*NAME: American Ginseng (Panax quinuefolium)

*FORM: Root
  As fresh, freeze-dried capsules

*USES: Enhances vitality
  and stamina.

*INFORMATION: American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) is a small, slow growing perennial herb from the eastern hardwood forests of North America. Its five-leafed branches (giving the plant its specific name, quinquefolius) rise knee-high above the rich forest soil. A delicate cluster of white flowers hide below the leaves, developing into crimson red berries by fall. The root lies buried in the soil, forming branches that give it a human shape.

Indigenous cultures in both Asia and North America recognized the human shape of the roots. The Chinese name for the plant, "Jin-chen" (from where we get the word "ginseng") and the Amerindian name "garantoquen" both translate to mean "man-root". The native people of North America used ginseng long before the European colonists arrived, not only as medicine but also for spiritual and ceremonial purposes.

The Seneca tribe recognized ginseng as one of its five most valuable plant medicines.

-The Crow and Penobscots used it to enhance female health.
-The Meskwaki combined it with other plants to increase the power of those herbs. The Meskwaki women also used the herb to attract a husband, whereas Pawnee men used ginseng as a love charm to attract women.
-The Menominee considered ginseng a strengthener of mental health, and also chewed the root to attract deer during hunting parties.
-The Iroquois used it in many ways, including smoking the dried roots. Ginseng was very popular with the early lacrosse players as a sports medicine.
-The Seminoles used a decoction of ginseng externally as a body rub or steam bath.
-The Cherokee, Creeks, Houmas, Mimacs, Mohegans, and Potawatomis also used ginseng as both medicine and tonic.

The early trade of ginseng between the Native Americans and European settlers began in the early 1700s. By the mid-1700s, ginseng was in such high demand that French traders in Quebec contracted with local Indians to purchase all the ginseng they could find, effectively wiping out the native stands of the herb around Montreal. In the early 1800s, ginseng sold for $1 per pound. By 1900, the root was selling for $5 per pound. Today, American ginseng sells for up to $200 per pound with exports valued at over $28 million.