Bencao gangmu
One of the first written texts covering the use of ginseng as a medicinal herb was the "Shen Nong Pharmacopoeia", written in China in 196 AD. In his "Compendium of Materia Medica" herbal of 1596, Li Shizhen described ginseng as a "superior tonic". However, the herb was not used as a "cure-all" medicine, but more specifically as a tonic for patients with chronic illnesses and those who were convalescing.