Ancient herbal therapy: A brief history of Panax ginseng
Maria Assunta Potenza, Monica Montagnani, Luigì Santacroce, Ioannis Alexandros Charitos, Lucrezia Bottalico
Abstract
Ginseng was the most revered of the herbs in ancient times in China, Korea, Japan, America. Ginseng was discovered over 5000 years ago in the mountains of Manchuria, China. References to ginseng are found in books dating back more than two millennia. It is revered by the Chinese people as it is considered a herb for everything use and therefore for a wide range of diseases (currently its Latin name derived from the Greek panacea, meanings, that is, for everything). So, it was used exclusively by the Chinese Emperor's, and they were willing to pay the price without problems. Increasing its fame, ginseng brought a flourishing international trade that allowed Korea to supply China with silk and medicines in exchange for wild ginseng and later along with what grows in America.