American ginseng

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) is a species of flowering plant in the ivy family Araliaceae. It is native to eastern North America and has been introduced into China. The specific epithet quinquefolius means "five-leaved", which refers to the typical number of leaflets per leaf. It is one of a group of taxa known as "ginseng".
Europeans first became aware of American ginseng near Montreal in 1716. It has been wild-harvested and exported to Asia since 1720. Billions of plants were wild-harvested in the 19th century alone. To control international trade and prevent global extinction of the species, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service implements a CITES Export Program that authorizes 19 states and one tribe to export American ginseng from the United States. From 1978 to 2019, the bulk of exports have come from southern Appalachian states, especially Kentucky, West Virginia, and Tennessee.
The conservation status of American ginseng is globally vulnerable. It is imperiled or critically imperiled in 14 states and provinces. In Canada, the species is endangered and facing imminent extinction.
As wild populations declined in the late 19th century, American ginseng became a domesticated crop. It is cultivated primarily in Ontario, Wisconsin, British Columbia, and China. Canada is the largest producer and exporter of cultivated American ginseng in the world. It is the state herb of Wisconsin.
Panax quinquefolius is a herbaceous perennial plant. Its aromatic root resembles a small parsnip that forks as it matures. The plant grows 6 to 18 in (15 to 46 cm) tall, usually bearing three compound leaves (sometimes called "prongs"), each with three to five leaflets, 2 to 5 in (5 to 13 cm) long.
Panax quinquefolius is sometimes confused with wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis), another member of the ivy family (Araliaceae). The two species may be distinguished by their leaves. Panax quinquefolius has palmately compound leaves (with leaflets radiating from a single point) while Aralia nudicaulis has pinnately compound leaves (with leaflets arranged on either side of a central stalk).
Like Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng), American ginseng contains dammarane-type ginsenosides, or saponins, as the major biologically active constituents. Dammarane-type ginsenosides include two classifications: 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD) and 20(S)-protopanaxatriol (PPT). American ginseng contains high levels of Rb1, Rd (PPD classification), and Re (PPT classification) ginsenosides—higher than that of P. ginseng in one study.
When taken orally, PPD-type ginsenosides are mostly metabolized by intestinal bacteria (anaerobes) to PPD monoglucoside, 20-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol (M1). In humans, M1 is detected in plasma starting seven hours after intake of PPD-type ginsenosides and in urine starting 12 hours after intake. These findings indicate M1 is the final metabolite of PPD-type ginsenosides.
M1 is referred to in some articles as IH-901, and in others as compound-K.
Panax quinquefolius was described as Aureliana canadensis by the French ethnologist and naturalist Joseph-François Lafitau in 1718. As a Jesuit missionary in New France, Lafitau discovered ginseng near Montreal in 1716. In his search for a specimen, Father Lafitau enlisted the help of the Iroquois by showing them a published botanical illustration of gin-seng, a Chinese name for a plant now known as Panax ginseng. The Iroquois referred to American ginseng as garent-oguen, which means "resembles man" or "a man's thigh" in Iroquoian language.
Aureliana canadensis was further described by the English naturalist Mark Catesby in 1747. Catesby published a striking color illustration of a live specimen transplanted from Pennsylvania to the garden of English botanist Peter Collinson in Peckham. Aureliana canadensis Lafitau ex Catesby is an invalid name since it was published prior to 1 May 1753 (Art.13.1 ICN 2018).
The Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus validly described Panax quinquefolium in 1753, but the name was later corrected to Panax quinquefolius. Linnaeus placed Aureliana canadensis Lafitau ex Catesby in synonymy with Panax quinquefolius, citing both Lafitau [1718] and Catesby [1747]. Its type specimen, designated in 1991, was reportedly collected by Pehr Kalm near Quebec in 1749. The specific epithet quinquefolius means "five-leaved", which refers to the typical number of leaflets per leaf.
The name ginseng derives from the Chinese herbalism term, jen-shen. Other Chinese names are huaqishen (simplified Chinese: 花旗参; traditional Chinese: 花旗參; pinyin: huāqíshēn; Cantonese Yale: fākèihsām; lit. 'Flower Flag ginseng') or xiyangshen (simplified Chinese: 西洋参; traditional Chinese: 西洋參; pinyin: xīyángshēn; Cantonese Yale: sāiyèuhngsām; lit. 'west ocean ginseng').
The genus name "Panax" is derived from the Greek 'Panakos' (panacea), in reference to the various benefits attributed to the herb.
The specific epithet "quinquefolius" means five-leaved, as described earlier.
Panax quinquefolius is native to the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. It is found primarily in the Appalachian and Ozark mountains of the United States where it prefers full shade environments in deciduous hardwood forests. It is introduced and cultivated in the following Chinese provinces: Guizhou, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, and Liaoning.
Panax quinquefolius is a summer flowering plant. In New England, flower buds and leaves emerge simultaneously around the middle of June, with flowers eventually appearing in July. Fruits mature to a deep red color by early September. The seeds exhibit a type of dormancy called morphophysiological dormancy, sometimes called "double dormancy", which requires two full winters to completely break dormancy. Germination finally takes place eighteen months after the fruit initially ripened.
Europeans discovered ginseng near Montreal in 1716. By 1720, ginseng from Quebec was exported to China by the Company of the Indies, a French trading company. Within a few decades, ginseng populations near Montreal were suffering from overharvesting and habitat destruction, and so the wild-harvesting of ginseng began to spread south. By the end of the 18th century, Albany, New York had become a trading center for ginseng. In the United States, 13.7 million kilograms of wild ginseng root were exported between 1821 and 1899, with an average of about 1.7 million kilograms per decade.
More than 290,000 kilograms of dry ginseng roots were exported from the United States (U.S.) in 1841. It is estimated that this represents at least 64 million roots. By extrapolation, more than 3 billion roots (and therefore plants) were wild-harvested in the U.S. between 1821 and 1899.
During the twentieth century, exports of wild ginseng from the U.S. were about half of what they were during the previous century, averaging about 580,000 kilograms per decade. Between 2000 and 2020, U.S. exports of wild ginseng dropped to approximately 250,000 kilograms per decade.
The steady decline in export volume is likely the result of declining wild populations.
To control international trade, Panax quinquefolius is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). CITES Appendix II includes species that, although currently not threatened with global extinction, may become so without trade controls. As of September 2022, nineteen (19) states and one tribe are authorized to export American ginseng from the United States. The following table lists the states and tribe with an approved CITES export permit for American ginseng (each state's NatureServe conservation status is shown in parentheses):
From 1978 to 2019, 1,713,025 kilograms of wild and wild-simulated ginseng roots were legally exported from the United States. During this period, the bulk of exports came from southern Appalachian states including Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Of these, eastern Kentucky has consistently large harvests, apparently a result of habitat abundance, very high levels of rural poverty, and a very strong local tradition of ginseng collecting. American ginseng also grows wild in a number of states that do not permit export, including Connecticut (S2), Delaware (S2), Kansas (S1), Maine (S3), Massachusetts (S3), Michigan (S2S3), Nebraska (S1), New Hampshire (S2), New Jersey (S2), Oklahoma (S1), Rhode Island (S1), and South Carolina (S4).
As determined by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, the conservation status of Panax quinquefolius is Endangered (E) in Canada. In Ontario and Quebec, it is listed as Endangered and Threatened, respectively. Both provincial designations refer to a species facing imminent extinction or extirpation. Consequently, the harvesting, possession, and export of wild American Ginseng in Canada is prohibited.
As of February 2024, the NatureServe conservation status of Panax quinquefolius is globally vulnerable (G3G4). It is vulnerable (S3) in 14 states; imperiled (S2) in 8 states and provinces; critically imperiled (S1) in 6 states; and possibly extirpated (SH) in the District of Columbia.
In addition to (or in lieu of) the NatureServe conservation status (in parentheses below), some states designate their own conservation status:
Panax quinquefolius is apparently secure (S4) in New York and Pennsylvania (as shown above), as well as Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.
American ginseng was formerly particularly widespread in the Appalachian and Ozark regions (and adjacent forested regions such as Pennsylvania, New York and Ontario). Due to its popularity and unique habitat requirements, the wild plant has been overharvested, as well as lost through destruction of its habitat, and is thus rare in most parts of the United States and Canada. Ginseng is also negatively affected by deer browsing, urbanization, and habitat fragmentation. Today the greatest threat to American ginseng is irresponsible digging of its wild roots for export.
As wild populations of American ginseng began to decline in the late 19th century, a market developed for cultivated ginseng. In 1887, the tinsmith George Stanton planted ginseng in the forest around Apulia Station, a hamlet in the town of Fabius in Onondaga County, New York. Within a few years, he was growing ginseng in the open under artificial shade, and by the late 1890s, he had the largest ginseng plantation in the United States. In his obituary (1908), Stanton was called the Father of the Cultivated Ginseng Industry.
Several associations were formed to support commercial growers of American ginseng. In 1902, George Stanton became the first president of the New York State Ginseng Growers Association. By 1913, the Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio growers' associations had the largest memberships. American ginseng is the state herb of Wisconsin.
American ginseng is grown commercially under artificial shade. Under these conditions, a crop is harvested three to five years after seeding. Ginseng is also grown under forest-based, wild-simulated conditions, which require 6–10 years (or more) before harvest. Based solely on yield, forest farming may be 1/10 as productive as commercial cultivation.
American ginseng is commercially cultivated in Canada (60%), United States (30%), and China (7%). In North America, it is cultivated primarily in Ontario, Wisconsin, and British Columbia. In 1994, Ontario and Wisconsin produced 1.5 and 2.0 million pounds of ginseng, respectively, while British Columbia produced 0.5 million pounds. In other words, Canada and the United States each produced 2.0 million pounds (1,000 tons) of ginseng in 1994. In contrast, in 2007, Canada and the United States produced an estimated 6,486 tons and 1,054 tons (resp.) of ginseng, exporting $66 million and $37 million (resp.) worth of ginseng in 2009. As of 2020, global P. quinquefolius production is estimated at 7,000 tons on a dry-weight basis, with 60% produced in Canada, 30% in China, and 10% in the US. Based on these figures, Canada is the largest producer and exporter of American ginseng in the world.
Some states encourage the planting of ginseng both to restore natural habitats and to remove pressure from remaining wild populations. American ginseng is woods-cultivated in Colorado, Kentucky, Maine, North Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.
For the related Korean ginseng species: Individuals requiring anticoagulant therapy such as warfarin should avoid use of ginseng. It is not recommended for individuals with impaired liver or renal function, or during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Other adverse effects include headaches, anxiety, trouble sleeping and an upset stomach. Data is insufficient for American ginseng.
Recent studies have shown that through the many cultivated procedures that American ginseng is grown, fungal molds, pesticides, and various metals and residues have contaminated the crop. Though these contaminating effects are not considerably substantial, they do pose health concerns that could lead to neurological problems, intoxication, cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Ginseng has been a part of traditional Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years. In Asia, American ginseng is highly valued for its cooling and sedative medicinal effects (yin), whereas Asian ginseng embodies the warmer aspects of yang.
American ginseng was of minor importance in traditional Native American medicine. A number of the uses cited in the literature were likely adopted from the Chinese after the export trade from Canada to China began in 1720. The Iroquois ingested or smoked the roots as a panacea. The Menominee in northern Wisconsin used it as a tonic and to increase one's mental capability, while the Penobscot in Maine used it to promote fertility. The Seminole in Florida used it for gunshot wounds. Native peoples from multiple tribes gathered the roots to barter with white traders. In the late 19th century, the Cherokee sold large quantities of ginseng to traders for fifty cents a pound. According to James Mooney, a decoction made from its roots was drunk to relieve headaches and cramps.
Cold-fX is a product derived from the roots of American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius). The makers of Cold-fX were criticized for making health claims about the product that have never been tested or verified scientifically. Health Canada's review of the scientific literature confirmed that this is not a claim that the manufacturer is entitled to make. More generally, there is no evidence that American ginseng is effective against the common cold.
In the local vernacular, American ginseng has been variously known as "cheng", "chang", "sang", or "shang". Those collecting it have been called "shangers" and hunting for it has been called "shanging". In Appalachia, the wild-harvesting of American ginseng is called "sang hunting". Some blue-collar Appalachian families have been hunting sang for generations.