Nowadays, "health care" has become a popular term among the young generation, who care more about their health than any other age group. Precious ginseng is now being used in their daily life. Most ginseng is a tonic product used as a tea and a gift to friends and relatives.
So do all ginsengs have health benefits? What are the different health benefits of different types of ginseng? Let's talk about it today.
As a medicine
Ginseng belongs to the family of Araliaceae. According to origins, they can be categorized as Northeast ginseng, Korean ginseng (from Korea and North Korea), and American ginseng (also called "American ginseng"), which have different characteristics due to different growing environments.
The name red ginseng is given after the fresh ginseng is steamed and concocted to change its color from white to red. "Ginseng is dried or dried in the sun after harvesting and is called "raw ginseng," commonly known as "white ginseng."
The medicinal properties of the two types of ginseng are different. Raw ginseng is mild, sweet, and slightly bitter. It belongs to the lung, spleen, and heart meridians, with the effects of tonifying vital energy, nourishing the spleen, benefiting the lung, promoting the production of body fluid, and calming the mind. Red ginseng is warm and more potent in tonifying qi. It has the effect of tonifying yang qi, restoring the pulse, and fixing the loss of blood, benefiting qi and regulating blood. It is suitable for people who have been sick for a long time and have a deficiency of yang qi.
Ginseng
Ginseng has the following effects.
(1) It is an excellent tonic for vital energy. It is suitable for severe cases of qi deficiency, such as deficiency of the body after a long period of illness, after a significant disease, after women have given birth, after bleeding, etc.
(2) It can nourish the spleen and benefit the lung. Ginseng is an essential medicine to nourish the spleen and lungs. In clinical practice, ginseng is very effective for patients with lung and spleen qi deficiency. Weakness, shortness of breath, cold hands and feet, little breath, and lazy speech, all can use ginseng.
(3) It can benefit qi to ascend and lift, treating the sinking of middle qi and various organ prolapses, such as gastric prolapse and uterine prolapse. According to Chinese medicine, the spleen is responsible for ascending. When the spleen qi is deficient, the function of mounting and lifting is affected, leading to organ prolapse.
(4) ginseng can also stop bleeding and treat bleeding due to spleen deficiency. According to Chinese medicine, the spleen regulates blood. When the spleen is deficient, it has no power to control the blood. The lost ability to restrain the blood will lead to bleeding, such as nosebleeds, bleeding gums, and heavy menstruation.
(5) ginseng also calms the mind and treats palpitations, insomnia, and forgetfulness caused by deficiency of heart qi. The heart is the master of the mind, and a shortage of heart qi will lead to a loss of nourishment, leading to palpitations and panic, insomnia, and memory loss.
It is not advisable to take more without qi deficiency and the general population because of its strong qi tonic power.
In addition, ginseng is an excellent tonic, rare and precious, and the price is relatively high. It is a little bit too big if used for daily health care. Still, if it is given to weak people waiting to recover from serious illness, it can be said to be a blessing in snow. Still, purchasing precious herbs must be identified clearly and finding a regular Chinese medicine institution to buy. Raw sun and red ginseng are processed products used as medicine and daily tonic.
Radix Codonopsis
Radix Codonopsisis a milder herb with a flat nature and sweet taste. It belongs to the spleen and lung meridians. It can nourish the spleen, benefit the lung, nourish blood and promote the production of body fluid.
It has all the effects of nourishing the spleen and benefiting the lung, but it is milder than ginseng; it also raises the blood, generates fluids, and is calm, so we don't have to worry about too much coldness. We can put a little in soup and a little in porridge for daily consumption, so as long as it is deficient in qi, there is not much concern about using it.
Koryo Ginseng
Koryo ginseng is warm, sweet, and slightly bitter and belongs to the spleen, lung, and heart meridians. It can benefit the lung and spleen, moisten dryness, and calm the mind.
It is dark red, relatively low-profile, and more nourishing than ginseng. In addition to the spleen and lung meridians, Koryo ginseng also enters the heart meridian. It has the effect of calming the mind and nourishing the brain, which is recommended for people disturbed in their sleep.
The best ginseng has cricket lines on the surface, hard texture, mirror shine on the cross-section, chrysanthemum core, pungent smell, and sweet and bitter taste, and the thicker the ginseng strip, the better the quality and the higher the price.
American Ginseng
American ginseng is named after its origin in the northern United States and southern Canada. It is calm, sweet, and slightly bitter and enters the lung, heart, and spleen meridians; it has the function of tonic for both qi and yin; it tonifies lung qi, nourishes lung yin and clears lung fire; it also tonifies heart qi and nourishes heart yin; it benefits spleen qi and nourishes spleen yin.
The tonic effect of American ginseng focuses on benefiting qi and nourishing yin, and the refreshing product of yin is more vital than that of qi. It suits those with red tongue, dry mouth, and qi and yin deficiency. It is also known as "fireless ginseng," which is ideal for people deficient in qi and yin. People who need to replenish qi but cannot stand the dryness and heat of raw sun ginseng and red ginseng can use American ginseng.
Ginseng, Radix Codonopsis, and Korean ginseng are all warm and flat. Still, American ginseng is cold, so it is recommended for people with high heart and liver fire. Generally, it is recommended for intense and hot people, while people who are cold and thin need to be careful.
For more information about herbs and natural products for health, check out SaintNoon.