GINSENG

Description

It’s a herbaceous vivacious plant with tuberose roots that might be very large. Branches are of 30 to 50 cm with palmate 5-leaflets leaves. Whitish flowers grouped in umbels (composed by 15-30 tiny flowers). The fruit is a small berry, red with 2 seeds.

Spontaneous plant of Nepal, Manchuria, Siberia and Korea. In America it can be found in the eastern part of the country from Canada to Florida.

It requires plenty of sunlight and a shady land. Roots are to be harvested when they are long enough after 4-6 years of cultivation. On the other hand, in the wild roots are decades old. It is harvested in spring and autumn, rootlets are detached. It is often treated with boiling water for a couple of minutes and left to dry at a temperature lower than 60°C.

Part used

The root (Ginseng radix), formed by main, secondary and capillary roots.

Indications

• Physical and mental tiredness, asthenia, convalescences. Clinical trials show that ginseng root is able to increase physical and intellectual capacities, as well as reaction ones. These effects are not immediate. It is recommended in geriatric treatments.
• Depression.
• Endocrine and psychical impotence.
• Hepatitis.
• Detoxification treatments adjuvant (alcohol, barbiturics, opiaceous).
• Situations where estrogenic action is required: amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, infertility, menopause.
• Hyperlipidemia.
• Type II Diabetes.

Bibliography

Real Farmacopea Española. Suplemento 2001.

Plantas Medicinales. Thérapeutique-Toxicité.Christiane Vigneau.  Masson,  Paris 1985.

Plantas Medicinales y Drogas Vegetales para infusión y tisana. Edición española a cargo de: Salvador Cañogueral, Roser Vila, Max Wichtl.1998.

Matière Médicale. RR Paris- H. Moyse.Masson 1981.

The Complete German Commission E Monographs. Therapeutic Guide To Herbal Medicines. Mark Blumenthal. American Botanical Council 1998.

Fitoterapia Aplicada.J.B. Peris, G. Stübing, B.Vanaclocha. -´ñColegio Oficial de Farmacéuticos de Valencia 1995.

Fitoterapia: Vademecum de Prescripción. Plantas Medicinales. Colaboran: Asociación española de médicos naturistas. Colegio Oficial de Farmacéuticos de Vizcaya.

Farmacognosia.  G.E. Trease y W. C.Evans. CECSA.

Plantas Medicinales.  Margarita Fernandez y Ana Nieto.Ed Universidad de Navarra.  EUNSA 1982.

Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry, Medicinal Plants. Jean Bruneton. Lavoisier Publishing.

Botanical Influrences on Ilness. Melvyn R. Werbach, M.D. Michael T. Murray, N.D.