American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius): Traditional Uses & Safety

At a glance

Botanical name: Panax quinquefolius
Family: Araliaceae
Part used: Root
Taste: Sweet, Bitter
Temperature: Cool
Moisture: Moist

No pre-1900 source found for this reading.

Safety at a glance

In pregnancy

Avoid

While breastfeeding

Insufficient data; avoid in breastfeeding as precaution — ginsenosides transfer potential and infant safety unestablished.

For children

Avoid under 12

Cautions

Avoid in cold/Kapha states; caution with hypoglycemia; avoid acute illness

General contraindications

Avoid — insufficient safety data

Stewardship

American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) is WILD-ENDANGERED; CITES Appendix II listed; wild harvest is regulated state-by-state. Prefer sustainably cultivated (Wisconsin, Appalachian) or forest-grown. Stewardship: never buy 'wild Appalachian ginseng' without certification — the root is under pressure.

In the traditional record

American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) — used by the Cherokee, Iroquois, and Seneca peoples as a tonic for headache, fatigue, and digestive complaints; identified in Quebec by Jesuit missionary Joseph-François Lafitau in 1716 after he recognized it from Chinese descriptions, beginning a centuries-long Atlantic trade.

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Educational use

The Apothecary is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a diagnosed condition.

On our sources

These entries draw on public-domain materia medica, most of it published before 1900, alongside a smaller number of modern reference works. Energetic qualities such as warming, cooling, drying and moistening are a traditional framework for describing how a plant behaves in the body, not a laboratory measurement. Where a period source states one, we cite it. Where none does, and for many North American herbs none exists, the value reflects modern herbal consensus rather than a historical text. When we cannot support a caution with real evidence, we say nothing rather than guess.