By Penny Keller Ginseng has long been recognized as an herb possessing great value.
History shows that early Chinese emperors placed great value in ginseng.
In addition, it was used for increasing fertility and sexuality, and most importantly for strengthening the body. As the demand for ginseng increased, cultivation of the plant was initiated to offset the dwindling supply of wild ginseng. Missionaries in China during the early 1700s became aware of ginseng and subsequently their knowledge of its commercial value spread to eastern North America. The export of wild ginseng root from America to the Orient began in the early 1700s. The first shipment of ginseng to China after the American Revolution is reported to have been made by John Jacob Astor from New York in 1782.