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American Ginseng: Doing Well In My Woods!

© Renie Burghardt

After a wonderful, ground soaking all night summer rain, I decided to go and check the fate of my American ginseng plants. Last summer I waited too long, and because it was an extremely hot and dry summer, the tops died down without a trace by early August. Of course, the roots were still there, underground, but finding them was next to impossible. Since I enjoy indulging in ginseng tea occasionally, I wanted to make sure I could find them this year.

A trek to the woods is always a pleasant experience, but especially so after a good, soaking rain. Summer rain is nourishing to the trees and plants, and I notice that overnight, small ferns have popped up through the leaf mold, continuing their cycle of growth. The trees seem greener in their leafy prime, and the smells are earthy and fresh. The woods are quiet, serene, and refreshed, and so am I, as I climb the shady, moist hillside where I planted the ginseng ten years ago. (With my digital camera in hand, of course!) And there they are in all their berried glory! I have come at the perfect time, for I can stick the red berries under the leaf mold before the little woodland critters, that are also fond of them, consume them all. (Even the bugs enjoy munching on the plant, as you can see in this photo!)

American ginseng, Panax quinquefolius, a native perennial plant growing 8 to 24 inches tall, was at one time found growing wild all over the rich, cool woodlands of eastern North America. Highly valued by many Native American tribes as a health stimulant and an aphrodisiac, who called it "garantoquen," meaning "manlike," and first introduced it to the white settlers. Soon after, in the early 1700's a Jesuit missionary in Canada made an important discovery when he realized that this native, wild American plant was almost identical with a medicinal plant much in demand in China. Before long, the Jesuits began shipping tons of American ginsengs to China, and ginseng became a lucrative crop. Even Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett are said to have made large amounts of money in ginseng trafficking!

The name ginseng is derived from the Chinese words, jen shen, meaning "manlike," or "likeness of man," because its roots vaguely resemble a human figure. But ginseng's genus name Panax, comes from the Greek word panakeia, and means "five-leaved cure all." The Chinese believe that a ginseng plant contains an embodiment of the great spirit of the universe!

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