mandrake (Bryonia dioica)
- Himalayan Mandrake (Mandragora caulescens)
- Mandrake Cactus (Turbinicarpus mandragora)
- Turkmenian Mandrake (Mandragora turcomanica)
One large difference between Ginseng and Mandrake, however, is that Mandrakes tend to have higher toxicity. For more information on this, by way of my Poisonous-Plant database, click HERE.
My List of 19 “Ginsengs”
For those who would appreciate a concise summary, I offer the following list.
19 Different ‘Ginseng’ Plants
- Alaskan Ginseng (Oplopanax horridus; a.k.a., Devil’s Club)
- American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius)
- Blue Ginseng (Caulophyllum thalictroides; a.k.a. Blue Cohosh)
- Brazilian Ginseng (Hebanthe eriantha; a.k.a. Suma)
- Chinese Ginseng (Panax ginseng; a.k.a. Asian Ginseng and Korean Ginseng; infrequently called Red Ginseng)
- Dwarf Ginseng (Panax trifolius)
- Female Ginseng (Angelica sinensis; aka Dong Quai)
- Ginger Ginseng (Panax zingiberensis)
- Himalayan Ginseng (Panax pseudoginseng; a.k.a Pseudo-Ginseng and Nepalese Ginseng)
- Indian Ginseng (Withania somnifera; a.k.a. Ashwagandha)
- Japanese Ginseng (Panax japonicus)
- Lung Ginseng (Pseudostellaria heterophylla; a.k.a. False Starwort)[*]
- Peruvian Ginseng (Lepidium meyenii; a.k.a. Maca)
- Poor-Man’s Ginseng (Codonopsis pilosula; a.k.a. Codonopsis)
- Siberian Ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus)
- Southern Ginseng (Gynostemma pentaphyllum; a.k.a. Jiaogulan)
- Thorny Ginseng (Eleutherococcus gracilistylus)
- Tienchi Ginseng (Panax notoginseng; a.k.a. Chinese Ginseng)
- Vietnamese Ginseng (Panax vietnamensis)
Additional Resources:
Not sure what to eat for supporting — or avoiding — dementia? As a first pass, consult my article explicating the ins and outs of the so-called “Alzheimer’s MIND Diet.”
Want to avoid the kinds of hazards and toxins that just might predispose you to Alzheimer’s? See HERE and HERE.
Relatedly, see my databases of (i.) common Allergy-Triggering Plants as well as (ii.) Poisonous Plants.
Click the following for some tips on how to “Protect Yourself Against the Coming Dementia Crisis.”
Finally, check on my Ten Tips for things you can do right now to reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s Disease later in life.
Note:
[*] This is not to be confused with other respiratory-geared herbs such as Elecampane (Inula helenium), Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis) or Pleurisy Root (Asclepias tuberosa; a.k.a. Butterfly Weed). Nor should it be confused with Starwort (Callitriche stagnalis).