Is American Ginseng supposed to be a cooling herb or warming herb?
May 15, 2009 by Ginseng Reviews and Tips
Filed under More Ginseng Answers
Can you answer jumpinjack’s question about Ginseng?:
I read everywhere that American Ginseng is a cooling herb that helps tonify the lungs, yet when I take American Ginseng, my hands and feet that are usually cold become warm…. how is that possible?….and btw, does American Ginseng have Laxative effects?
Simulated Wild Ginseng
I read everywhere that American Ginseng is a cooling herb that helps tonify the lungs, yet when I take American Ginseng, my hands and feet that are usually cold become warm…. how is that possible?….and btw, does American Ginseng have Laxative effects?
Simulated Wild Ginseng
Ginseng Feedback: American ginseng = Panax quinquefolius.
It is mildly stimulating (including mildly stimulating circulation, which is why your hands and feet warm up when you take it.)
The “cooling” nature you’ve read about is from the perspective of Chinese medicine. It doesn’t precisely mean that it’ll make you FEEL cooler. Rather, that it is effective for treating what would be considered “heat conditions” in Chinese medicine - such as wheezing, coughs, loss of voice to name a few.)
Note: Chinese medicine has a fundamentally different way of looking at medical conditions with respect to “western medicine” that can be difficult to sum up quickly and can sound overly simple if one does not properly understand and apply the philosophy. It is very effective and profound when properly applied… and with true understanding of both, Western and Chinese medicines can be inter-related and applied together.