American ginseng

The root of American ginseng, pale and ridged, grown in North America and sold as slices or small whole roots. Bitter first then lingeringly sweet, it steeps into a clean, cooling broth and is the ginseng Cantonese households use in hot weather or for the perpetually tired-and-dry.

TCM properties

Nature · cooling　Flavour · sweet、bitter　Meridians · heart、lung、kidney

Traditional food therapy

In the tradition it is the cool ginseng, used to replenish qi and nourish yin without heatiness, clearing heat and generating fluids; the choice for those both tired and dry.

Cautions — read first

• [SAFETY CRITICAL] Not while a cold has not cleared, since it traps the pathogen and drags the illness out
• Not for a cold deficient constitution or anyone prone to loose bowels, since it drains the yang of the spleen and stomach and the more you drink the more tired you feel
• While you are taking it, avoid radish, which scatters the qi, and strong tea, whose tannins interfere with absorption

Preparation

The slices go straight into a boil or a double-boil. For a double-boiled soup, add them late to keep the ginseng flavour.

Origin · Geo-authentic (道地) source

威斯康辛州（另加拿大安大略省） — openly retailed in AU across tiers, from grocer-grade cultivated to wild-grade roots

Availability in Australia

Herbal shops / specialists · A$52.18–276 / 100g
grocer tier: Umall Henghui 50g $26.09 ($52.18/100g); Fortune Semi-Wild 50g $115, Wild 50g $138 ($276/100g); cultivated trade permitted under CITES App. II

Pairs well with