I believe we can develop more potent health foods or related products using this process. The red variety is steamed at 100 C and sometimes sugared. It can be used to make tea or simply chewed. In the West it is sold in a convenient capsule form, which you simply swallow. Phenolic compounds also found in ginseng, increase during steaming too, says Park, and these act as antioxidants, mopping up damaging free radicals from the body's cells.
Many people swear by ginseng's curative properties.
It can, it is claimed, increase general vitality, improve memory, lower cholesterol, give the immune system a kick-start, and even help fight diseases such as cancer, and treat angina and cardiovascular disease. A systematic review of the medical literature by a team of researchers into complementary medicine at Exeter University led by Ezard Ernst concluded that the evidence for whether or not ginseng works is inconclusive. The team looked at the various trials that have been carried out on its effects and found that there were often conflicting results. One study might show an effect in a few patients with a specific disease, while another found that a placebo worked just as well if not better. For instance, the team looked at the results from five trials, with 19 to 127 participants.