This picture is of my homemade brew of American Ginseng roots American Ginseng is one of my most beloved remedies in the fall and winter, when I have less energy. When the climate in Ontario gets damp and windy and unpredictable, Ginseng can be counted on to increase our energy levels and accelerate our clarity and improve our endurance in some of the toughest times says Susun Weed and this was surely the case while studying Osteopathy- in clinic all day long, all week long, for the past 22 weeks with 100's of videos to watch as well that were all part of the program. American Ginseng is the Queen of Adaptogens, a term the Russians coined to demonstrate plants that will help us to adapt in a way that does not push our system in one direction or another. For example Ginseng can be useful to balance and stabilize the adrenal glands and overtime- with daily use, and for a period of up to 6 weeks you will find that our entire endocrine system settles down. Overall American Ginseng is considered a Yin remedy, meaning cooling, relaxing and dispersing where there has been too much mental or physical activity and the yin (feminine) is in need of restoring. The more commonly known and utilized Asian Ginseng is more Yang in nature, more warming and stimulating and more suited to those born in the East with more Yin constitutions who generally, may require more stimulation. Asians tend to be more grounded than we Americans who can just go off the deep end sometimes with too much stimulation and who need to chill out. This new generation is likely changing all of this with the world globalization and mirroring. I do not find the American Ginseng so much cooling in physical temperature as is is more cooling- to the mind, relaxing and restoring like a good adaptogen might work, - with out pushing the endocrine system for example in one way or another like a stimulant plant might-, like coffee, for example; that only stimulates you; here the adrenal glands are restored due to Ginseng's ability to moderate through its balancing act. Ginseng has also been found to prevent the flu, any of the ginseng's have been found to be useful during the flu season. Did you know Cold-FX, the top selling natural health food product in Canada of the past ten years, is formulated with nothing other than Ginseng. Of course, it has also been found that you must take it for at least eight weeks prior to getting the flu to provide any real benefit. Ginseng has been known to help regulate blood pressure whether it is high or low, (not to be used when on medications for blood pressure) and some find it useful to lose unwanted pounds, touted to keep blood sugar levels stable. More recently studies have found that the Ginsenosides the primary chemical constituent in ginseng is highly antioxidant and may reduce the risk of developing cancer by 16%. When there is chemo or radiation involved Ginseng increases the radiation effect by a factor of seven while protecting all of the normal cells according to Susun Weed in her You Tube video on the benefits of Ginseng. It is to be taken on a daily basis, any ginseng, the dose being, 1 dropperful a day. Use for two to three months for best results. And always take a break, as too much of a good thing can become hazardous and less effective. The American Ginseng is a slow growing and long lived perennial plant that you will find primarily in the North Eastern hills of the US and some areas of Canada. The Appalachians were full of Ginseng at one time, before it was over harvested and now considered an endangered species. This is why Ginseng’s habitat is hard to spot, the plant is fragile in nature and prefers the shade, with cooler ground and cooler temperatures. Ginseng will often be found among the canopy of oaks or maple trees, and with similar plants like that of Blue cohosh, or Wild ginger. Shall we go out and find them in our native Ontario woodlands?