Daily Herb: Ren Shen (Ginseng)
Alias: Shan Shen (Mountain Ginseng), Yuan Shen (Garden Ginseng), Ren Xian, Gui Gai, Sheng Shai Shen, Bie Zhi Shen, Bai Tang Shen.
Source: This product is the dried root and rhizome of the plant Panax ginseng C. A. Mey. from the family Araliaceae.
Habitat Distribution: It grows in mixed coniferous and broadleaf forests or deciduous forests on gentle slopes or hills at altitudes of 500 to 1100 meters with small temperature differences between day and night. It is mainly distributed in Jilin, Liaoning, and Heilongjiang provinces, with the highest yield and best quality produced in Fusong County, Jilin, known as Jilin Shen. The wild variety is called Shan Shen (Mountain Ginseng); the cultivated variety is called Yuan Shen (Garden Ginseng).
Harvesting and Processing: It is mostly harvested in autumn, cleaned, and then sun-dried or dried by other means.
Taste and Properties: Sweet, slightly bitter, and slightly warm. It enters the Spleen, Lung, Heart, and Kidney meridians.
Functions and Indications: It greatly tonifies the original Qi, restores the pulse, stabilizes the collapse, tonifies the Spleen and benefits the Lung, generates fluids and nourishes the blood, calms the spirit and benefits intelligence. It is indicated for deficiency of Qi leading to collapse, cold limbs with weak pulse, Spleen deficiency with poor appetite, Lung deficiency with cough and asthma, fluid damage with thirst, internal heat with diabetes, deficiency of Qi and blood, prolonged illness leading to weakness, palpitations and insomnia, impotence, and cold in the uterus.
Dosage and Administration: 3 to 9 grams, decocted and taken; it can also be ground into powder and swallowed, with 2 grams taken twice daily.
Precautions: It should not be used in combination with Li Lu (Veratrum) or Wu Ling Zhi (Flying Squirrel Feces).
The above content is planned and produced by Beijing Yuedu Wuxian Cultural Development Co., Ltd. and is distributed for free.
Video and image sources: Zhou Chongjian, Wu Kuanqian, and Xie Yu; some images are taken from the actual scene of Pingxintang Pharmacy.