American Ginseng has been used for improving overall health, immune system and help figh

American Ginseng

An adaptogenic herb that tends to nudge the body back into a state of balanced health and well-being. Not as "hot" or as energizing as Oriental varieties, which makes it attractive to heart patients and people with high blood pressure.

Ginseng has been used for improving overall health. It has also been used to strengthen the immune system and help fight off stress and disease. There are different types of ginseng. Asian ginseng (from Chinese and Korean sources) has been used for unclear thinking, diabetes, and male erectile dysfunction. American ginseng has been used for diabetes and for prevention of the common cold and flu. Siberian ginseng has been used for preventing colds and flu, and for reducing the severity of herpes simplex virus type 2 infections.

Anax quinquefolius, normally recognized as American Ginseng and often by its Chinese name Huaqishen (simplified Chinese: usual Chinese: pinyin: huāqíshēn; Jyutping: faa1kei4sam1; literally "fancy flag (American) ginseng") or Xiyangshen (simplified Chinese: traditional Chinese: pinyin: xīyángshēn; Jyutping: sai1joeng4sam1; literally "west ocean ginseng"), is an herbaceous permanent in the ivy family that is normally used in medicine. It is local to eastern North America, though it also cultivated beyond its range in places such as China.

The plant's forked root and leaves were usually used for medicinal purposes by Native Americans. from the time when the 1800s, the roots have been collected by "'sang hunters," and sold to Chinese or Hong Kong traders, who often pay very high prices for mostly old wild roots.

American Ginseng was formerly particularly widespread in the Appalachian and Ozark regions (and adjacent forested regions such as Pennsylvania and New York State), but due its popularity the wild plant has been over harvested, and is thus rare in most parts of the United States. It is also grown commercially, under artificial shade, in fields in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and usually harvested after three to four years when ripe. Many ginseng growers in Wisconsin are represented by the "Ginseng Board of Wisconsin", whose seal is often sought after on ginseng products to certify they are genuine. Ginseng is also widely grown in British Columbia and Ontario, Canada.