| Last month we looked at acupuncture as an ancient eastern medical practice gaining widespread popularity and institutional acceptance in western medicine. Acupuncture is only one aspect of a large body of medical practices known collectively as "traditional Chinese medicine"(TCM). One of the most important aspects of TCM is herbal medicine, the practice of which goes back at least as far as 7,000 years. While Chinese herbology is largely dismissed by practitioners of western medicine, there is evidence that medical fact is at work behind some of the arcane recipes. Despite their unproven benefits, herbal remedies are certainly popular- a survey released in 2002 by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a government agency dedicated to exploring complementary and alternative healing practices in the context of rigorous science, found that nearly 20 percent of respondents used herbal supplements. One of the most widely-used and certainly most potent ingredients in many herbal remedies is ginseng, available today in products from pills to candy to energy drinks. The history of ginseng offers a fascinating glimpse at the science, superstition and society that surrounds traditional herbal remedies. Some time around 2700 BC, Emperor Shen Nung, the "Divine Husbandman," classically known as the father of Chinese agriculture, tasted hundreds of different herbs to determine their properties, which he categorized according to their yin and yang relationships. While he died long before the existence of written records, his legend lived on by word of mouth, and the first written herbological encyclopedia recognizes his achievements: Shen-nung pen-tsao-ching, the Divine Husbandman's Materia Medica, is believed to have been printed in the first century AD by an unknown author and offers recipes and applications for nearly 400 different herb-based medicines. It specifically indicates ginseng as one of the most potent, useful for increasing longevity, endurance, wisdom and (why not?) expelling evil influences. The various and universally desirable qualities of ginseng may have something to do with the shape of its root. A tenet of ancient medicine not just in China but also in cultures across the world is the "doctrine of signatures," which essentially states that the use of a plant may be determined by its shape- eyebright for eyes, liverwort for livers, and so on. Because a fully-grown ginseng root bears an uncanny resemblance to the human body, it seems natural that it should enhance many aspects of health. And since it often grows with a particularly long root offshoot at a particularly hilarious position inclined at a particularly disturbing upright angle, it had a reputation for increasing sexual potency in men -- and increasing sexual potency in men is one of the most popular applications of herbal medicine. In fact, the supposed conjugal benefits of opium had a great deal to do with the drug's growth in popularity as it led to China's decline. It is no surprise that ginseng became valuable in imperial China, where the appetites of the aristocracy (consisting mostly of elderly males with strong interests in longevity and potency) determined the economy of the empire. Ginseng's indication for daily use to improve many aspects of mental and physical performance created a widespread demand for its very limited supply. Ginseng tends to be of inferior quality when cultivated; it was instead provided by "ginseng hunters" who risked their lives by scouring the forests of China and Korea for as much as a single root. The rare plant was worth its weight in gold. Since it could take years or even decades for a root to grow to full maturity, harvesting took quite a toll on the wild population. By the 500s ginseng became too scarce to supply demand, and today wild ginseng is nearly extinct in Asia where a single ounce of wild ginseng can sell for $20,000. Desire for the root only increased, and so Korea took advantage of its superior growing conditions and began cultivating the root despite the resultant reduction in potency and the long growth cycle of the plant. Soon, ginseng became Korea's primary export and the basis of its agricultural economy. This state of affairs continued until 1700, when a Jesuit missionary named Father Latifau surmised that the conditions in which ginseng flourished in Asia where also present in parts of the New World. Not only did Latifau discover American ginseng, but he found that Iroquis and Menomonee Indians were aware of its medicinal properties and used it in much the same way as the Chinese. A great vegetable gold rush in the form of American ginseng hunting began, attracting such distinguished citizens as George Washington and Daniel Boone, who exported 12 tons of ginseng for a profit far in excess of the fur trading he is known for. By the 1800s, American ginseng seemed likely to suffer the fate of its Asian cousin, hunted into scarcity or extinction. Laws were put in place to protect wild ginseng and to fill demand, cultivation began -- centered in Wisconsin! The rich loam, ample sunlight and cool summers of our state provided excellent conditions for ginseng, and the potent harvest made Marathon County the ginseng capital of the world outside of Korea, of course. Eventually confusion over distinctions of quality from other ginseng sources in Canada and lowland Korean farms as well as predation from hungry turkeys, introduced to Marathon in '91 for recreational hunting, burst the manroot bubble. Farming potent ginseng in America is not a profitable activity when Korean ginseng can be farmed cheaply and is indistinguishable to most consumers, but the decades of American domination of the ginseng market are a reminder that Asian culture has a strong effect even in rural Wisconsin. Is Ginseng all that legend suggests? Without the possibility of a resulting medical patent, research studies of herbal remedies of any kind are difficult to fund. Ginseng plants do contain unique chemical compounds, ginsenosides, that could be responsible for any benefits and the few studies that have been done suggest that ginseng may increase immune function and testosterone production and decrease blood glucose levels in diabetics. Results are inconclusive, but there is even less evidence that any harm can come from ginseng consumption for most people; unlike a few questionable energy supplements like ephedra. Nor is ginseng simple placebo like, say, rhinoceros horn, which you should seriously consider cutting back on if rhinoceros supplements are a daily habit for you. While there's no reason to rush out and stock up on ginseng tablets, there's no reason not to enjoy the occasional cup of ginseng tea. Once the elixir of emperors, now a treat for anybody with a couple dollars to blow on a trendy beverage. |
| AsiaPop: a look at cultures across the sea The roots of the root: Ginseng by Ben Freund |
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