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T
Black Belt
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
Posts: 108
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 Posted: Jun 10, 2007 1:12 am Post subject: American Ginseng |
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Anyone know much about this herb or what the other Chinese herbs do ?
There is a bottled American Ginseng drink that seems to be pretty good. Anyone know anything about this ? Thanks |
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Karen
Black Belt
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 123
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| Posted: Jun 10, 2007 9:12 am Post subject: Re: American Ginseng |
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| T wrote: | Anyone know much about this herb or what the other Chinese herbs do ?
There is a bottled American Ginseng drink that seems to be pretty good. Anyone know anything about this ? Thanks |
I used to be a furrier years ago and the wild fur dealers often sold American ginseng as well; the trappers supplemented their income picking it. I'm not sure if it was wild (which is supposed to be superior) or cultivated, though.
American ginseng is a "cooling" herb, as opposed to Asian ginseng, which is known for its warming properties and is also used as an aphrodisiac. In fact, I used to have a wealthy Chinese friend whose unfaithful husband (I think it was probably an arranged marriage) paid $40,000 for a single root...and that was at least 15 years ago!
Ten Ren here in NYC carries a LOT of American ginseng in various grades, most of it very expensive. I seem to recall reading once that Vitamin C neutralizes ginseng; if this is so, it's pretty funny that almost every product that I've seen that contains ginseng also contains Vitamin C. I also seem to remember that it should never be sliced with metal, or even exposed to it. Very picky stuff. |
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T
Black Belt
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
Posts: 108
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| Posted: Jun 10, 2007 9:39 am Post subject: |
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Hmmm, that's very interesting. I learned a lot by that.
Well, what is the American Ginseng and its "cooling effect" supposed to do when it's consumed ? Why is it worth so much ? And, how do you prepare it to ingest if you do buy some of it at Ten Ren or any other Chinese market ?
Did you ever try that bottled American Ginseng drink ? It has honey and I think vitamin C in it. |
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Karen
Black Belt
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 123
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| Posted: Jun 10, 2007 10:24 am Post subject: |
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| T wrote: | Hmmm, that's very interesting. I learned a lot by that.
Well, what is the American Ginseng and its "cooling effect" supposed to do when it's consumed ? Why is it worth so much ? And, how do you prepare it to ingest if you do buy some of it at Ten Ren or any other Chinese market ?
Did you ever try that bottled American Ginseng drink ? It has honey and I think vitamin C in it. |
Well, that's assuming that what I told you is correct. 
I think it's used in situations where an individual's ailments are held to be the result of too much heat; I guess you'd need to bone up on herbal medicine in order to know specifically what those conditions might be; I don't think that "heat" necessarily means "fever." I seem to recall reading, though, that American ginseng is prescribed during warmer months and Asian, i.e., Chinese and Korean varieties, are used during colder months.
I think one of the reasons it's so expensive is based on what the market will bear. Ten Ren serves a predominantly Chinese clientele here and American ginseng isn't indigenous to or readily available in Asia. I was told once that a lot of it gets shipped to family and friends in "back home." Also, I think wild ginseng is pretty scarce, so that also contributes to a high price tag.
I've never tried any sort of commercial American ginseng drink; in fact, I don't think I've ever had American ginseng. I've had Il Hwa's Ginseng UP soda in several flavors--it was pretty good. |
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weaselmuffin
Uh, Can I Add Sugar?
Joined: 01 Mar 2007
Posts: 7
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| Posted: Sep 07, 2007 6:56 pm Post subject: |
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| i bought some ginseng tea in china - when you drink it, you get this tingly feeling in your throat and jaw, i think that that is the cooling sensation that people refer to. Never experienced this when drinking any other product that contained ginseng though. |
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wehayley
2nd Degree Black Belt
Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 206
Location: Under the Basket
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| Posted: Sep 08, 2007 7:04 pm Post subject: |
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I practice Chinese Medicine professionally, and though I don't bother much with herbs (heretic that I am), I can tell you that I agree with most of what Karen wrote. Like any other product, ginseng's price is a matter of supply and demand. Generally, the older the root, the higher the price. And yes, wild ginseng is considered superior.
Ginseng (renshen, or "man root" in Chinese, because the root resembles a human body) is considered a general tonic and is used for numerous conditions and for purposes of prevention. It's a stimulant and an "adaptogen" which means it increases one's resistance to stress. American ginseng is "cool" by nature. This means that it would be best used by people looking for some of its benefits while simultaneously not wanting to run the risk of aggrevating a "hot" condition such as high blood pressure, fever, any sort of inflammation, etc. Type-A personalities are generally better off with American ginseng; think of a hot head needing to cool off. The best in this country used to be found in Wisconsin. I don't know how much wild ginseng is left these days. Prices being what they are, it's likely been over-harvested, like most other products of value.
Panax ginseng covers both Chinese and Korean ginseng, which are hot by nature. In other words, their use tends to make things warmer, so the indications would generally be aimed at people with "cold" conditions (frozen joints, contracted muscles, pain that is intense and fixed rather than moving, a tendency to move with discomfort, pale complexion, feeling chilled, general adversion to cold foods and climates, clear, copious bodily secretions).
A good example of "hot" and "cold" is the common cold. A person with thick yellow mucus is showing a "hot" state, while a person with clear runny mucus is showing a "cold" state. I'm attempting to simplify what can be a rather complicated process of diagnosis. I would actually never recommend ingesting any kind of ginseng when you have a cold - it may in fact worsen it.
Siberian ginseng is not a true ginseng at all, but it is an adaptogen. Ginseng can be used in food, eaten raw, made into tinctures, etc., etc., etc... |
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T
Black Belt
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
Posts: 108
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| Posted: Sep 09, 2007 1:23 am Post subject: |
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| Thanks for the helpful information here. I am still interested in American Ginseng ever since I had that bottled tea drink by the same name. |
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spacesamurai
2nd Degree Black Belt
Joined: 02 Feb 2007
Posts: 204
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| Posted: Sep 09, 2007 1:29 am Post subject: |
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| There is a oolong that uses licorice root and American Ginseng called Lan Gui Ren. |
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T
Black Belt
Joined: 11 Mar 2006
Posts: 108
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| Posted: Sep 09, 2007 2:20 am Post subject: |
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| weaselmuffin wrote: | | i bought some ginseng tea in china - when you drink it, you get this tingly feeling in your throat and jaw, i think that that is the cooling sensation that people refer to. Never experienced this when drinking any other product that contained ginseng though. |
I'd like to try this tea.... |
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weaselmuffin
Uh, Can I Add Sugar?
Joined: 01 Mar 2007
Posts: 7
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| Posted: Sep 20, 2007 5:53 pm Post subject: |
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| i was introduced to it at a tea festival in Shanghai. Excellent stuff, but now that i'm back home in South Africa, i'm savouring it, although i can't quite make it as well as i had it in China. |
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Karen
Black Belt
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 123
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| Posted: Sep 20, 2007 10:47 pm Post subject: |
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| weaselmuffin wrote: | | i was introduced to it at a tea festival in Shanghai. Excellent stuff, but now that i'm back home in South Africa, i'm savouring it, although i can't quite make it as well as i had it in China. |
Since you're in South Africa, you MUST try red espresso! It's rooibos that has been processed especially for use in moka pots and espresso makers (although you can use it in a drip system like a Chemex). It's fantastic! I had a friend bring some back for me when he went home for the summer. It's MUCH stronger than rooibos brewed for tea and is great as a cappuccino. I'm trying to get one of my local fancy food vendors to carry it; it turns out one of his partners is South African and was thrilled to learn about it, so it might happen.
Great stuff with alleged health benefits! |
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weaselmuffin
Uh, Can I Add Sugar?
Joined: 01 Mar 2007
Posts: 7
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| Posted: Sep 21, 2007 5:35 pm Post subject: |
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haha, yes i've tried it... it's pretty good, but i'm not sure if it beats a really good cappucinno. It's much healtier though, and looks really good against the foam on a "red cappucinno."
which gives me an interesting idea... i wonder what a "green cappucinno" or esspresso would be like... sounds disgusting at first, but rooibos is not meant to be drunk with milk either and that worked out just fine. |
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Karen
Black Belt
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 123
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| Posted: Sep 22, 2007 1:18 am Post subject: |
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| weaselmuffin wrote: | haha, yes i've tried it... it's pretty good, but i'm not sure if it beats a really good cappucinno. It's much healtier though, and looks really good against the foam on a "red cappucinno."
which gives me an interesting idea... i wonder what a "green cappucinno" or esspresso would be like... sounds disgusting at first, but rooibos is not meant to be drunk with milk either and that worked out just fine. |
Actually, there's a Japanese restaurant here that serves green tea (in fact, I think it was matcha) cappuccino-style. It was pretty good! (Granted, the tea wasn't subject to steam pressure.) Or were you perhaps thinking of un-oxidized rooibos (which I've never tried but I understand it might be even more healthful than the red). I can't stand the taste of coffee but like the culture, so red espresso (and orzo) are nice substitutes for the likes of me.
My friend from SA told me that it's the norm to have rooibos with sugar and a LOT of milk, so you're right--it turned out fine!
Incidentally, what does one call green rooibos in SA? It seems that "green rooibos" is a contradiction in terms. |
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weaselmuffin
Uh, Can I Add Sugar?
Joined: 01 Mar 2007
Posts: 7
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| Posted: Sep 22, 2007 7:16 pm Post subject: |
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sorry, there is no green rooibos, I was thinking about green as in green tea - making an esspresso out of green tea and using this in a cappucinno, but i see some japanese restaurants have already tried it, and i'm glad you enjoyed the ones you had. Totally agree with you on loving the culture, and although i love coffee, i'm trying to drink less of it.
yup, i think matcha or even a powdered sencha could be good for this as you be able to ensure that it was strong enough to be considered as the equivalent of an esspresso. i dont think you'd be able to make one using steam pressure though, from what i understand, coffee esspressos are made with near boiling water and this would most certainly be too hot for the tea.
oh man we are so off topic...  |
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Karen
Black Belt
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 123
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| Posted: Sep 23, 2007 4:49 am Post subject: |
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| weaselmuffin wrote: | sorry, there is no green rooibos, I was thinking about green as in green tea - making an esspresso out of green tea and using this in a cappucinno, but i see some japanese restaurants have already tried it, and i'm glad you enjoyed the ones you had. Totally agree with you on loving the culture, and although i love coffee, i'm trying to drink less of it.
yup, i think matcha or even a powdered sencha could be good for this as you be able to ensure that it was strong enough to be considered as the equivalent of an esspresso. i dont think you'd be able to make one using steam pressure though, from what i understand, coffee esspressos are made with near boiling water and this would most certainly be too hot for the tea.
oh man we are so off topic... |
No, guess again...there IS green rooibos! Rishi carries it (what's Afrikaans for "green?"). I think I've seen it on some other tea Web sites as well. Maybe no one bothers with it in SA?
I think espresso is actually made with steam (talk about scalding fine tea!) at intensely high pressure. I have a special Bialetti pot that's just for orzo (barley coffee), and it works similarly, but with much less pressure. It's my understanding that there's a moka pot in every Italian kitchen and that it's really the only method of preparation that anyone bothers with (no American drip, no French press, etc.).
Well, at least it's an INTERESTING "off topic." How about a show of hands, guys? Who all had heard about "red espresso" prior to this? Who gives a rat's posterior? |
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