Ginseng: Its History, Dispersion, and Folk Tradition

Abstract

This article presents a historical comparison of the traditions surrounding and uses of ginseng in Asia and in North America, with a focus on the triangle formed by the Chinese, the North American Indians, and the white American residients. The medicinal and folkloric applications of ginseng by the Chinese were remarkably similar to those independently developed by various North American Indian tribes. White Americans, however, largely disregarded the herbal root medicinal qualities in favor of the lucrative economic gains available from the export of ginseng to supply the Chinese market. Information was gathered primarily from Western sources and whenever possible was either drawn from or corroborated by original eighteenth and nineteenth century publications.