Medicines Ginseng, Asian

Another popular herbal dietary supplement that has a long history of use for medicinal purposes is ginseng. Much like Echinacea, three primary species of ginseng exist for therapeutic consumption Panax ginseng (Asian ginseng), Panax notoginseng and Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng). These herbal varieties can be readily authenticated... 

Cultivated American ginseng (P. quinquefolius L., Araliaceae) is one of North America s most valuable medicinal crops, worth an estimated 100 million annually, and is also one of the top-selling dietary supplements in the United States [1, 2], Ontario has recently become the largest grower of American ginseng with over 5,000 acres in production [3], Ginseng is commercially important in Canada and the United States and great quantities are exported to Asian markets [3],... 

Chow L, Johnson M, Wells A, Dasgupta A. Effect of the traditional Chinese medicines Chan Su, Lu-Shen-Wan, Dan Shen, and Asian Ginseng on serum digoxin measurement by Tina-quant (Roche) and Synchron LX system (Beckman) digoxin immunoassays. J Clin Lab Anal 2003 17 22-27. 

The dried roots of Asian ginseng are used for medicinal purposes and its main constituents are triterpene saponins known as ginsenosides or panaxosides. The pharmacologic actions of ginseng include immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, smooth muscle relaxation, stimulant, and hypoglycemic effects (36). 

Although a British herbal text contraindicates Asian ginseng during pregnancy (Bradley 1992), no concerns for use in pregnancy are listed in texts on traditional Chinese medicine (Bensky et al. 2004 Chin 1991). 

Dasgupta, A., G. Tso, and A. Wells. 2008. Effect of Asian ginseng, Siberian ginseng, and Indian ayurvedic medicine Ashwagandha on serum digoxin measurement by Digoxin III, a new digoxin immimoassay. /. Clin. Lab. Anal. 11 (4) 295-301. 

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