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Panax quinquefolius
Also called Ginseng, Occidental Ginseng, Five Leaved Ginseng, Redberry, Sang, Sheng
American ginseng is a slow-growing woodland perennial whose aromatic forked root is harvested for herbal use. It needs deep, full shade and cool, humus-rich soil, and wild populations are globally vulnerable.
American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) known in Kanienʼkéha as Tekaren’tó:ken is a species of flowering plant in the ivy family Araliaceae. It is native to eastern North America although its cultivation was successfully introduced to China in 1975. 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".
The conservation status of wild American ginseng is globally vulnerable. To control international trade and prevent global extinction of the wild 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.
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. In his obituary (1908), Stanton was called the Father of the Cultivated Ginseng Industry.
Farther north, the cultivation of Panax quinquefolius pioneered by Clarence and Albert Hellyer in Norfolk County, Ontario, beginning in the 1890s.
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.
Through the cultivated procedures for American ginseng, fungal molds, pesticides, and various metals and residues have contaminated the crop, leading to health concerns.
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 Chinese provinces of Guizhou, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, and Liaoning.
Chinese ginseng · Japanese Ginseng · South China Ginseng · Ginseng · Dwarf ginseng · Vietnamese Ginseng · Ginseng
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article American ginseng by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
