What are the effects, functions and contraindications of American ginseng?

American ginseng has a relatively high tonic and health-care value, and is especially suitable for people with both qi and yin deficiency. Carving American ginseng can replenish qi, clear heat, and relieve restlessness. It can also effectively treat long-term cough due to lung deficiency, dry mouth and throat, and long-term insomnia.

1. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that American ginseng is cold in nature, sweet and slightly bitter in taste, and enters the lung and spleen meridians. It has the effects of replenishing qi, clearing away heat and relieving restlessness, and nourishing and producing body fluids. It is usually used for symptoms such as lung deficiency and long-term cough, dry mouth and throat, restlessness and insomnia, fatigue of the limbs, and shortness of breath due to blood loss. Excessive bleeding in gynecological diseases, such as functional uterine bleeding, postpartum hemorrhage, and uterine fibroids, which cause yin deficiency and internal heat; those who have hot flashes, thirst, irritability, insomnia, and irritability due to physiological reasons during menopause; those who have yin deficiency and internal heat, yin deficiency and internal heat, thirst due to loss of body fluid, red urine and bloody stools after surgical treatment of cervical cancer, uterine cancer, and ovarian cancer, as well as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, can all be treated with American ginseng. Patients with coronary heart disease who suffer from qi and yin deficiency, palpitations, shortness of breath, fatigue and dry throat can take American ginseng orally every day, which will be effective if used for a long time.

2. Although American ginseng is unique in treating diseases and improving health, it also has contraindications. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that people with insufficient yang energy or cold and dampness in the stomach should not take it. For example, children with pale complexion, swollen face and limbs, fear of cold, slow heartbeat, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain and bloating, loose stools, greasy white tongue coating, etc., as well as children with developmental delay and indigestion should not take American ginseng. People with colds, coughs, or acute infections with dampness and heat should not take American ginseng. American ginseng has side effects like other medicines. For example, some people may experience chills, hypothermia, loss of appetite, abdominal pain and diarrhea after taking American ginseng; some may experience dysmenorrhea and prolonged menstruation; others may have allergic reactions, with scattered blisters of varying sizes and abnormal itching on the upper and lower limbs. After stopping the medication, the blisters will disappear on their own.

3. The dried root of American ginseng is slightly cylindrical and spindle-shaped, 2 to 6 cm long and 0.5 to 1 cm thick. It has fine horizontal lines and irregular longitudinal wrinkles on the outside, and the fine lines at the top are dense and ring-shaped. When choosing American ginseng, you should first identify whether it is domestic or imported. There are two types of American ginseng on the market in my country, one is imported from the United States and Canada, and the other is introduced. Their efficacy and prices are also very different. Most of the American ginseng sold in pharmacies are introduced varieties, and the price is generally a few yuan per gram; imported American ginseng costs between ten and twenty yuan per gram. In China, only a few large brands such as Fulinmen American ginseng and Tongrentang are available. Tongrentang is the most expensive, while Fulinmen American ginseng is more affordable. The identification method is: the wrinkles of imported American ginseng are irregular, appearing rough and deep, while the surface of domestic American ginseng is smoother, and the wrinkles are fine and shallow; secondly, imported products feel heavier, while domestic ones are lighter; imported American ginseng often has a stronger aroma, while domestic ones are much lighter.